Most push notifications are designed to compete for your attention, not to provide useful information. Parents can help teens learn how to sort out notifications they want or need and those they don't, how to manage alerts, and what to do when an app's notifications have crossed the line from useful to annoying.
Cell Phone Monitoring
89 posts
The teenage years are a rough period for everyone, but those years can be especially hard for LGBT+ youth.
Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? You probably do; it was popular and reached a lot of people, raising awareness for its cause, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Highlights: Trolls are in it for attention, not to pick on an individual person. There are a number of troll traits, but not all of them are definitive by themselves. Kids who know how to identify trolls can better protect themselves. One of the things that many parents worry about when their kids are online is cyberbullies. They may not picture internet trolls, but some experts believe trolling is a form of cyberbullying. Like cyberbullying, […]
Highlights: iNaturalist is a joint venture of National Geographic and the California Academy of Sciences. Users of iNaturalist can find out more information about the flora and fauna around their homes or in areas they explore. Users can contribute to the scientific community by adding their photos and observations to the biodiversity database. Parents can find fun ways to incorporate iNaturalist into their family’s life, blending kids’ love of technology with healthy outdoor activity. “My […]
Highlights: Tech addiction is a real fear for parents, but might not be a real disorder. Although tech overuse shares some similarities with addiction, many experts don’t consider it an addiction in the medical sense of the word. Parents can mistake ordinary activities for tech overuse. Tech overuse can also mask real disorders like depression and anxiety. Oh, no, the teens are addicted to their phones, gaming systems, and tablets! Or are they? Fears about […]
Highlights: A data cap could help your child stick to the rules. Parents need to understand why and how teens break the rules. Parents can protect their children with data restrictions, web monitoring tools, and open communication. Unlimited data for every line in your house may seem like a no-brainer. Most plans offer it now, and if you’re a certain age, you probably remember the frustration of hitting your data limit. However, you might want […]
Highlights: Identity thefts target children because they are easy to elicit information from, and they have not yet developed negative credit histories. Friends and family members are commonly identified as child identity thefts. Parents should be aggressive in protecting their children’s personal information and watching for signs of possible identity theft. Parental monitoring software can help keep your family safe from theft of personal information. When you think about identity theft, you probably think about […]
Highlights: Before blocking, muting, and reporting, it’s important to document cyberbullying incidents for evidence. Screenshots are one of the simplest and most effective means of documentation. There are various places to report cyberbullying incidents, depending on what the incident is and what the victim wants to see happen. If there’s one thing that nearly all kids or teens experience at some point, it’s bullying. Kids that aren’t bullied are often engaging in bullying behavior themselves, […]
Highlights: Teens can find drugs online in a variety of places, including social media. Emojis, money transactions, and internet history can tell you if your teen is involved in drugs. Talking to your teen openly about drug use and online drug sales helps keep the lines of communication open. If you’re the parent of a teen, you’ve probably worried about them getting hooked on social media. But have you worried that they’ll get hooked on […]
Highlights: Bullying can cause an instant reaction, but it can also lead to long-term problems for the bullied child. About 1 in 5 children experience bullying. That’s a high enough number that all parents should be on the lookout for signs that their child is being bullied. Bullying is connected to not just one, but a number of mental health symptoms and conditions. The sooner a mental health condition is recognized and treated or managed, the […]
Highlights Parents need to learn to recognize the signs that their child is bullying. They aren’t always obvious. All children need to talk about bullying with their parents. Parents should treat their children with kindness and respect and model kindness and respect for others. Good behavior should be reinforced and encouraged. Parents can learn a lot by keeping an eye on their child’s social life and online activities. Bullied or Bullying? No one wants their […]
Highlights: LGBTQ youth generally spend more time online than their heterosexual peers. The Internet offers safe spaces for teens who identify as sexual minorities to interact with peers and find supportive communities where they “fit in.” At the same time, LGBTQ teens are three times more likely to be bullied online than heterosexual peers. Parental monitoring software, when used judiciously, can alert a parent to signs of trouble for their teens. The Internet Can Be a Safe […]
While many parents and educators are concerned about the effect of a lot of screen time on children, many were relieved to pivot to online learning and online entertainment as a way to make sure that kids get education and socialization while staying safe and healthy during a pandemic. Living in the internet age has some real advantages. But it also has some real downsides, and it may be that the increased use of internet-connected […]