My favorite thing about summertime is the extra time I get to spend with my family. Whether we go on a family vacation, have a backyard barbecue or take a day trip, summer is a great time for us to reconnect and simply enjoy each other’s company. For most kids, summertime means camp, sleeping in [...]
There are many reasons you might want to delete your child’s Instagram account. For starters, Instagram’s Terms of Service requires that a member be at least 13 years of age to join, so if your child (12 and under) has an account, they’ve obviously lied about their age. But beyond that, your child could be [...]
The iPod Touch is a great device that can be used to help ease children into smartphone ownership. It has the same touch based interface and operating system as the iPhone, but without the ability to access data anywhere, and as a result the iPod Touch has less of the headaches associated with smartphone ownership. [...]
A big question that parents want answered is: How do I find age-appropriate apps for my kids? There are rating systems for movies (MPAA) and video games (ESRB), which are great tools for parents when deciding if the content is appropriate for their child, but there still isn’t a universal rating system for mobile applications. [...]
A new photo-sharing application called Snapchat has just been released for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. Snapchat is an app that allows users to take a photo and share it with someone for up to 10 seconds. When the allotted time is up, the photo is permanently deleted. If the recipient tries to take [...]
This is a guest article by Jessica Salt. Using public Wi-Fi automatically introduces security threats that rarely exist on private networks. If you have to use a public network, then follow these safety precautions to keep your information secure. Only Use Encrypted Websites Anyone with some basic hacking experience can steal information from other computers [...]
My favorite thing about summertime is the extra time I get to spend with my family. Whether we go on a family vacation, have a backyard barbecue or take a day trip, summer is a great time for us to reconnect and simply enjoy each other’s company. For most kids, summertime means camp, sleeping in [...]
Guest article by Janita Docherty. Friends connecting on Facebook is something that needs to be respected and trusted. Recently, a number of people, including myself, have received friend requests on Facebook from people they know. Why is this unusual? Because these requests are from people who are already connected in some form or another, be [...]
This is a guest editorial by McAfee. While bullying is nothing new, online bullying has taken this torment to a new level. Public threats, taunts and nasty comments can all be linked to and shared in an instant, and mobile phones make it all easier. In fact, cyberbullying is so common that over one in [...]
The founding principal of Yoursphere.com is to provide a platform that authentically represents the voice, the interests, the talents and the aspirations of kids and young teens amidst a culture of respect and positive interaction. Simply put, our youth matter, and they deserve a social network that gives them a platform to magnify their voice. After [...]
Parents, if you have children in first through fifth grade, this book does a wonderful job of repeatedly sharing the importance of digital safety via different and relevant examples with children. While written for those 6 – 10, it honestly hammers home the message that will resonate with the tween audience as well. Consider having your older [...]
There are many reasons you might want to delete your child’s Instagram account. For starters, Instagram’s Terms of Service requires that a member be at least 13 years of age to join, so if your child (12 and under) has an account, they’ve obviously lied about their age. But beyond that, your child could be [...]
If you’ve used services like WebEx or Skype then you’re probably familiar with desktop sharing technology. In a nutshell, desktop sharing allows someone to remotely control someone else’s computer, meaning they can access files and launch applications as if they were on their own computer. In applications like this, desktop sharing technology is totally legal, [...]
This is a guest editorial by McAfee. There’s been a lot of high profile account hacks in the news lately, from celebrities such as Mila Kunis and Scarlett Johansson, to reporters at Wired and The New York Times. While it’s easy to think it won’t happen to you, the truth is normal people get their [...]
The iPod Touch is a great device that can be used to help ease children into smartphone ownership. It has the same touch based interface and operating system as the iPhone, but without the ability to access data anywhere, and as a result the iPod Touch has less of the headaches associated with smartphone ownership. [...]
In January, Facebook unveiled Graph Search, a new search tool that leverages information from your friends’ interests, likes, check-ins and photos, ultimately allowing you to discover new places and things. You can also use Graph Search to review all the photos you’ve been tagged in since joining Facebook. This can be helpful in having more control over [...]
This is a guest editorial by McAfee. Kids may be better at navigating the Internet than their parents, but they often need help when it comes to navigating their online reputations. After all, kids are used to sharing everything online—from their daily activities, to their personal views, and exactly what they think about members of [...]
MetaSurf (Google Chrome and Firefox; Free) is a browser extension created by MetaCert which blocks pornographic websites and, most notably, porn found on social media websites. MetaSurf is a cloud-based system, which means there aren’t any software updates for you to download or compatibility issues; it’s a true plug-and-play solution. I used MetaSurf on both [...]
If we shelter our children with austere helicopter parenting techniques and shield them from the world, they’ll be safe and protected from the Internet. As parents and adults, we’re dependent on our smartphones, laptops and tablets. Whether we rely on our smartphone to communicate or feel attached to our tablet for entertainment, our children recognize [...]
Parents are concerned about sexting – and rightfully so. But as a result of that concern, I believe there’s also a heightened sense of awareness among parents. I get emails from parents every day, asking how to prevent their child from downloading certain apps, and what’s the best way to monitor what their child is [...]
A big question that parents want answered is: How do I find age-appropriate apps for my kids? There are rating systems for movies (MPAA) and video games (ESRB), which are great tools for parents when deciding if the content is appropriate for their child, but there still isn’t a universal rating system for mobile applications. [...]
Skout is a social networking site that’s become popular in the past couple months. From the outside it looks like any other Facebook wannabe site, however, once you start poking around inside it becomes obvious that this isn’t like any other social network. Skout is a dating/hookup site with several social network elements such as [...]
*This is a guest editorial by McAfee If you’re like many parents, you probably feel like you know what your teen is up to online. But do you, really? How can you tell if it’s time for parental control software to monitor Internet activity, block porn, or filter web content? A McAfee® study which looked [...]
The term “catfish” comes from the 2010 documentary film in which a young New Yorker named Nev Schulman has an online relationship with a woman on Facebook. Turns out the woman fabricated her entire life on the social network, and when Nev finally made plans to meet her in real life, he realized that everything she told [...]
When you think about New Year resolutions, you normally think about people setting personal goals, like exercising more, eating healthier or finding a new job – but what about resolutions that the whole family can benefit from? When it comes to digital safety and privacy, most families probably have a number of things that they [...]
In response to recent criticism, Facebook has added new privacy settings and made them easier to access. The new settings give users more security options for who can view content that’s on their profile. In a nutshell, the new privacy settings address tagging, blocking events, blocking apps, and setting visibility restrictions to the public and [...]
Mary Kay is a nationally-recognized Internet safety expert and the founder of Yoursphere.com.
You can learn more about her work at marykayhoal.com.
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