Category: Facebook
What To Do About Facebook Friend Hacks
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 [...]
Facebook Graph Search – What It Means to Your Privacy
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 [...]
Facebook’s New Privacy Settings
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 [...]
Facebook, Porn and Drugs: 25 Pages and Apps Parents Should be Aware Of
Caution – Some links lead to adult-intended images I’ve written extensively on the topic of children using Facebook, and one of the points that I always come back around to is the fact that a lot of the people and content in Facebook create an online environment that simply isn’t appropriate for children. Sure, risks [...]
Pendaflex Tag Tamer Review
Pendaflex Tag Tamer is a free Facebook application that allows users to find and untag themselves in photos that they’ve been tagged in. Facebook members can use Pendaflex Tag Tamer to filter through tagged photos by month, year or the name of the person who they were tagged with. If you or your older teen [...]
Facebook Exchange Means Even Less Privacy for You
Now that Facebook has gone public, it’s beholden to shareholders and has to keep finding ways in which to maximize their profit. Considering that advertising made up 85% of their revenue last year, it’s no surprise that Facebook would turn their attention towards enhancing this approach. This is where Facebook Exchange comes in. Facebook Exchange [...]
Why Facebook Wants Your Young Child To Join Their Network
Great article by industry expert, Linda Criddle. Original article http://ilookbothways.com/2012/06/07/why-would-facebook-want-to-enroll-children-in-a-service-built-with-little-regard-for-adult-safetyprivacysecurity-for-the-money/ _____________________________________________________________________ A floundering Facebook is under increased pressure to shore up their revenue and flat per user minutes. So it was no surprise to see the Wall Street Journal report that Facebook is developing technology to allow children younger than 13 years old to use the [...]
Five Questions Every Parent Needs to Know the Answers to When Asking: Is Facebook Okay for My Child?
Facebook’s decision to investigate technology that would make them compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and subsequently allow children under the age of 13 to join the network, has me deeply concerned as a parent. The argument that this move would make Facebook safer for children is misleading and designed to placate [...]
uKnowKids Software Review
uKnowKids is a new web-based monitoring system for your child’s smartphone and social network accounts. For testing purposes, our team used the “Premier” subscription which provides comprehensive monitoring on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, as well as Android-powered smartphones and Blackberry devices. Subscription prices vary depending on how many children you want to monitor, extra features [...]
Smiley Faces and “LOLs” Do Not Mitigate the Effect of Cyberbullying
Three Indiana girls were expelled from Griffith Public School last week after a concerned mother provided the school principal with a copy of a malicious Facebook thread about her daughter and other students at the school. In the thread, the three girls discussed different ways to kill their classmates, including putting someone in a bathtub [...]
Three Good Reasons Why Your Child Shouldn’t Be on Facebook
As a mother of two college students and two tween boys, I absolutely understand the urge to give children what they want. Right now, in this world of digital media and instant gratification, that ‘want’ is to be on a social network with their friends. Most children, as you know, use Facebook as that social [...]
Your Guide to the New Facebook Timeline Privacy Settings
The Timeline feature that Mark Zuckerberg announced in September is now available to all Facebook users. If you’ve already activated Timeline for your own profile, you’re probably in the midst of adjusting to the new layout and testing out the new features. But what you might have overlooked are the minor additions to your Privacy [...]
Thanks to Facebook Sims Game Your 10, 12, 13 Year Old Is Now Rewarded for Having CyberSex
The Sims Social, a Facebook game and a franchise that has been around for years, has recently been in the spotlight for rewarding and encouraging players (including your child) to build a romantic relationships with their Facebook friends. The Sims Social refers to your Facebook friends as “Neighbors”, and gives players virtual currency and recognition [...]
Facebook Monitoring Solutions for Parents
For parents who have made the conscious decision to allow their kids or tweens to use Facebook, there are several monitoring solutions out there that can help you keep an eye on their activity, and more importantly, keep them safe. Figuring out which one works best, however, can be a pain. Below is an in-depth [...]
Social Networking Linked to Teen Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Researchers at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (Columbia University) recently released a study where they found that teens who regularly use social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are twice as likely to smoke marijuana and three times are likely to drink alcohol. As well, the study points out that cyberbullied [...]
Social Media Clean-Up in 5 Easy Steps
After the Social Media Background Check article, I received a significant amount of feedback from readers and parents asking if there’s a way for them, or their teen, to “clean up” their social media profile. As I pointed out in the original article, a person’s social media profile officially consists of “up to seven years” [...]
One Network for Adults and Children: A Recipe for Disaster
Over 7 million kids are lying about their age to join Facebook. by guest columnist, Luke Gilkerson, from Covenant Eyes – It’s called “Smash or Pass.” Boys and girls alike can submit a photo of themselves or someone else to any number of smash-or-pass pages on Facebook. Others then stop by and say whether they [...]
The Social Media Background Check
Yes. You read that right. A social media background check is now possible thanks to a ruling by the Federal Trade Commission. It also provides us parents with further reinforcement that it’s incredibly important to teach our children how to “safely and responsibility network online.” The FTC ruling authorizes companies to provide reports on an [...]
Giving In to Tweens Who Want to Join Facebook – Is It Too Much Pressure for a Parent to Bear?
From firsthand experience, I can tell you that it’s very difficult not to simply succumb to the pressures of letting your tween have an account on an adult-intended social network like Facebook. Most of their friends probably have one—in fact, their friends’ younger siblings probably have one. But does that justify giving in? That’s the [...]
In response to Mark Zuckerberg Wanting Children Under 13 to Be Able to Join Facebook
Article being referenced: Zuckerberg: Kids under 13 Should Be Allowed on Facebook Plain and simple, Facebook isn’t a place for children. As I’ve shared in the past, and as many of us know – the content and culture is adult-intended. While I agree with Mark, children should benefit from social media, Facebook just isn’t the place. [...]
How to Disable Photo Tagging in Facebook
Despite photo tagging being one of the more popular features on Facebook, some people may find it annoying and intrusive when it happens without their permission. Moreover, figuring out how to disable or “opt out” of photo tagging isn’t as simple as it should be; digging through Facebook’s Privacy Settings can quickly become an overwhelming [...]
Mary Kay is a nationally-recognized Internet safety expert and the founder of 
