Category: Mobile Safety
4 Security Precautions to Take Before Using Public Wi-Fi
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 [...]
How to Prevent Mobile Phone Cyberbullying – Know the Warning Signs and What to Do
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 [...]
How to Delete Your Child’s Instagram Account
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 [...]
Everything Parents Need to Know About the iPod Touch
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. [...]
Kik – What It Is and What Parents Need to Know
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 [...]
How to Find Age-Appropriate Apps for Your Kids
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. [...]
K9 Web Protection Review
K9 Web Protection is a free Internet monitoring software program from Blue Coat that allows parents to log Internet activity, block websites, place time restrictions on Internet use, and make search engines safe for children by forcing “Safe Search”. Because K9 is free, you can use it in conjunction with Windows or Mac parental settings, [...]
Mamabear Parental Monitoring App Review
Parental monitoring solutions are essential in this day and age. Computers, smartphones, satellites and massive data networks have made this process easier and more convenient (and some cases more challenging) than we could have ever imagined. As our children grow up and begin socializing online and in real life, we begin to realize the value [...]
Three Ways to Keep Tabs on Your Child’s Online Activity
A recent Los Angeles survey on sexting found that “LA teens who had sent racy texts were seven times more likely to be sexually active than those who said they’d never sexted.” The correlation is concerning, but sexting is just one of many online behaviors that influences real-world consequences, carrying with it the potential to ruin a child’s social [...]
Disabling In-App Purchases on iOS and Android Devices
In-app purchases can pose one of the biggest headaches for parents whose children have smartphones or tablets. If you assigned your credit card to your child’s smartphone, you probably didn’t give it much thought. By why would you? They don’t have their own credit card, so it only made sense. But what parents usually don’t [...]
Back to School Online Safety Guide
As school starts back up for most students across the country and parents face the inevitable back-to-school frenzy that follows, most parents tend to overlook one very important preparation aspect: the digital safety aspect. The back-to-school season is responsible for billions of dollars spent on digital devices; laptops, tablets and smartphones are changing the way [...]
eBLASTER Mobile – Smartphone Monitoring at its Finest
Monitoring your child’s mobile device and computer doesn’t make you a helicopter parent; it makes you a responsible parent. eBLASTER Mobile ($99.95) is a monitoring software solution for Android and Blackberry smartphones. It monitors your child’s text messages, call logs, geo-location and web browsing history. And much like eBLASTER, parents only need to assign an [...]
Zilly Dilly Kid-Friendly iPad Browser Review
ZillyDilly (www.zillydilly.com) is a free app for the iPad. In a nutshell, ZillyDilly was designed to give parents some control over the content that their child views on the Internet. What’s interesting about it is that it isn’t just another “kid-friendly” browser; it’s actually a curated media manager. ZillyDilly lets children explore thousands of websites [...]
Family iBoard Review – A Social Networking Tool Created Just for Families
The Family iBoard, which is available for Windows, Mac OSX, and all iOS devices, gives your family their own secure Private Family Network. Think of it as a digitally secure safe where your family members can share private information and content with each other without worrying about their privacy being violated. It’s also a great way to keep [...]
Eliminate the Temptation – Best Ways to Prevent Your Teen from Texting While Driving
The recent and tragic case of the 17-year-old young man from Northern California who, while texting and driving, plowed into a family of three while they were riding bikes, killing the father and 9-year-old daughter, left me hyper-aware. Hyper-aware because that young man could’ve been one of my own sons; hyper-aware because in the bicycle-friendly [...]
Ranger Browser – A Safe Browser for Your Child’s iPhone, iPad or Android
Tablets and smartphones are great tools for entertaining and educating our children. And as a mother of five, I know just how great of a distraction they can be on those long road trips where the only thing the kids want other than food and sleep is to be entertained. I’m sure most parents would [...]
A Step-By-Step Guide to Making Sure Your Child’s Holiday Technology Gifts Are Safety-Enabled And Family-Friendly Ready
If you plan on buying your child one of the many fun and engaging technology gifts available this holiday season, know that there are a few simple things you can do to make sure their gifts are family-friendly ready and safety-enabled. Here are some things you’ll need to consider before buying, and what you’ll need [...]
Two Solutions to Help You Detect Cyberbullying on Your Child’s Smartphone
I’ve said it time and time again: face-to-face communication with your child or teen about issues like cyberbullying and sexting, and the consequences of such actions, is the key to helping them make the smartest digital decisions. Of course, not all teens are willing to listen, let alone talk about the issues, and most young [...]
11 Mobile Parental Controls from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile
Finding a mobile plan that’s right for your family can be tough. And I’m not talking about deciding which texting or minutes plan to get, I am talking about parental control plans that help you manage your children’s texting, talking and mobile web browsing usage. The four main providers—Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile—all offer very [...]
An Easy Way to Introduce and Teach Your Children Responsible Texting
Update 1/23/2013: The Text Free application now allows for picture messaging. I recommend that parents keep a close look at the content of their children’s texts just to make sure they’re talking about age-appropriate content. At what age is it OK for your child to have a cell phone? Better yet, a smartphone? If your [...]
Photo Geotagging – How It Works & How to Disable It
Geotagging: the process of adding geographical identification metadata to various media such as photographs, video, websites, [etc]. That’s the definition from Wikipedia. If you’re still unclear on what this means, just imagine using your smartphone to take photos of your child at his/her school performance, then uploading them from your smartphone to a site like Facebook or Flickr, [...]
Mary Kay is a nationally-recognized Internet safety expert and the founder of 
