Category: Reviews
Review: Cyman Learns Cyber Smarts and Dangers, By Richard Guerry
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 [...]
Review – Learn How to Block Porn with MetaSurf
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 [...]
Gecko Monitor Review
Gecko Monitor ($49.00, Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000) is a comprehensive computer-based monitoring solution that monitors web browsing history, keystrokes, and applications. It can also be set up to take screenshots of user activity every 60 seconds, or at another predetermined interval. This monitoring system is unique in that it also monitors printer use and what files your [...]
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, [...]
McGruff SafeGuard Parental Monitoring Software Review
McGruff SafeGuard (Windows only; free 30-day trial; pricing) is a parental monitoring program that was created by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and ParentsOnPatrol (POP). The word “McGruff” makes most people think of the giant crime-fighting dog, McGruff the Crime Dog, and for the record, yes, McGruff is still taking a bite out of [...]
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 [...]
Mobbles Game Review – for Android and iOS
The idea of collecting cute, little fictional creatures is not a new concept for a game like Mobbles. In fact, several manga-inspired “collect them all” type games have been hugely successful in the United States: consider the likes of Pokemon, Digimon and the Tamagatchi. Like these games, Mobbles is all about building up your character [...]
Kid Friendly Web Browser Review
When it comes to making the Internet as safe as possible for our children, it’s imperative that we use a combination of education and technology. Our older teens are able to better understand the rules of online safety, and the ramifications that their actions can result in if those rules aren’t followed. For many older [...]
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 [...]
Diction Game Review – for Android
At first glance, Diction seems like every other word tile game currently for sale on the Google Play Store (Android phones only). Yet, unlike the others, its appeal can be measured in hours, not minutes, plus, it’s free! Diction is similar to the other word games in that the goal is for players to connect [...]
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 [...]
Spector Pro – The Ultimate Computer Monitoring System for Your Family
Monitoring your child’s digital activity is responsible parenting. It’s not an invasion of privacy or a reflection of lack of trust between you and your child. It’s a safety necessity. Spector Pro ($99.95) is a monitoring solution for Windows 7, Vista, XP and Apple OSX, brought to you by SpectorSoft. The software is extremely comprehensive [...]
Zilly Dilly Kid-Friendly iPad Browser Review
ZillyDilly (www.zillydilly.com) is a free app for the iPad. In a nutshell, ZillyDilly was designed to give parents some control over the content that their child views on the Internet. What’s interesting about it is that it isn’t just another “kid-friendly” browser; it’s actually a curated media manager. ZillyDilly lets children explore thousands of websites [...]
Family iBoard Review – A Social Networking Tool Created Just for Families
The Family iBoard, which is available for Windows, Mac OSX, and all iOS devices, gives your family their own secure Private Family Network. Think of it as a digitally secure safe where your family members can share private information and content with each other without worrying about their privacy being violated. It’s also a great way to keep [...]
Advice for Life App Review
Advice for Life ($.99) is a new application by Parenting Bookmark that gives you a panel of parenting, relationship and health experts right on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. The app grants you access to videos and podcasts created by the experts, their weekly updated tips and advice, as well as the ability to [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Screen Retriever Review and Installation Guide
As a parent, I always want to know where my children are, who they’re hanging out with, and what they’re doing. I like to try and give them a balance between freedom and safety, let them grow and mature yet still make sure they don’t do anything that has the potential to harm them. This [...]
VINCI Tab: The Perfect Tablet for Your Toddler or Preschooler
Leveraging technology to be used as an educational tool can be tricky with so many missing standard safeguards. But if any piece of entertainment technology has proven to be useful, from an educational standpoint, in schools and in homes, it’s the tablet PC. Enter Dr. Dan D. Yang. Dr. Yang has capitalized on this potential [...]
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 [...]
Mary Kay is a nationally-recognized Internet safety expert and the founder of 
