Category: 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
RAT Hackers Targeting Women, Children for Fun and Extortion
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, [...]
Making Password Security Simple
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 [...]
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 [...]
How to Avoid Falling Victim to a “Catfish” Hoax
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 [...]
Five Online Safety New Year’s Resolutions for You and Your Family
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 [...]
Recent Study Highlights the Importance of a Digitally Educated Parent
A recent study conducted by the Hart Research Associates for the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) found that when teens look to seek out information about how to stay safe online, nearly three in four (74%) turn to their parents. The study also found that parents and teens indicate similar levels of concern for a [...]
How to Make the Kindle Fire Safe and Age-Appropriate for Your Child
As far as tablets go, the new Kindle Fire is one of the best family-friendly values out there. The 7-inch version retails for $174 and is a great e-reader and entertainment tablet that the whole family can enjoy, granted the right safeguards are in place. In order to give your child a rich, age-appropriate experience [...]
How to Set Up Parental Controls on the Wii U
Nintendo has consistently been one of the best family- friendly video game console makers. Additionally, their video game lineup is much more family-friendly than Microsoft’s or Sony’s, they offer some of the most comprehensive parental controls available and their handheld game devices have limited Internet access, which means your children can play online with their [...]
Safe Holiday Tech Gadgets – Five Things Every Parent Should Do
The countdown to Christmas has already started. Santa’s elves need help, so you may have asked your children to create a holiday wish list, and if your kids are like mine, there’s at least one technology gadget on their list this year. My 8-year-old wants a new iPod, my 12-year-old a new Xbox and my [...]
How to Set Windows 8 Family Safety
The Parental Controls in Windows 8, now called Family Safety, can be used to filter websites, set time limits on computer use, monitor and restrict apps purchased from the Windows Store and send activity reports via e-mail to parents–the latter of the two being the biggest improvements between 7 and 8. For those of you [...]
TMI: When Oversharing Online Becomes a Problem
From what they are eating to where they are going, young people everywhere are sharing everything they do online. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter make it possible for people to instantly connect – and sometimes, unknowingly to them, become easy targets for identification theft, bullying or home burglary. Does it seem like a stretch? It’s not. [...]
Internet Safety – A Balancing Beam for Parents
Balancing safety and freedom on the Internet can be tough for many parents, yours truly included. We all want what’s best for our child, but sometimes we tend to lean too much in one direction. Past monitoring systems didn’t help at all in this regard because they didn’t give parents options when it came monitoring, [...]
Avoiding Identity Scams on Craigslist
Have you ever been a victim of a scam from something you either tried to buy or sell on Craigslist? It’s a common story being told more often around the U.S. Stories abound from people who have tried to sell goods and being paid with counterfeit cash, to buyers seeking good being lured out into [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Keeping Kids Safe Online
This is a guest post from Experian’s SafetyWeb Today’s technology has provided us with amazing tools. Computers, tablets, smart phones – it’s hard to imagine life without the conveniences they lend to our daily lives for both adults and youth alike. However, with technology continuing to show an ever stronger presence in our children’s lives, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Mary Kay is a nationally-recognized Internet safety expert and the founder of 
