Tag: "kids social networks"
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 [...]
Google Alerts – A Simple and Helpful Anti-Bullying Tool
Google Alerts can be a very effective way to keep tabs on your company, your interests, or your website. But for parents whose children have the unfortunate experience of dealing with a cyberbully, Google Alerts can be a lifesaver. What exactly is a Google Alert? Simply put, it’s an email notification system about any phrase, [...]
15 Things You Can Do To Make Sure Your Child Has a Safer Internet Experience
When I was asked to provide some insight into a discussion that was happening on LinkedIn about “best practices when monitoring your child/teen online”, I was happy to provide my input. After all, I talk about this topic with parents all the time, whether it’s online or in real life, as well as living the [...]
Survey Results: Women Targets, Kids Left Unaware, Identity Theft Top Concern
When it comes to Internet safety and what constitutes right and wrong in the digital world, the opinions and cautionary approaches that people take will always vary. You can argue that an individual’s online safety-practices or their awareness of certain aspects of the Internet are usually reflective of his/her own experiences, and whether those experiences [...]
How to Watermark Your Family Photos
What’s the one SIMPLE, but very effective way to protect your photos online? Watermark them. The great thing about watermarking is you can make the mark as prominent or “intrusive” as you want. A good watermark would render the photo useless to the person trying to manipulate it, or it would at least require a lot [...]
Animal Planet Stars Partner With Yoursphere.com
Animal Planet Stars Partner With Yoursphere.com to Boost Awareness of Kids-Only Site That Delivers Creative Solutions to Cyberbullying, Sexting, Identity Theft, and Other Online Threats Internationally known hosts of “It’s Me or the Dog” and “Wild Recon” each launch own “spheres” to connect with young fans, share love of animals and adventure through exclusive content, [...]
How Much Would You Pay For Online Privacy? For Your Child’s Online Privacy?
The topic of Internet privacy is bigger now than it ever has been. Political leaders are taking a hard look at new online privacy bills, and old ones, to see what can be done to give end-users (you, me, our children) the privacy we deserve—in other words, online privacy that’s comparable to offline privacy, where [...]
Smash or Pass – Another Reason Our Kids Deserve a Healthy Social Network
The reasons for not allowing your child to have a Facebook account (or any adult social network for that matter) are actually pretty simple to understand. Facebook is a social network that was created by, and meant for adults. Facebook does not want children to join their network. The content, the culture, and the privacy [...]
Police and Teen Volunteers Helping to Make Social Networking Safer By Going after the Bullies
Police in the UK are rolling out a noteworthy program wherein they’ll be working with teen volunteers to catch reports of cyberbullying on some of the world’s largest social networks. The whole point behind the program is to “nip the problem in the bud and prevent it [cyberbullying] from becoming something more serious” says Dave [...]
Topix – A One-Stop Website for News, Job Postings, and Drug Deals?
It’s been about a month and a half since Amanda Bennett killed herself and her three children. But before committing the tragic murder/suicide she posted comments on an Internet forum site called Topix.com. There, Amanda talked about her divorce and the hardship that her family was facing as a result. Anonymous users on Topix left [...]
Happy Friday to The Over 40 Crowd
If you are in your 30s, or older, hopefully you’ll get a laugh out of this. When I was a kid, adults used to bore me with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning….Uphill…Barefoot…BOTH ways…etc., etc., etc. You probably remember those [...]
Review: Parental Options Software
I think the steps that Parental Options has taken with their software sort of symbolizes “the future” of software as a tool to help parents keep their kids safe online. There’s no doubt that education and talking to your kids about Internet safety is, and always will be, the key to having Internet-safety smart kids, [...]
Bigger Issue behind Teacher’s Vacation Photos on Facebook
The Stir recently posted an article that told the story of a 24-year-old English teacher, Ashley Payne, who was fired for posting a photo on Facebook that showed the young woman enjoying some drinks while on vacation. According to the article, Ms. Payne’s profile was set to private but the photos were “leaked” and ended [...]
Can Social Media Help Build Self-Esteem and Social Skills Among Children?
In the midst of all the news about cyberbullying and privacy issues, it’s important to realize all of the wonderful benefits that social media has provided not only us, but our children. A recent study by Patti Valkenburg, a professor at the University of Amsterdam’s Center for Research on Children, Adolescents and the Media, found [...]
Modeling Scams: Another Safe Social Networking Issue for Your Kids!
If you haven’t already, you can go ahead and add modeling scams to your list of ‘Things to Watch Out for on Social Networks’. The problem is currently in the UK according to a recent article, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening here in the U.S, too. I wrote about this exact issue a [...]
Is Safe Mobile Browsing for Kids Possible? What Parents Need To Know
A couple of months ago, I put together a post that showed parents how to set the parental controls on their child’s iPod Touch. I had just recently bought one for my son, so I decided to dig into the safety features and then share my experience with parents. The steps were simple enough to [...]
Yoursphere on Lifetime – Part 3
A big thanks to the Van de Houten family for their support and participation! Watch Part 1 here. Watch Part 2 here.
An Alternative To Being Your Child’s Friend on Facebook?
Though I don’t agree with the reality of the situation, a lot of parents openly allow their children (12 and under) to create a Facebook profile. And though children technically aren’t permitted on the site according to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) law and Facebook’s Terms of Use, it’s great to see that [...]
Safe Social Networking for Teachers and Their Students
As a parent, inappropriate online behavior between your child and their teacher shouldn’t even be something that you have to think about. Unfortunately, in today’s world, parents can’t afford to be ignorant to the reality of online misconduct. Issues like sexting and online sexual solicitation have extended past child-to-child or teen-to-teen interaction, and into more [...]
Mary Kay is a nationally-recognized Internet safety expert and the founder of 
