ScreenRetriever’s Online Safety Blog
Prevention of Cyber-Threat Risk Begins at Home
Cyber-Threats and Attacks Are all Too Real Since the Sony hacking scandal broke, there has been intense discussion about cyber-threats! FBI moved cyberthreats to top of law-enforcement agenda because it’s such a serious concern. Former FBI director, James Comey, said, “I see a whole lot of hacktivists, I see a whole lot of international criminal gangs, very sophisticated thieves.” “I see people hurting kids, tons of pedophiles, an explosion of child pornography.” No joke. President Obama recently referred to the internet as being the wild west. “The U.S. will also turn to the...
read moreCyber Crime is Big Biz! Steps to Prevent Phishing Scams
Hacking attacks and security breaches… Hacking is in the news all too frequently today. Breaches at Target, Home Depot, JPMorgan Chase are a few of the security hacking scandals of criminals breaking into systems that we’ve all heard about. When you first heard the news story of Target, for example, you probably asked yourself, like I did, ” When was the last time you shopped there?” Unfortunately, there is little that you can do to prevent these breaches other than perhaps paying cash for purchases or hiding your money under your mattress. Target’s breach occurred last year...
read moreWhat To Do If Your Child is Exposed to Inappropriate Content Online
Recently while giving an Online Safety Presentation I was asked, why doesn’t the government stop porn and other offensive content online? As a child online safety advocate, I would love it if all offensive content were taken down so that our kids weren’t exposed. Unfortunately, there are several reasons why this is an impossible task. Growth of the Internet – The rapid growth of the Internet with 140,000 new websites daily, makes it impossible to keep up with offensive content. Individuals are urged to report offensive content such as hate sites, racist sites, illegal sites, and cyberbullying...
read moreShould young children have smartphones?
The holidays are upon us. What are you thinking about getting your young child? Kids are getting devices at earlier and earlier ages. According to a 2013 e-marketer survey – roughly two-thirds of kids between fourteen years old and seventeen years old own a smartphone. No surprise there, right? But you might be shocked to find out that the same survey of parents found that one in four kids two to five years old own a smartphone. That’s right… your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you! Pretty amazing isn’t it? Personally I think that’s crazy. Clearly there is money to be made,...
read moreWhy You Shouldn’t Be a Helicopter Parent or Spy On Your Kids Online!
Helicopter parenting and spying are both bad ideas… Helicopter parents are those that don’t allow their child to make a move without being right there to protect them at every turn. They are overprotective and step in whenever their child faces a difficult situation, often inappropriately. This is the parent who tries to get a grade changed when their son or daughter gets a poor grade on a test or paper. They may talk to the coach when their child doesn’t get selected for a sports team. The parent believes they are helping their child when in reality their child never learns to handle life on...
read moreAre Online Risks Tilting the Scales?
Are Online Risks Tilting the Scales? Weight of Online Risks is Getting Heavier… Would you ever take your child into the heart of a major city and leave them unattended? Of course not! When kids go online via any computer device they are entering a borderless, unregulated world where they can engage with anyone across the globe. They are exposed to all kinds of content, good and bad. There is no doubt that today’s digital world has made parenting more challenging, but parents need to be engaged in their children’s online world just as they are their offline world. The Internet is...
read moreIs Your Tween or Teen Playing Hide and Seek with Apps?
Is your tween or teen playing hide and seek with apps? Many kids are getting smartphones at earlier and earlier ages. Did you know that Sprint has come out with a smartphone for 5 year olds! Personally I think this is crazy! Most parents say that they get their child a smartphone for safety reasons, so that they can be in touch with them in a nano-second. But isn’t safety and smartphones an oxymoron? After all the online world is hardly safe and is associated with all kinds of risks. Just today, the Department of Homeland Security launched a program to combat online predators, because...
read moreCyberbullying – Family Makes a Difference
Parental Engagement in Your Tween/Teen’s Online Life A recent study found that 87% of kids have witnessed cyberbullying. The impact of cyberbullying can be severe, so it’s vital that parents are engaged in their children’s online lives as well as their offline lives. We all know that adolescence is a time of roller-coaster emotions and raging hormones. During adolescence kids often experience angst. They worry about all kinds of things – friendships, dating, how they look and if other people will notice that horrible pimple on their chin. It can be hard for a parent to sort out normal...
read moreAre Your Tweens/Teens Using Apps to Sext?
Apps Make it Easier for Tweens/Teens to Sext Is there a parent out there today that doesn’t know what sexting is? I doubt it. With the help of apps like Snapchat, Kik, Instagram and many other apps kids are sexting. One in five kids is sending a sexually explicit image of themselves to others, often their boyfriend or girlfriend. Nearly twice as many teens are receiving sexting images and a quarter of those that receive a sexting image are forwarding them to others. This research done by the University of Utah alarmingly also found that they did so even though they were aware of the legal...
read moreDoes the Online World Influence Your Child, Tween or Teen? You Bet It Does!
What Kind of Influence is the Online World Having On Your Child? The internet has its good side. It can be entertaining and educational, and can open up new worlds for kids, giving them a chance to travel the globe virtually, learn about different cultures, and gain exposure to ideas they may never encounter at home or in their own community. Sites with a pro-social message can have a positive impact on a child, tween or teens behavior. There are sites/games/apps that teach and even promote antisocial behaviors such as aggression or cyberbullying but there are sites/apps that teach...
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