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The Internet and All Day Bullying

The Internet has made it easier for children to be bullied twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.   In the past, kids bullied at school could find a save haven at home after 3:00 p.m. when the school day let out.  Now, due to instant messaging and social networking sites, bullies can invade your home via your child’s computer.  Make sure that you are monitoring your child online and be aware of what is going on in your home.

Talk to Your Children

Talk to your kids about online bullying.  Make sure that they know to come to you if another child is saying mean things to them online.  Kids may react to their online bully by typing mean things back or simply sitting back and reading the cruel incoming messages.  There needs to be adult intervention in order for the bullying to stop.

Monitor Your Kids on the Computer

All parents should have full access to a child’s online passwords to instant messaging accounts and social networking pages.  Know who every person on your child’s friend list is.  There is no reason for kids to add every single person from school.  Make sure no bullies are forcing your child to be their friend on a social networking website.  Teach your child how to use privacy settings and blocking features to keep contact with non-approved people to a minimum.  It is also important to keep personal information private so that bullies can’t find out anything personal about your child that they could use to make fun of them at school.

Limit Internet Access

Many young people feel the need to be online for several hours a day.  Limiting the time your child can spend on the internet will reduce their availability for bullies to contact them.  Do not allow your child to have a computer in their bedroom were they can sneak on while you are away.  Keep the computer in an open family room, kitchen or playroom.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: ,

Public Profiles and Sexting

If your child has an online profile on a social networking site such as Facebook or MySpace, there are few things you, as their parent, can do and teach them to help keep them safe.

According to Parry Aftab, executive director of wiredsafety.org and an expert in cybersecurity, you and your child should remember and follow the 4 P’s. If parents, principals, police, and predators should no see it, don’t post it. What you put on the internet is there forever. Having a social networking profile has many benefits, including keeping in touch with friends and family and when used with caution by parents and children, it is usually a safe and positive part of modern families.

The parent should have a profile and connect to their child’s page, so they can see what their child and friends are posting, to help monitor what is appropriate. While, your teen may object to you being their “friend” on a social networking site, if you set guidelines and rules and your child follows them, there is no need for your presence to cause any problems while they network with their friends.

Sexting (texting sexually explicit comments and photos) is another potentially dangerous activity, but this does not mean you have to forbid the use of texting. If you talk to your teen and require them to get your approval before sending any videos or pictures of themselves using their cell phone, apps, or social networking profile, you significantly reduce the risks. Make sure your child knows the dangers of sexting and ask them to report any text or images that they receive that may be inappropriate to you.

You should discuss internet safety, sexting, and other behaviors that can lead to harmful consequences. Having open communication about the dangers of the internet and cell phones could save you and your child from getting into a potentially dangerous situation.

Filed Under: Security, Technology Tagged With: ,

Tracking Implants

Are GPS implants the next thing in monitoring and tracking children? There is a fiction product online, but is the reality of it coming?

In science-fiction films, television shows, and books, people are implanted with tracking devices regularly.

There was an article at guardian.co.uk posted on 3 September 2002 about an 11-year-old girl in the UK, whose parents were going to have a tracking microchip implanted. If she is abducted, they can track her location. The microchip will use the cell phone network and can be tracked on electronic maps.

Many pet owners have their pet’s micro-chipped in case they are lost or stolen. According to some statistics 1 out of every 3 cats or dogs will get lost in their lifetime, which makes the use of microchips seem more practical. The microchips are inexpensive, easy to implant for a vet, and easy to activate and register for the owner. These microchips are scanned using a special device, which then gives a read out of the registration information, however, the pet microchips are not equipped with GPS or any locating technology, you must have a scanner, or call the chip number into the company to get information.

As technology advances, it is possible GPS type tracking implants will become a reality. What does that mean for parents and the children who may be implanted with the devices? Does it cross the line of protection into something else? Is there a limit to what is acceptable for monitoring your children? There are no cut and dry answers to these kinds of questions. Some are human rights issues; some are individual, based on your personal ethics and beliefs. Once upon a time, tracking microchips were only in sci-fi fantasy, but they are looming on the horizon of reality, what will be next?

Filed Under: Security, Technology Tagged With:

Protecting or Spying?

Where is the line between monitoring for your child’s safety and protection and when is it spying? With all the new technology available, this question becomes more important for parents every day.

In Great Britain, a wristwatch has been created that is also a GPS Child Locator device. Using a subscription plan, the device texts an emergency message to the designated cell number when the device is removed and where it was when it was last attached to the child. You can also text any time, to find out the GPS location of your child at that moment. The feedback the company has received is about 50/50 positive and negative.

Cars can now be equipped with monitoring devices, like a black box, or even real time GPS tracking. In addition to basics, like how many miles were driven and where the care went, some programs can even tell the parent the speed the vehicle travel at during the trip.

Computers have filtering and monitoring programs that can tell parents when and where their child has been on the internet, even transcripts of chat messages.

Cell phones have GPS chips and providers offer access and locating using the chips. The drawback is that GPS works best outdoors on clear days, so it can be inaccurate indoors or in poor weather conditions.

In am emergency situation, all of these can be helpful tools to rescue your child from a dangerous situation. The keys to determining if it is too much are why you are monitoring and how you use the technology.

If you text your child’s GPS wristwatch every ½ hour to see where your child is, maybe you have gone too far. If you check your teens cell phone GPS when they miss curfew and are not answering your call or text, you are probably not crossing the line. Most of these devices can help keep you child safe, if you use them discretely and sensibly.

Filed Under: Security, Technology Tagged With: ,

Blue Coat K9 Web Protection

Internet filter programs can help protect your children while they use the internet. One free internet filter option is K9 Web Protection http://www1.k9webprotection.com/. It is available for both Mac and PC.

K9 Web Protection features allow you to restrict internet use to designated times, pre-set limits based on age, plus customizable allow or block lists. You can set times, such as between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am internet access is not allowed, thus, ensuring your child or children are not up in the middle of the night on the internet. The downside is that if you have a child who plays computer games without accessing the internet, this program will not prevent the use of the computer during blocked times for the internet.

You can block entire categories, like pornography, or specific sites, such as MySpace or YouTube. You have the option of over-riding a block with the parent password. This is handy if you only want to allow your child to visit sites while you are present, you can over-ride the block and monitor use of a specific site and next time your child tries to access the site, it will be blocked again. We only allow our children to watch videos on YouTube when we are present to monitor content.

Reports for use and website categories are available. The Safe Search part of the program, blocks offensive search results from showing when your child does an internet search. This feature can block images as well as site results.

One thing to remember is that web filter parental control programs, like K9, are not anti-virus, spam blocking, or firewall protection, they simply filter websites through your browser. K9 Web Protection from Blue Coat is compatible with several common and popular anti-virus, and firewall protection programs, such as Avast, McAfee, and Norton.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With:

Monitoring and Limiting Computer Usage

Our teen lives to play computer games. Trying to keep track of how long he had been playing that day or keep him off the computer after we went to bed became too much for us, the parental controls were not enough, as those only monitored and controlled what websites he could access. Limiting and monitoring use of the computer became a real challenge for us, so we began to explore programs to monitor and limit when he could access the computer.

We began using KidsWatch http://www.kidswatch.com/ to see limits on computer usage. The program allowed us to limit how much time per day he could be on the computer, we chose 1 hour on school days and 3 hours on the weekends. We were able to limit when the computer could be used, only between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm on weekdays and 8:00 am to 9:00 pm on weekend. It was such a relief to not have to list for the sounds of the computer games in the living room while I slept, or sleep on the couch to monitor the computer.

The program allowed him the freedom to use the computer, while giving us the piece of mind that he was only accessing what and when we thought was appropriate. The program offers email alerts, activity reports, and more. You can set the program up by child, ensuring that each child has age appropriate access.

The only complaint I have about this program is that changes to setting are not immediate. If you make a change to time limits, or hours of usage, they do not go into effect until the next day. This was offset by the fact that we could give extra time, in 30-minute increments, as a 1-time event immediately. KidsWarch was a great solution for our family.

The site offers a free 15-day demo or you can purchase the program, with a 30-day money back guarantee.

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Cell Phones and Kids

Many kids have ipods, cell phones, and more. In many families, these items add extra expenses to an already tight budget.

When does your child really need to have a cell phone?

The answer to this question is going to be different for every family, but if money is an issue, needing a phone, not just wanting one, is when a parent will find a way to get their child a phone. Many factors will help determine when you child actual might need to have a cell phone.

Do they talk on the phone often? Do you need to get them their own phone so you can use your phone?

Are they away from a phone or out of contact regularly? Such as playing sports, traveling with a school team or club, out with friends or dating.

Do they need to call you for rides, etc. and have to borrow or find a phone every time?

Do they have a job or drive? If they have a job, maybe they should pay for part or all of their own phone. If they drive, having a cell phone for emergencies can be a good idea, especially if they drive alone or at night.

Are they responsible enough to use it properly and no lose it?

As the price of phones becomes more and more affordable, the age of children carrying them seems to get lower. The newer, more affordable pre-paid phones offer an option for a trial period, if you are trying to decide if your child is ready to be responsible for a phone. Though, they often cost more per minute, the phones can cost as little as $10.00 and require no contract. This is a good way to start out with little investment and obligation. Since our son washed his cell phone 3 times the first month, we were glad we chose this option first.

Filed Under: Financial Advice, Technology Tagged With: ,

Electronic Child Finders May Help Save Lives

In the blink of an eye, technology changes and surprises us all. Anything that can make a parent’s job easier and make children safer is a welcome technological advancement. It is refreshing to know that there are new ways to keep kids safe. One of the newest products that many parents may find helpful are child GPS tracking devices.

There are many different types of these products on the market. Some have special receivers that can be clipped to a child’s clothing, others are inserted into the sole of their shoe, and some are embedded into cell phones. The large variety of options make it easier for a parent to choose a product that will work best for them.

Electronic child finders may help save lives because when a child is abducted, the first few minutes are the most important. When a parent looses sight of a child, the device can be activated to locate the child. The parent can follow the signal and find the child before any harm is done. If the parent is unable to locate the child, the police can then use the GPS child finding device to locate the missing child. Sometimes the shear knowledge that a child has a GPS on them will scare the abductor into letting the child go without harm, for fear of being caught by authorities.

An electronic child finder will also help in smaller emergencies, like when a child gets lost in a store or a mall. It has happened a billion times, and it will happen a billion more times. When the child has a GPS device on them, the parent can easily find the child and have a happy reunion.

Even the simple fact of owning an electronic child finder can help ease the minds of nervous parents. So go ahead, take advantage of technology, you could be saving your child’s life.

Filed Under: Protection, Security, Technology Tagged With: , ,

A Calendar is a Mom’s Best Friend

Some days you feel like your head is spinning because you have so much going on. Whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom, various activities can cause the days to blend together into an unaccountable mess. The best way to get organized, and stay sane, is to get a calendar. A calendar is a mom’s best friend! There are many options available when looking for a calendar to keep track of daily events.

A simple pocket calendar is small enough to fit into most mom’s purses or diaper bags. They provide an easy way to glace at the appointments for the current day, as well as future dates. But, writing space is limited. There are larger wall calendars, which provide a lot more room, but are less portable. These calendars are the least expensive of all the ways to keep track of appointments, activities, and special days.

A basic electronic planner usually includes an electronic phone book, which can be very handy for a busy parent. These devises are more expensive than the paper products, but still relatively cheap. They are also small and will fit into just about any bag or pocket. The screens may be rather small, and there is limited customization ability, but they will hold a lot more data than a paper calendar.

A personal data assistant is an electronic device that is small, yet extremely functional. There are countless bells and whistles to these little electronic friends, from holding hundreds of contacts to a calendar with several viewing options in which all your events and appointments can be indicated. Newer PDA’s are in color and can even handle spreadsheets and word processor software.

To really get the most for your money, a Smartphone has many of the same capabilities as a PDA, but with the convenience of the device also being a phone. This way, you only need one product to do the job of many.

Filed Under: Parenting, Technology Tagged With: , , ,

Keep Kids Safe on the Internet

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Computers are a part of everyday life, and the use of computers will continue to grow in intensity. Just think, less than 20 years ago email wasn’t even heard of.  There was no such thing as YouTube or file sharing software like ares p2p and aresgalaxy. The internet was something only the military and government used. Computer and internet usage started to rapidly grow and now even tiny little cell phones can access the internet.

With the popularity of the internet and the invention of children’s games and websites, the number of online child predators and other people with malicious intent has also increased. Children are susceptible to these nasty people because they are naive and often do not understand the importance of keeping personal information, well, personal.

The first thing that a parent of a child using the internet should do is discuss what can and can not be said to friends online. Create a list rules that can be placed next to the computer so the child can clearly see what is and is not acceptable internet behavior. These rules should include computer time limits, acceptable websites, and reminders not to provide their real names, addresses, phone number during online interactions.

Another important way to keep kids safe on the internet is to place the family’s computer in a high traffic area of the home. This could be in the kitchen, family room, or living room. The computer desk should be positioned so the screen is easy to see, allowing parents to easily monitor the child’s online activity. And, the parent should do just so.

Next, install parenting controls on the computer, which can limit the accessibility of websites that are not geared towards kids. These programs come with various tools so parents can see exactly which websites their children are using. There are many free monitoring tools available online.

If your child is using social networking sites, than be their friend. This will make it easier for you to see what they are doing on the social site.

Filed Under: Parenting, Technology Tagged With: , , ,
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