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“My Mum Reads My Texts”… Checking Kids Phones and eSafety
“My Mum reads my texts”, is the digital age version of “My mum reads my diary”. Did you write a diary when you were younger? If you did, you may remember the fear of your parents reading it, finding out all those private thoughts, spying on you. Then the similarity between the diary and the smartphone ends, because a diary is kept private, while social media and text updates are shared with others. Many parents worry about their children, and their use of social media and smartphones. Are they being bullied – or are they bullying others? Are they sharing information that they shouldn’t? Who are they talking to online,…
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NSPCC Be Share Aware Campaign
I was pleased to read that the NSPCC were launching a new campaign to better inform parents of the dangers of Social Media, but was slightly disappointed with the results. The videos ‘I Can See Your Willy’, and ‘Lucy and the Boy’ have been shown on TV spots, and are being shared around the internet, but I have several issues with them.
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Social Media for Kids – What Parents Need to Know About Instagram
This is the fourth in the series about Social Media for Kids, today dealing with what parents need to know about Instagram. Catch up on the earlier posts on Online Safety for Kids, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter first. One of the most popular Social Media sites for young people at the moment is Instagram. As an image-based mobile site, it is ideal for kids to get their first experience of social networking.
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Social Media for Kids – What Parents Need to Know About Twitter
This is the third of a series about Social Media, taking a look at the advantages and the pitfalls for kids. It is important that we parents know why our kids want to use Social Media, and what advantages there are in knowing how to use it – and use it safely. Today, we move on to find out what parents need to know about Twitter. If you haven’t already – do read my article on Keeping Kids Safe Online – dealing with parental controls and blocks. Rules and Regulations of Twitter As I mentioned in my post on Facebook, there is a…
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Social Media for Kids – What Parents Need to Know About YouTube
This is the second in a series on Social Media for Kids, and what parents need to know about the various online communication platforms. At present the most popular Social Media channel is Facebook, but YouTube is becoming more and more popular. This post explains why your kids what to use this channel, and what parents need to know about YouTube. If you haven’t already – do read my article on Keeping Kids Safe Online – dealing with parental controls and blocks. Rules and Regulations of YouTube You don’t have to sign up to use YouTube, anyone can view the videos on…
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Social Media for Kids – What Parents Need to Know About Facebook
This is the first of a more in-depth look at various Social Media channels, first – what parents need to know about facebook. Remember when you got that first car seat for your baby, and you struggled to fit it into the car correctly? Perhaps you were like me and couldn’t work out where the seat belt straps were supposed to go. If you had said, ‘Oh, I can’t work these new-fangled car seats; back in my day we all just piled into the car’, and suggested that your baby travels without one, your friends and family would have reacted with incomprehension. Why would you not learn how to…
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Crazy About One Direction – Teens and Social Media
Twitter was ablaze last night with disparaging comments about a group of young girls, known collectively as ‘Directioners’ – the fans of the group One Direction. The reason for the discussion was a report about a group of Directioners, who were interviewed and followed by a camera team from Channel 4, as the journalists attempted to find out – Why are these girls Crazy About One Direction? Directioners have a fierce reputation, and have recently been featured in GQ, who wrote about the Most Terrifying Responses to our One Direction Covers. GQ had revealed their new covers, which included quotes from 1D, which some Directioners objected strongly to.…
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The Social Media Generation
Most schools offer good advice, and have policies in place to tackle cyberbullying, but what about the wider implications of our kids being the first Social Media Generation? They have grown up with Facebook and Twitter, they are used to their lives being shared online. My kids say, ‘Put that on YouTube’ when I filmed the dog doing something funny. They have not yet learned the dark side of the internet. I have written about keeping kids safe on the internet, but how should we be teaching our kids about Social Media, and the long term implications of what they are tweeting or facebooking. I have had conversations with teachers who admitted…
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Protect Your Child Online – Dangers and Joy of the Internet
Protecting our children from danger in their day to day life is always a balancing act. How much freedom is enough for them to grow into independent and confident adults, while still keeping them safe. As much as we might like to wrap them up in cotton wool and keep them home, as they grow we have to loosen the apron strings and allow them to make their own experiences. Yes, they may come to harm, but that is part of growing up and all we can do is try to limit the harm. Just as you did when they were toddlers – you allowed them to crawl and walk,…
