The FTC settlement underscores that it continues to be absolutely okay not to care about the safety of children on Facebook. Arguably, and rightfully so, every person’s online privacy matters, but children deserve special care and attention. Social media is a media that’s still in its infancy, and with much…
Social Networking and Internet Safety Information for Parents
Presentation for Mediterranean Association of International Schools
I want to share some very encouraging research results that really shine a light on the difference online-safety education can make. At Yoursphere Media, Inc., we conducted a survey among our membership at our kids-only social network Yoursphere.com. Members that participated in the October 2011 survey were between the ages…
Social Networking and Internet Safety Information for Parents
October is National Cyber Security Month, designed to increase awareness of cybersafety, including cybercrime and cybersecurity.
In the “Mcafee Cares” program, McAfee volunteers educate students of all ages on cybersecurity and online safety, through speaking and classroom teaching. Last year, the program reached 3,200 kids at more than 200 schools located near 6 major North American McAfee campuses.
Based on last year’s success the program will branch out allowing more North American and global sites to participate. The 2011-2012 program will feature fully updated teaching materials for the classroom and adults, brochures, and new videos including some in Spanish.
This program, along with the McAfee Cybermom program, extensive research, and producing technological solutions for parents, is part of McAfee’s relentless pursuit of online safety for kids.
Like Google SafeSearch, which you can learn to enable here, YouTube’s Safety Mode does a great job of filtering out videos that some parents may consider inappropriate for their children. Thankfully, YouTube already does a fairly good job of removing any inappropriate content on the site. But with the millions…
Social Networking and Internet Safety Information for Parents
Here is the PowerPoint presentation that I often do for parent and teacher meetings at schools. This is different, of course, from my talk for students.
In this digital age, being a long distance grandparent is a little easier. You have so many technological avenues to help you keep in touch with your grandchildren. Memories captured in photos and videos can now be instantly shared via email, Facebook, and Twitter.
But no matter what your title—Grandma, Meemaw, Abuela, Papa, Papi or G’pa—have you ever wondered about online safety for your grandchildren? When your grandchildren are at your house and they want to use the computer do you hesitate or do you say “Sure, go ahead!”
If you hesitate is it because you worry about their online safety? If so, I have a few suggestions for being a good grandparent in the digital age.
There are many online resources available at InternetSafety.com, in addition to our YouTube channel and this blog. If you are looking for something specific, the search tool can likely find articles about your specific problem.
Also remember if you have an app on your tablet, smartphone, or computer that you are wondering about, ask the grandkids. You could be surprised by what they know!
In case you were wondering, the picture to the right does not represent the best way to go about syncing home and school Internet rules. I just find it funny.
Schools are taking a more active stance towards enforcing rules concerning online behavior, and as school approaches, parents need to take action to prepare their kids for the new scholastic environment.
But how?
Even if your home has lax Internet rules, chances are your kids school will not. The best way to prepare your kids for obeying the Internet policy of their school is to institute policies of your own at home.
Though each school will have their own individual policies, it’s important to start early before the kids get back to school. Over the next month, we’ll be covering how schools have changed their policies, how parents can react, and interviewing experts in the field of education and online safety.
The main questions parents should ask themselves in preparation are:
Since today is the first day of Internet Safety month, I thought I would start off our activities with something that any adult or child could use: how to navigate Facebook’s privacy controls. Specifically, how to keep those embarrassing photos your friends tag you in from appearing for the whole world to see on your profile page.
Unfortunately Facebook does not give you the option to not allow anyone to tag you in a photo. Given how frequently photos are used in cyberbullying attacks, hopefully this is a feature that Facebook will consider adding in the near future, but for now, there are steps you can take to reduce the visibility of these photos to others.
For adults this can be useful in two ways: configuring your own accounts, but also the accounts of your children to minimize the chances of your child being embarrassed or harassed via Facebook photo-tagging.
If you find this video helpful please share it with your friends. Let’s make this June the month where we stop worrying about the Internet and start using it responsibly and making it fun again!
This year, to celebrate Internet Safety Month in June, we’re giving away an iPad2 to one lucky customer. Here’s how it works:
We won’t be allowing any commenting on any of the videos. The main reason for this is that we want to show other parents that its ok to use software to protect their kids online. We don’t expect kids to be glowing about it. To be honest we don’t know what to expect, which is what makes it fun and exciting. But by participating, you’ll not only get a chance to win an iPad2, you’ll be helping keep other kids safe as well.
Videos should be sent to press@internetsafety.com.
