Can You Decode Your Teen’s Texting Language?
It’s hard to believe, right, parents? In just a blink or two, you went from being the teenager dropping cool phrases like “rad” and “gnarly” to monitoring a teenager texting words like “lowkey,” “IRL” and “CD9” into her smartphone non-stop.* For generations, teens have been crafting terms to differentiate themselves from other age groups. ...
Reports of Online Predators on the Rise. How to Keep Your Kids Safe.
June is Internet Safety Month. And, with kids spending more time online, stepping up the public conversation about digital risks couldn’t come at a better time. The past few months have created what some experts call the perfect storm for online predators. Schools are closed, kids are on devices more, ...
Is Your Child Being Cyberbullied? What Parents Need to Know
In this season of social distancing, teens need their friends more than ever. Daily digital connection — through texting, video chat, social networks, and gaming — is critical to keeping friend groups strong. But could increased time online these days lead to an increase in cyberbullying? While there isn’t data ...
Keeping Virtual Play Dates, Hang Outs, and Video Chats Safe for Everyone
Every day we discover (or stumble over) new ways of coping and connecting during this unique chapter in family life. Still, as every age group under your roof finds their favorite virtual play date and hangout apps, parents may need to add a few safety rails to make sure the ...
How to Stay Cyber Safe While Social-Distancing
Do you find yourself working from home these days? Kids off school too? Then your daily life is set to change super-fast. Yes, there is so much to organise to implement this essential ‘social distancing’ strategy. But in the flurry to get everyone set up, it’s essential that we don’t ...
Safer Internet Day 2020
What Can You Do To Make The Internet a Better Place In 2020, you’d be hard-pressed to find an Aussie teen who doesn’t spend a fair whack of their time online. And while many of us parents don’t always love the time our offspring spend glued to screens, most of ...
Spotting Fake News: Teaching Kids to be Responsible Online Publishers
Editor’s note: This is part II in a series on Fake News. Read part I, here. Kids today are not equipped to deal with the barrage of digital information coming at them every day. Add to that, the bulk of information that may be fake, misleading, or even malicious. So ...
Lessons Learned: A Decade of Digital Parenting
Give yourself a high-five, parents. Pour yourself a cup of coffee or your favorite celebratory drink and sip it slow — real slow. Savor the wins. Let go of the misses. Appreciate the lessons learned. You’ve come a long way in the last decade of raising digital kids, and not ...
7 Tips to Make Sure Your Smartphone Use Doesn’t Ruin Holiday Gatherings
The gravy wasn’t the only thing steaming at the Thanksgiving table this year. Grandma wasn’t happy. It turns out that those shapes that looked like socks draped over the living room furniture were actually teenagers glued to their smartphones — teenagers Grandma had repeatedly asked to set the table. And ...
Could Your Child be Sexting? Signs to Look for and Ways to Respond
Oh, what we wouldn’t do to travel back in time to the days before smartphones kid-jacked our families, right? But here we are. Our kids are forever connected. And, it’s up to parents to help them navigate the risks — one of which is sexting. Ouch. Even reading the word ...
