The Secret Life of Teens – Keeping you in the Picture

Posted on 30/04/2013 by

secretsA 2012 Report conducted by independent research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres, and commissioned by mcafeecybered.com   found that almost 80% of parents said they are having conversations with their teens about their online activities however…

  • 66.5% of teens said their parents or guardians don’t know everything they are doing online.
  • Almost 40% of teens would change their online behaviour if they knew a parent or guardian was watching
  • Parents misjudged how much teens are pirating music or movies online (13% vs 30), meeting up with strangers they’ve met online (3.6% vs almost 6) and entering into private chats with strangers they only know online (4.4% vs 8.5)
  • 62% of Australian teens have had a negative experience of some kind on social networks, 50% have witnessed cruel behaviour online, and though only 25% of parents indicated they were aware that their teen had witnessed mean or cruel behaviour.
  • While 24% of teens reporting being the victim of cyber bullying, only 17% of parents would have guessed their own teen had been the target of cyber bullying
  • Parents underestimate how often teenagers are viewing nudity / pornography online either accidentally or intentionally (37% vs 54%)

http://www.mcafeecybered.com/cybered/research.php

Posted in Cyber Safety, cyberbullying, cybersafety, cybersmart, Dangers, Facebook, Parental Controls, Parents, Social Media, Social Networking, Teens, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rate Me Instagram! Instant Online Beauty Contests.

Posted on 29/04/2013 by

Beauty PageantAccording to the Washington Post, the latest craze involves young girls around the ages of  12 to 13 posting photos of themselves and asking the sadly popular Internet question: “Hot or not?”

The Post goes on to say that, ‘A quick look at the photos with the #beautycontest, and #amipretty hashtags reveal the many young users looking for Instagram’s judgement, and  some of the cruel or lewd comments that follow.’

Some of the photos are individual users asking for Instagram’s opinion;  others feature a group of faces to be lined up against one another, asking which is the best.

Instagram  is aware of this and by way of a Disclaimer of sorts has recently issued a statement on the practice, advising parents to monitor their child’s online behaviour’.

“We are aware this is a trend taking place on virtually every media platform that teens engage with. We work hard to make Instagram a safe, interesting and vibrant place for teens to spend time and express their creativity through photos.

“As with other social products, we encourage parents to take an active role in understanding what their kids are posting and who they are sharing with.”

So do I!

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/the-next-creepy-instagram-trend-child-beauty-contests/#ixzz2RgStDliQ

Posted in Apps for Teens and Tweens, Cyber Safety, Digital Reputation, Instagram, Parental Controls, Parents, Teens, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Boy who Saw too Much

Posted on 28/04/2013 by

imageWhen her 11 year-old son was exposed to a violent porn video online, Lizi Patch was left to explain adult concepts to a confused child.

“Faced with hideous new information my son simply didn’t know where to file it.”

Click here to read the full article in this Saturday’s Age The boy who saw too much.

Posted in Cyber Safety, Dangers, Google, Google settings, iphone settings, Parental Controls, Parents, Tweens, Youtube | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Have you Googled your Child’s Name?

Posted on 27/04/2013 by

GoogleNot many know that as well as teaching Literature I also dabble in teaching Year 7 Multimedia. One lesson I teach is a Digital Reputation class.  I start by ‘googling’ my own name and showing the class what is on the internet about me.  We talk about how they are at the very crest of the wave about to create their own internet presence and how important that digital reputation will be to their future.

I then asked the students to ‘google’ their own name and look at the internet and image search results. These are children of about 12 years of age.   The results were interesting. Some children were shocked to find that their images on Google images.  They thought some may have come from their parents’ Facebook accounts, their sister’s instagram account and some from their primary school newsletter.  They did not know if the photographer had turned off ‘geotagging’ so were probably easily traceable to their street address. This was scary!  A lesson for parents too.

Existing on ’social media’  is a necessity as many companies treat those who don’t as suspicious these days!  Being aware of the value of a good digital reputation is essential for this age group now, as it is often in their teens and early 20s that it is most at risk. Ironically it is also when it is most likely to benefit them.

During this time they may apply for a part time job, a University scholarship, a Gap Year project or a rental lease.  Perhaps their grandmother might join Facebook, or they may fall in love.  Ensuring that they maintain the integrity of their reputation in the digital world is something they can use to their benefit and the earlier they are aware of this the better.

So I finish the lesson with asking them to talk to their parents about the photos they have found and to make it a life long task to ‘Google’ their own name on the 1st of every month.

Perhaps parents could do this too with their children – it’s good role modeling!

If you want to share this with your friends please ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking the ‘Like’ button to the right.

Posted in Cyber Safety, cybersafety, Digital Citizenship, Digital Reputation, Facebook, Google, Parental Controls, Parents, Social Media, Social Networking, Teens, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Grrr….Now Facebook has Invaded the Dinner Table!

Posted on 20/04/2013 by

And you, like I, thought the family dinner table was sacrosanct!  Surely the dinner table is the last bastion of family togetherness and now Facebook is challenging even that!

While the family sit around at dinner table chatting about their day, a teen obsessively checks her status updates on her phone to escape what she sees as the boring conversation her family. As she clicks on each update posted by her friends she metaphorically disappears from the dinner table into the picture and loses herself in the excitement as her friends’ experience take over the room — suddenly one of her friends is thrashing on his drum set in the corner of the room, ballet dancers pirouette across the table and then she is joins a snowball fight.  All the time, Aunty is presented as sharing the tedious detail of what went on in her day.

A call to arms parents, I say – can I shout out  - NO PHONES AT THE DINNER TABLE!

Posted in Cyber Safety, Facebook, Parental Controls, Parents, Phones, Social Media, Teens, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Mirror Mirror on the Wall – The Selfie and the Psychological Impact on our Teens

Posted on 14/04/2013 by

Selfie2The urbandictionary defines a Selfie as: ‘A picture taken of yourself and uploaded to Facebook, or other social media sites. You can usually see the person’s arm holding out the camera. A selfie is usually accompanied by a kissy or duck face or the individual looking in a direction that is not towards the camera’.

It has become the ubiquitous signature pic of today’s teen.  But why?

In an article on mashable, Andrea Letamendi, a Doctor of Psychology at UCLA says that the opinion of others is an integral part of our identity development. The Snow White ”looking-glass self” is a psychological concept that suggests we develop our sense of self based on the perceptions of those we interact with.  Teens in particular, seek the validation of other teens to establish a sense of identity.

In our day ’those we interact(ed) with’ were limited to a few. Their ability to give an opinion was equally limited in terms of opportunity and place.

With Social Media platforms,  Friends and/or Followers in their hundreds, and sometimes thousands have the ease of the ’Like, Comment, or Share’ tools to register their perception of your teen’s self as often as they like, at any time they like, in conjunction with and in front of others.

They also perhaps more importantly have the power to NOT ‘Like’ or just ignore a ‘Selfie’ and this can crush self esteem yet teens continue put themselves ‘out there’ hoping to be endorsed by their peers.  The overwhelming need to fit in at this stage; to be liked, to be approved of,  supersedes any self protective instincts at this age.

As says Dr. Letamendi says, ‘Now that we can interact with hundreds — no, thousands — of people simultaneously, we’ve strengthened the impact that others have on our self-value.’

A conversation to be had with your teen…….

The Social Psychology of the Selfie.

Posted in Cyber Bullying, Cyber Safety, Dangers, Facebook, Parental Controls, Parents, Teens, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mum, Dad – Do you know if your child is on Kik Messenger?

Posted on 04/04/2013 by

kik-messengerThis is not the first time I have posted an article about Kik.  I post again because of the number of teens and tweens using it and a lack of awareness of parents.

What is Kik?  Is your child on it?  Do you know who your child can contact and who can contact your child?  You need to!

Most parents think that their child needs a mobile to text, send and receive pictures. They feel safe in the knowledge that if their child does not have a phone they cannot communicate in this way.

If your child has an iPod or iPad or a similar Android device and can connect to Wi Fi they can do all of the above simply by downloading an App called Kik Messenger.  Kik is not the only App to allow this sort of communication but it is the one that teens and tweens think is ‘cool’ at the moment.

Kik messages, in their pretty, coloured bubbles, look just like text messages on a smart phone.  KikThe service is free, and only needs the App and a Wi Fi connection. Once your child has a Kik address they can and do advertise it on other Apps such as Instagram  or Keek.   If your child is also on Instagram it is likely they have posted: ‘Kik me @ xxxx’. Kik in itself is not dangerous.  The issue is the openness with which tweens and teens publicly share their Kik address, (similar to an email address) and thereby create the possibility for strangers to text them in private.

New apps are developing so fast it is hard for parents to keep up. I urge you to click the ’Like’ button to your right,  so that you can be kept abreast of the latest apps being used by this age group and share the news with your friends.

Posted in Apps for Teens and Tweens, Cyber Safety, cybersafety, cybersmart, Dangers, Kik, Parental Controls, Parents, Phones, Social Media, Teens, Texting, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spring Clean Facebook……Chores for the Modern Teen!

Posted on 29/03/2013 by

Spring CleanWe all know that teens can ‘post’ without thinking.  Soon many who are turning 15 or above will be  searching for a part time job.  Some well-known companies ask applicants to log in to their Facebook page as part of the interview process.  This is one of those ‘teachable moments’ that parent’s shouldn’t miss.

Ask your teen what a potential employer might see?  For teens already in casual work they may suddenly receive a ‘friend request’ from their boss.  This is a tricky one – accepting this invitation or not also has its risks!

Start teaching them now that  just as you expect them to clean up around the house when friends visit you also hope that they will clean up their social media profiles now and again.

Most teens could ‘not be bothered’ combing through their hundreds and sometimes thousands of posts and pics and to eliminate all those that the coach, grandma and/or the boss might find objectionable.

So SimpleWash, a new app designed to quickly spring clean their profiles, is a must.  As reported by mashable - SimpleWash,  ’scans all the content on your Facebook profile — including comments by other people on photos or posts — and detects keywords that might be associated with things you don’t want a potential employer seeing (references to  alcohol, profanities, inappropriate pages or groups you may have liked and so on).

SimpleWash flags what it believes to be inappropriate content, and you can click on anything you want to remove, and be transferred directly to the post on Facebook, where you can delete or hide it.

SimpleWash, the Easiest Way to Clean Up Your Facebook Page.

Posted in Apps for Teens and Tweens, Cyber Safety, cybersafety, cybersmart, Dangers, Digital Citizenship, Digital Reputation, Facebook, Parental Controls, Parents, Social Media, Teens | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Need a Mood Cure? Facebook Makes us Better!

Posted on 24/03/2013 by

sad faceA new report on mashable is every parent’s nightmare and every teen’s joy!  Proof that Facebook is good for you!  The research shows that spending time on Facebook can be a satisfying and rewarding experience making us feel good by massaging our self esteem and our egos. This research has been conducted by Jeff Hancock, Cornell Professor of Communication and Computer and Information Science and an Assistant Professor Catalina Toma at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“The extraordinary amount of time people spend on Facebook may be a reflection of its ability to satisfy ego needs that are fundamental to the human condition.” he said.

“To prove this, Hancock and Toma, examined how participants reacted to negative feedback they received after giving a speech. In two separate experiments, after receiving negative feedback, participants not only were more likely to check their own Facebook profiles, but were also less defensive after doing so.”

“As a widely available, everyday source of self-affirmation, Facebook appears to be a useful instrument in people’s efforts to preserve self-worth and self-integrity,” said Hancock.  happy face

This article first appeared on mashable

Read more: Feeling Down? Facebook Improves Self-Esteem.

Posted in Cyber Safety, cybersmart, Facebook, Parents, Teens | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Top Ten Email Scammer Tips

Posted on 23/03/2013 by

email symbolSome parents allow children, as young as 5 or 6 to hold an email account.  The list below, of the many scams that prey on email users, helps to explain why most email providers expect account holders to be 13 and over.

To keep them cyber safe, it is essential that you have this conversation with your child.  The older they get the more likely they are to sign up for all sorts of things; games, competitions, websites of interest, and the more likely they are to attract spam. They need to know how to quickly identify what should be immediately deleted.

1. Disembodied links

Here are the types of emailed links that should make you especially wary:

  • Links that are the only content in the body of an email
  • Shortened links that don’t display the actual address, such as bit.ly and  tinyurl
  • Hyperlinked text (for the same reason as shortened links – there’s no  indication of what you are clicking on)

When in doubt, don’t click. But to help you out, browsers such as Google  Chrome can reveal a link’s full address when you hover over it with your mouse  cursor. For shortened links, you can use nifty link expanders such as LongURL to view the real content before clicking.

2. Inordinate number of recipients

If you get an email with hundreds of email addresses in the recipient field,  yet the message seems directed toward one person, your scam sense should be on  high alert.

3. Vague, generic or non-existent subject lines

Sure, you send emails without subjects to your friends all the time, but if  an email pops up from an unrecognised address with “(no subject)”, be careful.  The same goes for vague or generic subject lines, including “Fwd: private” or  “Free to look!” If you have no idea what you’re opening, it’s probably best to  leave it alone.

4. Intense enthusiasm

WHEN IT COMES TO EMAIL SECURITY, CAPS LOCK CAN BE MORE  THAN JUST ANNOYING – it can indicate spam. Overly enthusiastic emails with  emphasis and exclamations (“I JUST LOST 45lbs W/ THE X-Fit fitness program!!1!!)  are sure fire signs the information isn’t what it seems.

5. Grammar and spelling

You don’t have to be a grammar nut to notice odd mistakes in scam emails.  Look out for questionable syntax and major typos, especially if the email  supposedly comes from a reputable company or bank.

Also watch out for scammers that purposely misspell things to avoid your spam  filter, such as “V1agr@” instead of “Viagra”.

6. Strange requests

This one’s easy: If someone is emailing you for medical assistance, “I need an operation or I will die” or writes  “Help me cheat on my husband”, it’s just not legit. That’s what emergency  contacts are for. And Snapchat.

7. Urgency

People don’t typically use email to send urgent messages of an emergency  nature. If you get an email that claims a situation is a matter of life or death  – or a desperate person who needs money wired now – it’s safe to  assume the sender wouldn’t be targeting you, a stranger, in the first place.

8. Sensitive information requests

Unfortunately, people accidentally send secure information to scammers more  often than you would expect. This is how scammers (that is, smart scammers)  operate – many ask for personal information (credit card numbers, passwords) and  disguise emails to look official. Companies, schools, banks and other  institutions won’t ask you to transmit sensitive information in an email.

9. Name-sender disagreement

Scam email addresses often have different names to dupe the recipient. Check  the address before assuming something is true – an email from Match.com wouldn’t  have the email address “contact@lightsaberduel.com” (true story).

10. Sure fire guarantees

You should know by now that nothing on the internet is guaranteed. Promises  to boost your sex life or quick money for working from home shouldn’t be taken  seriously. “Watch this video and women will adore you?” More like: “Click this  link and regret it.”

This post was originally published on Mashable and sent in to icybersafe by Damien ATKINSON-BUCK. Mashable is  the largest independent news source covering digital culture, social media and  technology. Damien is an IT Teacher at The Ridgeway Campus, Ivanhoe Grammar School.

Read more: How To Spot An Email Scam | Emails, Scams.

Posted in Cyber Safety, cybersafety, cybersmart, Dangers, Email, Internet safety, Parental Controls, Parents, Scams, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

:) Like what you Hate! :( What is Hater?

Posted on 17/03/2013 by

Hate waiting for a tableYet another new App was launched last week.  It looks a lot like Instagram.

You can take a picture or upload a photo from your phone, share it with a caption, and view and respond to other posts from the Hater community.

Of course, the goal of Hater is very different than Instagram or Facebook, instead of clicking on a ‘thumbs up’ button or a heart you click on the ‘thumbs down’ button.

The App claims it is to allow you to let the world know that you hate world poverty or global warming or that you hate being stuck in a restaurant queue.

Hater’s app also gives users the option to pull an image of something they hate from other sites and to post to it anonymously.

I probably don’t need to say much more…….but please beware of it in the wrong hands!

Posted in Apps for Teens and Tweens, Cyber Safety, cyberbullying, cybersafety, cybersmart, Dangers, Digital Citizenship, Parental Controls, Parents, Social Media, Social Networking, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What is Keek? 40 year olds watching 11 year olds!

Posted on 10/03/2013 by

Adult_followers_on_Keek-1024x698

The dangers: This girl is Australian, the man in this picture lives in the U.S and doesn’t appear to be related to her and yet is subscribed to all her video updates

What is most concerning about this App is the number of tweens and very young teens, mostly girls being followed by incredibly magazine perfect, good looking, teenage ‘boys’.  I have quote marks around the word boys because I honestly don’t believe that they are who their profile pic leads you to believe they are. You only have to check out who they are following to feel a little squeamish.  It is disturbing.

Keek is an app a little like Instagram.  Whereas Instagram is a platform on which you post your photos for others to see and comment on,  Keek is a platform on which you post video footage for your friends or the world to see. The video can be no longer than 36 seconds. It requires only an email address to use and you can be signed up and posting videos in minutes on your ipad, ipod or iphone or android tablet or phone.  It is frighteningly simple.

There do not seem to be any Privacy Settings and a quick look at ‘Keeks’ from Australia brought up many 13 year olds and younger,  posting videos of themselves dressed in pyjamas, bathers or school uniform, commenting on where they live, saying how old they are, pursing their lips, leaning into the camera and so on.  It was quite extraordinary what they were prepared to post.

They were being followed by people who did not look like their 11 year old friends.  Please talk to your tweens and teens about this…..it has scary possibilities.

Posted in Cyber Safety, cybersafety, cybersmart, Dangers, Instagram, Keek, Parental Controls, Parents, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Instagram is the New Black with Tweens!

Posted on 01/03/2013 by

Instagram and tweensJust as parents seem to have finally got the message that their child should be off Facebook until 13 or be heavily monitored, Tweens have hijacked Instagram.

The explosion of iPod Touches, iPads and the iPhone 5 (the tweens and teens get the hand me down iPhone 4) has aided the incredible growth of this platform. Most parents have not caught up with Instagram in the same way it took them several years to be across Facebook.  Some tweens have been given control over their parents iTunes Account.  ‘Mum, can I download Instagram?  I can share photos with my friends.’, sounds innocuous but it can be used for much more than that.  Pics are liked or not, a subtle or not so subtle comment made, and photos of birthday parties posted for those who were not invited. Followers follow your tweens. Who?  Most don’t know, or care, as it is part of the status of an Instagrammer  that you aim for the most Followers and Follow the most Grammers!

For some Tweens, on Facebook since 11 or 12, monitored and held accountable by their ‘friend’ parents, and aunties, Instagram is a chance to break free.  Parents and grandparents haven’t yet caught on to Instagram, so tweens and their friends can post and comment what they like.

Don’t let this be you!

How Instagram became the social network for tweens | Internet & Media – CNET News.

Posted in Cyber Safety, cybersafety, cybersmart, Dangers, Instagram, Internet safety, Parental Controls, Parents, Social Media, Social Networking, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

To My 13-Year-Old, An iPhone Contract Love Mum :) xo

Posted on 24/02/2013 by

ContractDear Gregory

Merry Christmas/Happy Birthday! You are now the proud owner of an iPhone. Hot Damn! You are a good and responsible 13-year-old boy and you deserve this gift. But with the acceptance of this present comes rules and regulations. Please read through the following contract. I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well rounded, healthy young man that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it. Failure to comply with the following list will result in termination of your iPhone ownership.

I love you madly and look forward to sharing several million text messages with you in the days to come.  The rules are:

1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren’t I the greatest?

2. I will always know the password.

3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mum” or “Dad.” Not ever.

And there are 15 more to go…….read Janell’s Contract and adopt or adapt!

Janell Burley Hofmann: To My 13-Year-Old, An iPhone Contract From Your Mom, With Love.

Posted in Cyber Safety, cybersafety, Digital Citizenship, Parents, Phones, Social Networking, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

iTunes Card +Tweens +/-Teens = Caution

Posted on 10/02/2013 by

Itunes CardI got a little bit trashed last night, night
I got a little bit wasted, yeah yeah
I got a little bit mashed last night, night
I got a little shhh faced it, yeah yeah

‘Hangover’ by Taio Cruz

Do you want your tween or teen listening to this? Do you know what they are listening to?

Red lights should be flashing if your child received an iTunes Gift Card for Christmas. Like the old Record Voucher an iTunes card is a safe bet.  The receiver can choose their own gift.  It makes perfect sense.  But it is not as straight forward as it first seems.

To spend an iTunes Card you need an iTunes Account.  An account requires a Credit Card. This means that your child needs access to your Account and your Password to purchase songs and apps. The question is do you give your child your password so that they can use their Gift Card?

Yes?  These rules will ensure that your child only downloads ‘appropriate and approved by you’ apps or songs:

1. Your child must ask you each time they wish to download a song or an app

2. You must check that the app or song is age appropriate

No? Restrict your child from making purchases:

1. Touch the “Settings” icon (the one with the gray gears on it) on your iOS device

2. Touch the “General” option on the screen that opens after touching the “Settings” icon.

3. Touch “Enable Restrictions” from the top of the screen.

4. Create a 4-digit code to prevent your child from disabling the restrictions that you are about to set. Type your code a second time to confirm it.

5. Scroll down to the “Allowed Content” section towards the bottom of the “Restrictions” page and turn the “In-app Purchases” switch to the “OFF” position.

Additionally, you might also want to change the “Require Password” option from “15 Minutes” to “Immediately”. This makes sure that every purchase attempt made requires a password confirmation. If it is set to 15 minutes then you only have to enter your password once, any additional purchase within a 15 minute time-frame uses the cached password. Your kid could rack up a lot of app purchases in 15 minutes which is why I recommend setting it to “Immediately”.

There are additional parental controls available for restricting access to mature content, preventing the installation and/or deletion of apps. Check out our article on enabling parental controls for iOS devices for more details.

http://netsecurity.about.com/od/iphoneipodtouchapps/a/The-Dangers-Of-Kids-And-In-App-Purchases.htm

Posted in Cyber Safety, cybersafety, cybersmart, Dangers, Internet safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments