Author Archives: Renata Rowe

About Renata Rowe

Deputy Head of Campus/Head of Secondary, Ivanhoe Grammar School, Plenty Campus This blog is the School's way of helping our parents and teachers understand and experience the cyber world that their children live in. We post stories about the latest cyber safety issues, and the latest social mediums that their children and teens might be using. We believe that teaching children and teens to be good Digital Citizen from a young age will protect them and their reputations. Our parents have been delighted and have subscribed so that they can receive our updates - we post about once or twice a week. So subscribe - its easy to do, just enter your email address in the box in the top righthand corner of the home page and posts will automatically be delivered to you.

Cyber Bullying: App Allows Parents To See What Their Child is Posting on Social Media

Posted on 27/08/2014

This is a new App that allows parents to see what they child is posting, and liking  on social media.  It is especially appropriate for parents when their children first begin using social media to allow parents to keep an eye on what … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyber Bullying, Cyber Safety, cybersafety, Parental Controls, Parents, Social Media, Social Media Apps | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Monitor and Control you Child’s Phone. Good on ya Mum!!

Posted on 23/08/2014

Are you tired of calling or texting your child and not getting a response? For some reason they seem to go into some sort of paralysis when Mum or Dad calls.  You get the following excuses: my battery went flat, I left it in my car/bag/friend’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyber Safety, Parental Controls, Parents, Phones | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Monitor your Child’s Kik Messages

Posted on 17/08/2014

Many parents ask me how they can monitor their child’s text messaging.   In the early days, in particular, when your child has their first phone or ipod this can be a useful way to have the conversations needed to ensure … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyber Safety, Kik, Kik Messenger, Parental Controls, Parents | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Sex Predator Arrested – Requests Indecent Pics on Kik from 12 Year Old

Posted on 27/07/2014

This is yet another article warning about the dangers of the popular texting app, Kik Messenger.   Kik cannot be viewed publically.  Pedophiles have taken to texting and sending pictures hoping for a response.  One Mum reports that her 14 year old … Continue reading →

Posted in Apps for Teens and Tweens, Cyber Safety, Dangers, Internet safety, Kik, Kik Messenger, Parental Controls, Parents, Sexting, Teens, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

School Targeted by Anonymous Apps!

Posted on 05/07/2014

With anonymity comes daring.  Some Apps these days allow students to post behind the safety of a screen without revealing their identities.  Recently, one seemingly ordinary Friday afternoon, Myers Park High School in North Carolina was hit by a ‘Yik Yak’ attack.  Claire Williams from … Continue reading →

Posted in Anonymous, Apps for Teens and Tweens, Cyber Bullying, Cyber Safety, cyberbullying, Schools, Social Media Apps, Yik Yak | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dirl and Gnoc? Learn the New Online Teen Language!

Posted on 03/07/2014

Secret, teen coded messages may be online danger signs. Perhaps parents need to go back to school and learn the new language!   The Daily Mail recently reported, that, ‘these coded messages may be the first clue that their children are self-harming, being … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyber Safety, Parental Controls, Parents, Teens, Texting | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

American Psychiatric Association Makes It Official: ‘Selfie’ a Mental Disorder

Posted on 28/06/2014

While there is a fair bit of ‘tongue in cheek’ in this article it comes close to belief!!  Global Trend News reports on its website that:  ‘The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has officially confirmed what many people thought all along: … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyber Safety, Selfies | Tagged | Leave a comment

What is Whisper? New Teen App!

Posted on 26/06/2014

Whisper is an app that combines our fascination  with secrets and mystery with the juicy salaciousness of gossip. All done anonymously.  It is a teen’s dream!  And it has recently exploded in its use by university students and teens.  Essentially, it is a smartphone app … Continue reading →

Posted in Anonymous, Cyber Safety, memes, Whisper | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Do you know if your child has a Kik Account?

Posted on 22/06/2014

Parents would be wise to keep an eye on the apps their tweens and teens are using on their ipods and smart phones.   Kik allows free text and pic sending services between those who have downloaded the app on their phone or … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyber Safety, cybersafety, Dangers, Kik, Kik Messenger, Parental Controls, Parents, Teens, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Parents can reveal too much online! Baby in the Bath Pic

Posted on 22/06/2014

We love sharing photos of our children online.  But what are the risks?  It is unlikely, that children would be identified and tracked down by someone sinister though we should make sure that they are not wearing anything that might … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyber Safety, cybersafety, Dangers, Digital Reputation, Flickr, iphone settings, Parental Controls, Parents, Photoblogs | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Ask.fm Cyberbullying at its Worst!

Posted on 13/04/2014

Mean teens plus ask.fm  can be a recipe for extreme nastiness.  Parents need to know that this seemingly addictive site is the popular, go to site of the moment for teens experimenting with the power afforded to them by anonymity.  Let’s see … Continue reading →

Posted in ask.fm, Cyber Safety, cyberbullying, Dangers, formspring.me, Parents, qooh.me, Teens | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mother and daughter – Lessons learnt the hard way!

Posted on 25/03/2014

In an attempt to show her daughter how quickly a picture can spread over the internet, one mum’s “lesson” quickly backfired. Kira Hudson posted a picture of her daughter, Amia, on Facebook holding a sign dated 18/03/14, saying, “Mum is … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyber Safety, cybersafety, cybersmart, Facebook, Parental Controls, Parents, Social Media | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What is Yik Yak?

Posted on 24/02/2014

Another anonymous app providing a social messaging board for anyone to post anything! You can imagine how this could be used once it gets into the hands of some tweens and teens. Not nice! The app is free and it … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyber Safety | 1 Comment

Top 5 Teen Apps 2014: No.3 Kik Messenger – Can Parents Control it?

Posted on 16/02/2014

What is Kik Messenger? Of all the Teen Apps, Kik Messenger is the one parents google most!  Parents want to know how to control Kik, how to find out what their kids are texting, and who is texting their kids.  Kik Messenger, put simply, is a free text messaging … Continue reading →

Posted in Apps for Teens and Tweens, Cyber Safety, Dangers, Digital Citizenship, Kik, Kik Messenger, Parental Controls, Parents, Social Media Apps, Teens, Texting, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Top 5 Teen Apps 2014 Series: Instagram – how to keep them safe.

Posted on 05/01/2014

What is Instagram? Top 2 App as promised and more to follow.  Snap Chat  was Number 1.  Instagram is like a public, mobile photo album.  You can post your own pics, copy pics from the internet, share your friend’s pics and use filters to create … Continue reading →

Posted in Apps for Teens and Tweens, Cyber Safety, cybersafety, Digital Citizenship, Digital Reputation, Instagram, Internet safety, Parental Controls, Parents, Photoblogs, Social Media, Social Media Apps, Teens, Tweens | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment