Technically Trying

 How many times have you heard that phrase? "But so-and-so has it? But her parents gave her one! But its the only way my friends talk! How come I can't be included?" What they're really saying is "You're leaving me behind while all my friends bond and do this super cool thing and I feel like a left-out loser and its all your fault!" Which to a child/teen, this is their entire world. And as a mom, I get that. Our kids want to feel included. They want to feel part of the group, on the inside, and remembered for something great. Thats a natural human feeling and we can absolutely support that in a way thats healthy and safe for our kids. Fortunately, times are changing so fast that parents have lots of options when it comes to a child's first device and are able to find plans that match their level of comfort. Because remember: When you hand your child an internet capable device, you are handing them a means to contact anyone, anywhere, any time. And th...

 The next post in this series about tech safe homes surrounds the use of parental controls on devices and home networks.  Parental controls are exactly what they sound like. The parents (or guardians) of the child monitor, secure, and filter the device their child is using. This includes time limits, app limits, blocking certain websites or a category of websites, routines where the device will lock, and many other things to help the child stay safe when interacting with the device. When using parental controls, your best defense is a good offense! The first and most important safety rule is talking with your child  and having open and honest discussions about their safety online, how to handle navigating the internet and what to do if something happens. No filter or policy is ever going to replace a good relationship with your child. But lets say you already have that amazing relationship with your child, what now? * Use device level parental controls     This ...

 The first blog post of this month's series about Building a Tech-Safe home begins with family conversations and rules around technology and personal devices.  Many families have multiple devices: iPads, cell phones, laptops, smart tv, and smart watches. Throw in a few school devices and a cool new birthday gift of an Alexa or Google Home and you're suddenly surrounded with things that think faster than you, respond better than you, and track more than you ever could.  To help this overwhelming feeling of "Well, its too late, we have too many things to keep track of!" Start simple: Start with Family Rules Rules should include: * Decide where devices can be used Where are areas of your home where using a device might cause a problem? The three B's! - Bedrooms, Bathrooms and before Bedtime! While the last one isn't really an area of your home, it does help your child's mind wind down before they go to sleep for the night. Turn off devices, settle down as a f...

 This year I will be going through a few mini-series posts about tech safety and how you can help your kids to grow up to be safe tech savvy adults. Sometimes I post tips, conversation starters, things I've discovered that are issues in the tech world, or talk about articles in the tech world that strike me as interesting. I'll be focusing on themed months where I will (hopefully) have at least three posts under the following umbrella topics: Building a Tech-Safe Home Protecting Your Kids (Family) Online Social Media Readiness Online Games (And How to Handle the People In Them) What to do when..... My goal is to help you become one of the leaders of safety in your home and give you and your family the tools you need to be safe when navigating the online world. I try to bring awareness out to the fore-front of issues our kids are facing online and those parenting questions you might have both here and on my parent website. Also keep an eye out for my Tiny Tech Tips in the school...

 Summer is coming quick and with it comes freedom, less schedules, more sunshine, and growing so quickly its hard to keep up! Your family is going to be busy, spending more time together, and hopefully enjoying the next few weeks of sunshine and fun. But when you're relaxing, you might resort to using your devices to pass the time. Remember some of the safe guards you put in place to keep your family protected online. Have those open discussions this summer about being a good person both on and offline. Remind your family that online discussions are out there forever! Some easy rules to follow when navigating the online world: 1) Everything you say, do, or post is out there forever. You cannot delete it or take it back. Once it leaves your hands, its out there permanently. You can delete it from your view, but its still stored out there in the internet universe.  2) If you don't want to see it on the front page of MSN.com for all the world to read, don't do it. 3) If you wo...

 A few months ago I was watching an episode of the Shawn Ryan Show with my husband and we watched the episode #284. In this episode, Shawn hosts a young man known as Schlep in the online youtube and gaming community. Schlep talks about his experience with Roblox and the massive battle he is fighting to remove predators from the online community of Roblox and how he is navigating that very dangerous legal battle. Shawn, as can be expected, was nearly horrified at the material Schlep was telling him was available on Roblox and why it is so important to do the work he is doing and how to protect kids online. If you've known me for any length of time, or read any of my blogs or parent website posts, you know this is an extremely important matter to me and my family. So I did some more reading. And parents, you need to know Schlep too. Especially going into the summer seasons. First, your homework assignment is to watch the Shawn Ryan Show, episode #284. Please watch it in its entirety....