Digital Safety

As a new school year begins, the topic of cyberbullying will inevitably come up. Joel Stein’s article, How Trolls Are Ruining the Internet, is a pertinent read for parents. A troll is another type of cyberbully and is defined as a person who harasses others online just for the fun of it. They may take a contrarian view just for laughs, or may be very serious about their arguments, but unfortunately their nastiness and passion can sometimes devolve into threats or worse. Psychologists call this the “online disinhibition effect,” in which factors like anonymity, invisibility, a lack of authority and not communicating in real time strip away the mores society spent millennia building. Unfortunately, our smartphones deliver this stream of ugliness 24/7 and it is not easy to avoid. Stein’s article clearly outlines the problem and though not many solutions are offered, it does as a reminder that words can be very destructive.

As a new school year begins, the topic of cyberbullying will inevitably come up. Joel Stein’s article, How Trolls Are Ruining the Internet, is a pertinent read for parents. A troll is another type of cyberbully and is defined as a person who harasses others online just for the fun of it. They may take a contrarian view just for laughs, or may be very serious about their arguments, but unfortunately their nastiness and passion can sometimes devolve into threats or worse. Psychologists call this the “online disinhibition effect,” in which factors like anonymity, invisibility, a lack of authority and not communicating in real time strip away the mores society spent millennia building. Unfortunately, our smartphones deliver this stream of ugliness 24/7 and it is not easy to avoid. Stein’s article clearly outlines the problem and though not many solutions are offered, it does as a reminder that words can be very destructive.

Recently both McDonalds and Starbucks have announced that they are blocking porn sites on their free WiFi services. This came at the urging of a group called Enough is Enough that calls for filtered WiFi in public places. “Internet pornography is a public health crisis,” said Enough is Enough president Donna Rice Hughes. “Parents need to know which family restaurants are safe from online threats.”

Recently both McDonalds and Starbucks have announced that they are blocking porn sites on their free WiFi services. This came at the urging of a group called Enough is Enough that calls for filtered WiFi in public places. “Internet pornography is a public health crisis,” said Enough is Enough president Donna Rice Hughes. “Parents need to know which family restaurants are safe from online threats.”

Brian Pitts, the technology director at the Longview Independent School District in Texas, suggests that setting rules is not enough to ensure safety of our children online.  In the article, “Is your house safe from tigers?”, Pitts says that being vigilant in monitoring behavior is key to making sure our children are safe on the Internet. Though it is written for schools, his humor and message that cyberbullying is more of a danger to kids than phishing by hackers is right on target.

Brian Pitts, the technology director at the Longview Independent School District in Texas, suggests that setting rules is not enough to ensure safety of our children online.  In the article, “Is your house safe from tigers?”, Pitts says that being vigilant in monitoring behavior is key to making sure our children are safe on the Internet. Though it is written for schools, his humor and message that cyberbullying is more of a danger to kids than phishing by hackers is right on target.

Experts say smartphones have an addictive nature that compels our brains to respond to notifications and alerts with a sense of immediacy, even when behind the wheel. Despite knowing better (a 2013 survey found that 98% of people say texting and driving is wrong), people still do it. Do you want to make a conscious effort to stop texting and driving? Check out Groove, a new program that sends a signal to your mobile phone provider, alerting it to hold all texts and social media updates while you are driving. It also prevents you from texting or posting on social media until your car is no longer moving.

Experts say smartphones have an addictive nature that compels our brains to respond to notifications and alerts with a sense of immediacy, even when behind the wheel. Despite knowing better (a 2013 survey found that 98% of people say texting and driving is wrong), people still do it. Do you want to make a conscious effort to stop texting and driving? Check out Groove, a new program that sends a signal to your mobile phone provider, alerting it to hold all texts and social media updates while you are driving. It also prevents you from texting or posting on social media until your car is no longer moving.

Recently, Facebook started rolling out a beta version of a new feature in their Messenger app that they're calling "secret conversations." Basically, it is end-to-end encrypted messaging that, in theory, doesn't allow anyone — not even Facebook — to intercept the messages. It's Facebook's attempt to compete with other messaging apps like WhatsApp, which provides a very high level of security and is attractive to global audiences, especially young people.

At first, the feature will only be available to a small percentage of users for testing, but everyone else should get it in the late summer or early fall. Of course, there's a catch: users will have to "opt-in" to the service, meaning for most people, Facebook will still be able to rifle through your info and deliver those personalized ads which sometimes come across as kind of creepy. It is also be interesting to see if these “secret conversations” play a part in cyberbullying and sexting.

You’ve had all the conversations about online safety, keeping personal information private, and basic digital citizenship with your children, but if they have broken your trust or you just feel like something is amiss, it might be necessary to monitor their online activity. Common Sense Media has provided a guide to some tools that can help. Keep in mind that downright spying on your kids has the potential to backfire- kids are very adept at getting around any kind of tracking, but if you just want to limit access to certain kinds of content, monitor activity on their phones, or make sure they are not being bullied or sexting, these apps can help.