Digital Safety

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.

Before you sit down to talk about social media with your kids, you need to make sure you are up on all the latest apps. Need a summary of what to look out for? Check out Common Sense Media’s article Social Media Apps Parents Should Know About.

Before you sit down to talk about social media with your kids, you need to make sure you are up on all the latest apps. Need a summary of what to look out for? Check out Common Sense Media’s article Social Media Apps Parents Should Know About.

Social media has drastically changed the way we communicate with one another, but the rules for how teachers and students should communicate have not, even though more instances of improper relationships between students and teachers seem to be revealed each year. As one Virginia chief information officer puts it, “One of the things that we absolutely 100 percent expect all of our educators to do is to act and communicate appropriately, whether that is verbal, whether that’s written, whether that’s typed, whether that’s posted, etc.” No matter how much trust you have in your children, it is important to be concerned and vigilant about all interactions your children have with anyone online, teachers included.

Social media has drastically changed the way we communicate with one another, but the rules for how teachers and students should communicate have not, even though more instances of improper relationships between students and teachers seem to be revealed each year. As one Virginia chief information officer puts it, “One of the things that we absolutely 100 percent expect all of our educators to do is to act and communicate appropriately, whether that is verbal, whether that’s written, whether that’s typed, whether that’s posted, etc.” No matter how much trust you have in your children, it is important to be concerned and vigilant about all interactions your children have with anyone online, teachers included.

Facebook is now tracking which stores you visit so the giant social network can show marketers that its online ads result in offline purchases. With data tracking ads, businesses that advertise on Facebook can include an interactive map detailing the locations of their stores. The Facebook users' phones are then used to track (by GPS, beacons, WiFi, radio signals, and cell towers) how many of those who saw the ad wound up visiting the store. Facebook is also working on tying in-store purchases to their ads through tracking.

How can you protect your privacy? While Facebook will not report specific information such as the ad you saw on your friend’s Facebook page was the thing that brought you into the store where you purchased a yellow polka dot bikini, there is no way to opt out. Facebook does not identify individual information, and the information they collect is all anonymous and aggregated – or so they say officially. All you can do is hide particular ads you see in your feed, or turn off location services for Facebook entirely, though doing so may degrade other Facebook functions.

Facebook is now tracking which stores you visit so the giant social network can show marketers that its online ads result in offline purchases. With data tracking ads, businesses that advertise on Facebook can include an interactive map detailing the locations of their stores. The Facebook users' phones are then used to track (by GPS, beacons, WiFi, radio signals, and cell towers) how many of those who saw the ad wound up visiting the store. Facebook is also working on tying in-store purchases to their ads through tracking.

How can you protect your privacy? While Facebook will not report specific information such as the ad you saw on your friend’s Facebook page was the thing that brought you into the store where you purchased a yellow polka dot bikini, there is no way to opt out. Facebook does not identify individual information, and the information they collect is all anonymous and aggregated – or so they say officially. All you can do is hide particular ads you see in your feed, or turn off location services for Facebook entirely, though doing so may degrade other Facebook functions.

Has an unfamiliar handheld gadget shown up at your house? Are there odd batteries being charged or a pen like object hooked up to a USB cable? These may be warning signs that your child is secretly vaping – using electronic cigarettes. Unlike tobacco cigarettes, e-cigs or vaporizers don’t have all the smells and telltale ashes and butts lying around, but habit-forming nicotine is still involved and a new study indicates that teens in the United States who use electronic cigarettes are six times more likely to move on to traditional cigarettes. In addition, there are no long term studies about the impact e-cigarettes have on adults, much less teens, or the impact on younger family members who inhale secondary exhaled vapors. Want to know more vaping and the signs your children might be doing it? Take a look at the Vaping and Parenting Guide – Does Your Kid Use E-Cigs?

Has an unfamiliar handheld gadget shown up at your house? Are there odd batteries being charged or a pen like object hooked up to a USB cable? These may be warning signs that your child is secretly vaping – using electronic cigarettes. Unlike tobacco cigarettes, e-cigs or vaporizers don’t have all the smells and telltale ashes and butts lying around, but habit-forming nicotine is still involved and a new study indicates that teens in the United States who use electronic cigarettes are six times more likely to move on to traditional cigarettes. In addition, there are no long term studies about the impact e-cigarettes have on adults, much less teens, or the impact on younger family members who inhale secondary exhaled vapors. Want to know more vaping and the signs your children might be doing it? Take a look at the Vaping and Parenting Guide – Does Your Kid Use E-Cigs?