Digital Smarts Blog

Although Education Week’s recent article, Cyberbullying: What Schools Can Learn From Leslie Jones' Twitter Harassment, is aimed at schools, parents can also learn a lot about current cyberbullying behaviors. The article reminds readers that cyberbullying can occur on multiple platforms at once and often takes the same form as face-to-face harassment, including name-calling, isolating the target from their friends and support network, and turning social dynamics against them. In Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones’s case, harassment also came in the form of fake tweets that made it look like she was making offensive comments as well.

Although Education Week’s recent article, Cyberbullying: What Schools Can Learn From Leslie Jones' Twitter Harassment, is aimed at schools, parents can also learn a lot about current cyberbullying behaviors. The article reminds readers that cyberbullying can occur on multiple platforms at once and often takes the same form as face-to-face harassment, including name-calling, isolating the target from their friends and support network, and turning social dynamics against them. In Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones’s case, harassment also came in the form of fake tweets that made it look like she was making offensive comments as well.

The speed at which teens adopt and master new social networks and apps can be dizzying, and it can make it difficult for parents to respond when a child reports being bullied on a platform that parents are not familiar with. One thing to stay aware of is the growing swarm of anonymous messaging apps like Whisper, After School, and Yik Yak.  This extensive list of ways to report problematic behavior on various social networks and apps is also useful if you need to report an incident.

The speed at which teens adopt and master new social networks and apps can be dizzying, and it can make it difficult for parents to respond when a child reports being bullied on a platform that parents are not familiar with. One thing to stay aware of is the growing swarm of anonymous messaging apps like Whisper, After School, and Yik Yak.  This extensive list of ways to report problematic behavior on various social networks and apps is also useful if you need to report an incident.

Twitter recently addressed longtime complaints by banning certain users and making its exclusive "verified status" option to be more openly available. Verified accounts include those maintained by public figures and organizations in music, TV, film, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas. The accounts have a blue checkmark next to the user's name to show the user or organization has been vetted by Twitter and the user's phone number and email address are legitimate.

This action was a direct result of the abuse that "Ghostbusters" actress Leslie Jones received from Milo Yiannopoulos, a tech editor at Breitbart.com who has been suspended in the past for violating Twitter's code of conduct. Yiannopoulos incited his followers to bombard Jones with tweets criticizing the "Ghostbusters" new release that features all-female leads. Digital rights activists and victims of online abuse have long called for more proactive solutions that would give users means to address harassment more quickly without waiting for a response from the site's complaint department, or to ban repeat offenders who switch accounts.

Twitter recently addressed longtime complaints by banning certain users and making its exclusive "verified status" option to be more openly available. Verified accounts include those maintained by public figures and organizations in music, TV, film, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas. The accounts have a blue checkmark next to the user's name to show the user or organization has been vetted by Twitter and the user's phone number and email address are legitimate.

This action was a direct result of the abuse that "Ghostbusters" actress Leslie Jones received from Milo Yiannopoulos, a tech editor at Breitbart.com who has been suspended in the past for violating Twitter's code of conduct. Yiannopoulos incited his followers to bombard Jones with tweets criticizing the "Ghostbusters" new release that features all-female leads. Digital rights activists and victims of online abuse have long called for more proactive solutions that would give users means to address harassment more quickly without waiting for a response from the site's complaint department, or to ban repeat offenders who switch accounts.

Teens (and adults) playing the new virtual reality app Pokemon Go have been getting into bad situations while playing– from walking off a cliff, finding a dead body, being bitten by a snake, and now even a report of someone being shot to death. To help keep your kids safe, you may want to review some safety and etiquette tips.

Teens (and adults) playing the new virtual reality app Pokemon Go have been getting into bad situations while playing– from walking off a cliff, finding a dead body, being bitten by a snake, and now even a report of someone being shot to death. To help keep your kids safe, you may want to review some safety and etiquette tips.

Chatbots are anticipated to be the next big thing, and it could be teens that drive the chatbot revolution. With 88% of mobile users spending their online time within just five apps, chatbots have become a way for companies to reach consumers, particularly the youngest users, through messaging apps that they are already using. About eight in ten of U.S. teens are using chat platforms and their heavy use of chat apps such as Facebook Messenger, Kik, WeChat, and WhatsApp? could make them the “early adopters of the faster, simpler, and more engaging messaging communication channels offered by conversational bots.” Kik, one of the most popular messaging apps for teens, has already launched about 6,000 new chatbots in the last month.

Chatbots are anticipated to be the next big thing, and it could be teens that drive the chatbot revolution. With 88% of mobile users spending their online time within just five apps, chatbots have become a way for companies to reach consumers, particularly the youngest users, through messaging apps that they are already using. About eight in ten of U.S. teens are using chat platforms and their heavy use of chat apps such as Facebook Messenger, Kik, WeChat, and WhatsApp? could make them the “early adopters of the faster, simpler, and more engaging messaging communication channels offered by conversational bots.” Kik, one of the most popular messaging apps for teens, has already launched about 6,000 new chatbots in the last month.

The concept of plagiarism, especially in the digital age, has come sharply into focus after Melania Trump’s recent incident with a plagiarized speech. As educators would call it, this is a teachable moment and it might be a good idea to talk to your kids about why plagiarism is bad and how to avoid it. Some kids might not think it is such a big deal when they see someone on the national scene plagiarize (without visible consequences even though it created a controversy), and might be tempted to try it too. The spotlight on this issue might have teachers hypersensitive to plagiarism this school year, so it is important to stress the severity of it with your children.

The concept of plagiarism, especially in the digital age, has come sharply into focus after Melania Trump’s recent incident with a plagiarized speech. As educators would call it, this is a teachable moment and it might be a good idea to talk to your kids about why plagiarism is bad and how to avoid it. Some kids might not think it is such a big deal when they see someone on the national scene plagiarize (without visible consequences even though it created a controversy), and might be tempted to try it too. The spotlight on this issue might have teachers hypersensitive to plagiarism this school year, so it is important to stress the severity of it with your children.

Online crowd-funding is an effective way to get the word out about people who are in desperate need of financial help, but do you know who is receiving the funding and the real circumstances of their situation? Steven Petrow lists some criteria you might think about before making a donation in a recent column on the USA Today site. The list includes donating to those you know and trust, understanding that you will never know exactly what the money will be used for, and knowing these types of contributions are not tax deductible.

Online crowd-funding is an effective way to get the word out about people who are in desperate need of financial help, but do you know who is receiving the funding and the real circumstances of their situation? Steven Petrow lists some criteria you might think about before making a donation in a recent column on the USA Today site. The list includes donating to those you know and trust, understanding that you will never know exactly what the money will be used for, and knowing these types of contributions are not tax deductible.

If someone locked down your pacemaker what would you pay to regain control? What about paying a hacker to relinquish control of a plane’s cockpit? This is the future of ransomware writes Carl Herberger of Radware, a security solutions company. He also contends that if companies and individuals continue to pay hackers who lock down their computers with ransomware, they will continue to be attacked. Instead of paying, Herberger writes, those who "take steps to be aware of attacks and raise the proper defenses and fail-safes are less likely to be targets" and suggests some ideas for taking those kinds of precautions.

If someone locked down your pacemaker what would you pay to regain control? What about paying a hacker to relinquish control of a plane’s cockpit? This is the future of ransomware writes Carl Herberger of Radware, a security solutions company. He also contends that if companies and individuals continue to pay hackers who lock down their computers with ransomware, they will continue to be attacked. Instead of paying, Herberger writes, those who "take steps to be aware of attacks and raise the proper defenses and fail-safes are less likely to be targets" and suggests some ideas for taking those kinds of precautions.

Despite studies showing women are just as good as men in video games and polls revealing nearly half of women play such games, the belief persists that the gaming world is for men. Experts say such attitudes could discourage girls from pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Despite studies showing women are just as good as men in video games and polls revealing nearly half of women play such games, the belief persists that the gaming world is for men. Experts say such attitudes could discourage girls from pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

In an interview with National Public Radio Sonia Livingstone, a professor of social psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science says parents need to worry less about whether they have said all the “right” things to their kids about the dangers of technology. Instead, she says, they need to be more concerned about whether their child can come to them and talk about what “they are doing and or their worries on the internet.” Livingstone goes on to describe that kind of approach and give tips on how to create that kind of relationship with your child. This scenario makes a lot of sense since the digital world changes daily and it is nearly impossible for parents to keep up.

In an interview with National Public Radio Sonia Livingstone, a professor of social psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science says parents need to worry less about whether they have said all the “right” things to their kids about the dangers of technology. Instead, she says, they need to be more concerned about whether their child can come to them and talk about what “they are doing and or their worries on the internet.” Livingstone goes on to describe that kind of approach and give tips on how to create that kind of relationship with your child. This scenario makes a lot of sense since the digital world changes daily and it is nearly impossible for parents to keep up.