resources.uknowkids.comuKnowKids Digital Parenting and Safety Blog

Blog | Bark Why I Believe Bark is a Great Successor to uKnowKids Posted by Steven Woda on May 19, 2020 at 11:33 AM Tweet In 2008, a teenage child in my extended family was victimized by an online predator on Facebook. While the child was not physically harmed, the events were serious enough that the predator was ultimately sentenced to 40 years in prison for his history of child predator crimes. Obviously, it was a traumatic experience for both the child and his family. Read More » 0 Comments Topics: Steve Woda , Digital Safety for Kids , Bark Benefits of Living Unplugged Posted by Steven Woda on December 23, 2019 at 2:55 PM Tweet The onslaught of digital duress may be stripping back the fabric of your family. It is no secret that in this age of digital everything, digital parenting has leapfrogged over so many other more traditional means of parenting. Although digital parenting is a necessary adaptation, it's important for families to strengthen communication before technology. Read More » 0 Comments Topics: digital parenting , Parental Intelligence , location monitoring , Digital Parenting Tips , Mobile Phones/Apps , Tech-Free Zones Is This Donut a Secret Message From Your Kid? Posted by Steven Woda on August 26, 2019 at 11:08 AM Tweet The issue with parenting in the digital age is that it moves at the speed of light, and kids are at the very forefront of it. They know about the latest apps weeks, perhaps months before you do, and they are quietly discussing who-knows-what with their friends via texting apps and Facebook messenger. The age of being able to eavesdrop on a conversation and get all the knowledge you ever needed is over. While those days are over, we’ve developed a new way to keep up with our kids , and digital parents need digital weapons. With that being said, kids are starting to get a bit wise to the ways of the digital parent. Read More » 0 Comments Topics: texting , Parental Intelligence , digital trends , Social Trends , Mobile Phones/Apps , Spying vs Engaging , steps kids take to stop spying , Texting Trends 10 Ways Parents Can Prevent Cyberbullying Posted by Steven Woda on August 14, 2019 at 3:54 PM Tweet I've seen lots of material online and from my daughter's school about how to respond to cyberbullying . But if I can prevent it from happening in the first place, that's even better. All parents should know the top 10 ways we can prevent cyberbullying. Promote self-esteem and confidence. Encourage them to find activities they enjoy and develop skills to be proud of. Confident kids are less likely to be picked on, and they're also better able to shrug off bullying if it does happen Let them know it's okay to confide in you. Kids need to know that they can tell you anything – good or bad – and you won't over react. Read More » 0 Comments Topics: sexting , cyberbullying , social media , Facebook , Internet Safety , social media cyberbullying , For Parents , twitter , instagram , prevention Why Snapchat Should Terrify You Posted by Steven Woda on August 6, 2019 at 4:02 PM Tweet Children have more ways than ever before to communicate with their friends and family. While living in the digital age has its advantages , parenting in the digital age can be a difficult and confusing process. Each day many apps are added to digital stores. Whether your child is using an iPhone, a tablet, and iPod or an Android device, he or she has access to thousands upon thousands of applications. While many of them are harmless, there are a few apps that pose a significant risk to your child. Snapchat, is one app that, on the surface, may seem innocent enough, but can be extremely harmful. What is Snapchat? Read More » 4 Comments Topics: Snapchat , sexting , social media , Internet Safety , other social networks , most concerning for parents , Steve Woda Lessons Learned from Cyberbullying Posted by Steven Woda on August 1, 2019 at 1:35 PM Tweet Unwelcome sexting, abusive text messages, digital public humiliation and social media harassment all fall under the umbrella of cyberbullying . The sobering realities of cyberbullying have become so prevalent that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) published a "Cyberbullying and Sexting: Law Enforcement Perceptions" bulletin advising agencies that "94 percent of school resource officers agreed that cyberbullying was a serious problem warranting a law enforcement response." Read More » 0 Comments Topics: bullying , cyberbullying , Parental Intelligence , parental monitoring , Internet Safety , prevention , Spying vs Engaging Sexting Is Just the Beginning Posted by Steven Woda on July 28, 2019 at 5:03 PM Tweet With the relatively new ability to send images and videos through technology, people of all ages are taking advantage of this ability to connect to others. Unfortunately, it has also led to the evolution of sexting.” While this is legal for adults (but still risky), it is not for minors and can have serious consequences on a minor’s emotional state, not to mention their professional and academic future. Depending on the minor, the situation in which the sexting occurs, and how it is handled, the ramifications can vary greatly . However, it almost always leads to some negative effects for the teen. What It Can Lead To While parents may be aware of certain repercussions of sexting, there are a wide variety of consequences that even the most conscientious parents may not be aware of. Regrettably, it can lead to the following negative effects: Read More » 0 Comments Topics: digital parenting , sexting , Parental Intelligence , Internet Safety , prevention , LawsLegislation , healthwellbeing Cyberbullying on Youth Sports Teams: It Happens More Than You Think Posted by Steven Woda on July 27, 2019 at 2:37 PM Tweet The threat of cyberbullying isn't limited to any one group of kids. Students in the chess club are just as likely to be a victim of cyberbullying as students on the football team. If you don't believe that, then take a look at the story below. KTTC News reported a case of cyberbullying at a local high school in Minnesota. In this case, members of the football team were caught engaging in cyberbullying. Here are some points from the case: Football coaches at Southwest High School heard about instances of cyberbullying Several players who engaged in cyberbullying were benched for a must-win game The principal of the high school said cyberbullying can be more damaging than traditional bullying Read More » 0 Comments Topics: cyberbullying , Internet Safety , anti-cyberbullying , victims of cyberbullying , child app Digital Parenting: 11 Facts About Cyberbullying Posted by Steven Woda on July 22, 2019 at 9:58 PM Tweet Cyberbullying is defined as a young person tormenting, threatening, harassing, or embarrassing another young person using the Internet or other technologies, like cell phones. The psychological and emotional outcomes of cyberbullying are similar to those of real-life bullying. The difference is, real-life bullying often ends when school ends. For cyberbullying, there is no escape . And, it’s getting worse. Read on to get the facts. Read More » 0 Comments Topics: digital parenting , cyberbullying , Parental Intelligence , Internet Safety , Teens , Digital Parenting Tips , factsstats , prevention Calculator or Hidden App? Teens Are Disguising Content With Apps Posted by Steven Woda on July 1, 2019 at 12:09 PM Tweet In this day and age teenagers are more tech savvy than most adults. They chat on their smartphones with their peers, download all the popular apps and are greatly familiar with their device settings. Another recent thing that a lot of teens do on their smartphones is hide pictures, messages and apps . Find out how teens are doing this and discover what you should be looking for on teens' phones . Hiding Apps The most popular way to hide apps or any other content on your phone is by using an app that does that. Both Apple Store and Google Play have...