Raising healthy and happy children in the digital age is a challenge for most parents. The use of smartphones, computers, and tablets for learning and communication has exploded. Most schools have integrated devices into their curriculum. Younger children get exposed to information that is far beyond their capacity to handle. This leads to technology addiction, internet/social media obsession, exposure to profanity & violence in games, exposure to mature content and unhealthy

If a mobile device for your child is on your Cyber-Monday shopping list, you’re not alone. The average American child owns a smartphone by age ten, while almost half of kids aged eight and under own their own tablet. Our children’s digital devices - from smartphones to laptops, tablets to gaming consoles - are portals to new worlds of information, entertainment and interaction. It’s an exciting time to be a connected family. But as parents of the digital age, we are learning

It's that time of year again! New school supplies, new clothes, and preparing for a new year of learning. As a mom of two, I know the importance of being prepared to make the next school year a good one. At our home have been getting more organized and working not only on back-to-school essentials, but also on getting my kids' digital devices prepped for a new year. So here are six back-to-school tips for digital parents that can help in starting things off right in our digi

Do you get a little confused looking through your teen’s Instagram or Twitter feed lately and seeing a crazy amount of new code-like phrases? You aren’t alone. If you add together the popular hashtags kids use and the coded phrases, you’ll find yourself learning an entirely new language that also happens to be growing exponentially every day. We’ve written about popular hashtags such as #tbh (to be honest), which is an abbreviation posted by teens Instagram users (also called

Who knew hanging out with cops could be so much fun? In case you missed our appearance on LawEnforcement.Social where we talked about kids, online safety, and so much more... here it is: #copsonblab #onlinesafety #kidsonlinesafety #LawEnforcementSocial

Here's a FREE holiday gift for you, courtesy of our friends at Frienedy: "5 Guidelines To Help Your Kids Build a Safe and Positive Digital Presence." GET YOUR FREE BOOK HERE And while you're at it, why not help yourself to the FREE and significantly discounted items in the Holiday Protection Package? It's a perfect last-minute gift for the digital kids you know and love. ABOUT THE HOLIDAY PROTECTION PACKAGE Parents recognize the positive impact that technology has on their ch

One of the trickiest aspects of being a digital parent is learning how to apply traditional parenting skills to the online world. Our parents had it easy—they kept us relatively safe by guiding us through a world they knew better than we did. But then the Internet came along and turned all that upside down. Today kids inhabit an online world with online friends that many of us are still figuring out. That’s why we were so thrilled to have found, and tell you about, Frienedy,

In the U.S., parents are frequently accused of being “helicopter” parents, paying obsessively close attention to their child’s experiences and problems, especially when it comes to academia. With kids getting access to new communication tech such as iPads and mobile phones, the notion of hovering has kicked up a notch as parents try to protect their kids by virtually “bubble wrapping” (Cadzow, 2004) them with surveillance (i.e., spying software). At Cyberwise, we do not b

When I was a kid I remember passing my girlfriends notes in school, all written in pink ink and folded like a star or triangle, with “code words” mingled in with my sentences like NKOTB, ASAP, or TGIF- not very exciting right? Today’s teens do things a little differently. Texting has replaced doodled note passing in the hall, and acronyms are a much easier way to short hand a message. But… There’re some acronyms that parents should be cautious about, which may be dangerous

It was a hoot being interviewed by Dr. Portia Jackson for the Working Motherhood show, and learning about her terrific resources for working moms. You can hear the entire interview here. #workingmotherhood #drportiajackson #dianagraber #kidsonlinesafety

Recently we were introduced to a new tech tool we found intriguing— VISR provides "early detection" to spot threats and safety issues your children might be exposed to on their digital devices -- sort of like an alarm. It alerts parents to potential issues like bullying, violence, sexting, etc., while respecting children's privacy. We also thought Founder Robert Reichmann's story was interesting, we hope you do too! What is VISR? VISR is an early detection technology for thre