In today's world, online transactions are becoming the norm, rather than the exception. Between social media platforms and online marketplaces, the internet is becoming a virtual thief's dream, with countless identities to steal. Social media platforms continue to ask for more personal information in order for users to gain access. This information can easily be skimmed by a hacker, and later used to access personal accounts fraudulently. Further, many social media sites are intertwined and easily accessible with one simple log in, connecting the data thief to every bit of personal information.

Online marketplaces are also a part of day to day life. From clothing purchases to grocery orders, people are able to buy anything online from their favorite stores. To facilitate quick transactions, online retailers are saving customers' credit card information. If a thief gains access to an account, private bank account information can easily fall into the wrong hands. It is important to have online security to help protect users from identity theft. One way to protect against an attack is by using counteractive technology like VPN protocols. To find our more about these protocols, check out this article by Surfshark, an online security company that provides up to date security technology to stay one step ahead of would be identity thieves.

What Can You Do?

It is one thing to keep a purse or wallet protected at all times from physical theft, but how is a person supposed to know when a virtual, online thief is trying to steal information? The truth is, the more technology evolves, the more clever identity thieves become. Currently, there are several online schemes designed to trick people into giving up personal information. Some of these schemes can include:

Increase in Data Theft

Sadly, the more social media and online marketplaces become a part of day to day life, the more frequentoccurrences of data theft become. Between 2005 and 2010, online credit card theft increased by 50%. Not only is this problematic for the individual that had his or her information stolen, but the financial institutions responsible for protecting credit card information loose about $150 to $200 per stolen credit card.

But data theft does not just stop at individual theft. Large scale breaches are on the rise too. In fact, last year there were almost 1,300 different breaches that impacted major corporations. Compare this to only 200 large scale breaches in 2005. Identity thieves are quickly learning that hacking into large corporations can give access to countless account numbers and credit card numbers. Not only do these breaches affect the individual company, but each breach can impact hundreds of thousands of customers. Equifax, Target, and Dropbox were all victims of online data theft on a large scale in recent history.

It can be hard to understand online data theft since there is not a physical opportunity for a person to steal a wallet or purse. It is more important than ever before to protect personal information from would be thieves skimming the internet searching for personal information. With a heightened vigilance and enhanced security measures, it is possible to still interact on social media and in a digital marketplace while keeping information safe and secure.

Photo Credits:

Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Sincerely Media on Unsplash

These strange pictures you keep seeing are mostly just a fun way for kids (and adults!) to communicate. When we feel left out of a joke or confronted with a really, really weird image, it’s our first response to shake our fists and grumble about how the Internet is rotting our children’s brains. But language evolves and summer turns into fall and, come on, some of these Internet kids are pretty funny!

What the Heck is a Meme?

As we do for most things, let's turn to Wikipedia for a nice & succinct definition:

As friendly as this definition is, trying to understand "memes" with little to no prior context is decidedly less so. Because memes (for the most part) are born and bred through the Internet, the forms they take rapidly evolve, as they are available to anyone to remix or reconstruct.

Let's put it another way. Just like both of these would be considered art:

Both of these would be considered memes:

Now do you get it? So, how did we end up here?

A Little Context For You

The word “meme” first appeared in evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins’ 1976 book The Selfish Gene, as shorthand for explaining how ideas mutate and spread, like genes being passed along through population groups.

If we define a meme as a mass circulation of an idea or in-joke, then lots of cultural phenomenons that've happened before the birth of the Internet would fit the bill, from “Kilroy was here” to the line “Play it again, Sam.” Could the penises we carved into school desks and bathroom stalls be considered memes? Probably. Although today we mostly understand memes in the context of the Internet, it can be helpful to view them through the lens of a wider cultural lexicon.

Internet memes took off as a concept during the 1990s, and with the introduction of social media sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, in-jokes could be shared with bigger audiences and achieve viral status much more quickly. Remember Harlem Shake or Charlie bit my finger?

As ridiculous as it can feel to read the terms “meme” and “cultural lexicon” in the same sentence, it’s important to remember that memes have become an increasingly popular way for people to communicate. Your child will likely get the chance to enroll in a “meme” course at their university, and major news outlets now write about and refer to memes more than anyone would ever reasonably expect.

As a parent, you’re likely familiar with the format of the above baby meme. This “above text below text” configuration, called image macros, was popular on Facebook (and maybe still is, depending on the age demographic of your friends).

But as we’ve now officially entered the age of Gen Z, meme humor has gotten, well, weirder. Watched a commercial on TV lately and thought, what the hell? That would be consumerism catering to your kids’ sensibilities.

The Internet’s attention span is short & thrives on instant gratification, meaning a meme’s popularity lasts about as long as its ability to be morphed and remixed. Take, for example, the You Know I Had to Do It to Em meme:

Its humble origins, like so many other memes, was a fairly standard and not particularly attention-grabbing Twitter post. Something in this regular photo of a regular guy with the accompanying caption, “You know I had to do it to em” contained the illusive, baffling, unknowable makings of a meme:

Soon, people latched on to this image and created all sorts of reiterations, including:

Without knowledge of the first image, the image below would make no god-damn sense:

A now infamous pose.

To the outside observer, this sort of humor won't track and is easily chalked up to baffling gibberish.

"Dank Meme" Demystified

Familiar with the term A phrase that both sounds ridiculous to hear and say, it emerged from the ether of messaging platforms 4chan and Reddit, and often refers to a meme that is deliberately idiosyncratic and nihilistic, outside of the mainstream, or sometimes just "really good."

Essentially, memes are fun images and inside jokes that we share with friends. But considering how capricious the meaning of a meme can be, it can be hard to keep up or to know exactly the kind of message being spread by an incomprehensible image. Endless recontextualizing of images means that even seemingly innocuous jokes get picked up and remixed by some truly nasty ideologies. The popular internet meme Pepe the Frog, a green cartoon frog face, was placed on the Anti-Defamation League's database of hate symbols, after the image’s widespread use in racist contexts.

These strange pictures you keep seeing are mostly just a fun way for kids (and adults!) to communicate. When we feel left out of a joke or confronted with a really, really weird image, it’s our first response to shake our fists and grumble about how the internet is rotting our children’s brains. But language evolves and summer turns into fall and, come on, some of these Internet kids are pretty funny!

The best way to learn a new language is to be taught by a fluent speaker, so why not ask your kid to let you in on their jokes. By the time you’re reading this, there are likely a million new memes to replace the ones here, and your kids will probably get a kick out of trying to explain them to you.

Either a really, really weird image or a good joke.

Editor's Note: For a deeper look into how adults sometimes misinterpret memes--and the terrible consequences that can come of this--we urge you to listen to The Hidden Brain's "Online Behavior, Real-Life Consequences, The Unfolding of a Social Media Scandal."

My goal has always been to create a better way for kids to experience technology, so when I founded my own kid-tech company, Kinzoo, I did a lot of research. What I learned along the way helped my own family navigate technology with more confidence—and I wrote this book so others could do the same. For me, Screen Captured and Kinzoo share a common purpose: empowering parents to harness the best of technology, while protecting their kids from the worst of it. I'm thrilled to be sharing my book and I

Screen Captured, and it is now available for purchase on Amazon (please excuse the product plug). Even though it still feels odd to see “author” added to my bio, this feels like a

proud moment — and one I want to share with my family, my team and the wider community.

I imagine some authors choose a topic they’re passionate about and then decide to write a book. For me, the process was somewhat inverted. I arrived at writing in a roundabout way as I was doing research for Kinzoo, the kid-tech company I founded in 2018. We were in the early stages of building our messaging app for kids and the team and I were thinking about what kinds of features we wanted to include in our platform. As a father myself, I knew how important it was to get this kind of thing right. We had high standards and wanted to build an app that kids would love and parents would feel good about — so I did an awful lot of research on the topic of kid-tech.

A Deep Dive Into the Literature.

At the time, there were many headlines floating around about the addictive nature of tech — and many of the tech world’s founders were speaking candidly about the manipulative features they had built (intentionally or otherwise) into their platforms. I read books like Adam Alter’s Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and began learning how apps are designed to keep us screen captured. I felt I had to learn everything I could about the ways tech could go wrong so we didn’t inadvertently include addictive or manipulative features in Kinzoo. So down the rabbit hole I went, devouring as many resources and studies as I could — and it took a while before I started to feel like I had a foothold on the topic.

In the course of researching, I’d implemented a few changes around tech use in my own household. We used to “timestamp” tech with my kids, imposing limits on total screen time, but we started to find it more useful to think critically about what the kids were doing instead of focusing only on duration. After reading so extensively on the topic, I’d been able to draw my own conclusions and felt more confident than ever that tech could be a positive force for my kids. But, not every parent has the time to devote to an extensive kid-tech literature review. I knew first-hand how intimidating it can be to bring technology into your home, and I realized that others could probably benefit from the legwork I’d done while building Kinzoo.

Learning To Ask the Right Questions.

While any kind of consensus is tough to come by in the screen time debate, one thing is crystal clear: technology is here to stay. It’s deeply ingrained in our society and our kids will use it (and likely sooner than later). So, the most important question parents can ask is how to set their kids up for success in this important aspect of life. While I don’t have all the answers, I do feel much more confident after all the research I’ve done — and I even find it easier now to differentiate a helpful, balanced resource from alarmist clickbait.

Initially, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to write a whole book. I worried I wouldn’t have enough to say and it was difficult for me to picture the finished product. But as I took stock of the genre, I had a sense that I could offer a different perspective on this very important topic. So I set about writing.

Empowering Families To Talk About Tech.

Screen Captured is not a step-by-step guide, and that’s quite intentional. I’m not a psychologist or professional researcher, but I am a dad with stories about my own lived experience introducing tech to my daughter. For me, this book isn’t about telling parents what to do. Rather, it’s about sharing what I’d learned on this journey — and hopefully equipping others to have productive conversations about the role of technology in their families. It’s about pulling back the curtain on the tech industry and bringing some transparency to the way apps and platforms operate — and what that means for our kids.

My hope is that Screen Captured can be a tool to help parents cut through the noise and gain the confidence to tell good tech from bad. In it, I spell out the difference between positive screen time — which is educational, creative and connecting — and screen capture, which uses manipulative mechanisms to keep us scrolling ad infinitum. All the research that I did really helped to simplify the role of technology in my household, and has made it a much less contentious subject within my family. I think the book can do the same for other parents, and I’m really excited by to share my learnings.

Recently, I shared an advanced copy of the audiobook with a friend and fellow parent. She’s been listening to it one chapter at a time with her kids on their drive to school, and she shared some interesting insights: it’s prompted her son to share stories about how he and his friends use tech, and it’s inspired her daughter to experiment with phone-free time during the day. She noted that sharing the book with her kids (as opposed to reading it and relaying the information), opened up a collaborative conversation in her family around tech use.

I was relieved and thrilled to hear my friend’s story about listening to the book, and I can’t wait to hear what other readers have to say. If Screen Captured can help people feel even a little bit better about introducing tech to their kids, then I’d call it a great success. I really hope all parents out there enjoy it!

Sean Herman is the father of an 8-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son. The experiences his daughter had online inspired him to start Kinzoo, a private messenger that turns screen time into family time. As Founder and CEO, Sean aims to make Kinzoo the most trusted brand in the world for incorporating technology into our children’s lives, and he wants to help parents mold their kids into responsible digital citizens. As a CFA Charterholder, Sean is uniquely qualified to analyze the future of technology from both the consumer and company perspectives. He lives in Vancouver with his two children and wife of twelve years.

It's National Bullying Prevention Month! Download and share our handy infographic.

It will help young people know what they can do if they become the target of cyberbullying and/or witness another being bullied.

Ed. Note: One of the best attributes of the Internet, is the ability it offers to learn anything, anytime, anywhere! That's why we thought you'd enjoy this post!

Not too long ago, there was a debate over whether online education could replace the physical classroom. Academics argued that there was no way that one could evaluate and assess a candidate’s work accurately.

Apart from the tools that were lacking at the time, the main argument was that no one could be sure that the actual candidate completed the assignment. Who could say that outside help was not used? Things have changed though and you can even earn a master’s degree where a research paper is required.

The online degree has come and is here to stay. But what do you need to do to get a degree from home?

What you want to study matters

Although you can obtain a degree online, not all degrees meet the requirements to be able to be completed away from campus. Take a medical degree, for example. You can do the degrees that are allied fields in health administration but medicine studies are not available online. For study in medicine, you can do the theory online and many universities require that all written assignments be submitted online.

In these cases, you can make use of writing helper or of homework help online service. There is the practical side of things that you cannot exactly do on a computer. You need actual people and cadavers for the practical stuff.

There are other reputable degrees that fit the bill perfectly for an online degree, though. Some of these you could even take up to masters or Ph.D. level. Degrees in business administration, graphic design and IT are just some of them.

For these degrees, you could easily choose a research writing service to help you out with those difficult research paper topics. The writing experts you hire online can guide you through the entire process and deliver the work in quick time.

How do these courses stack up?

Many people might find the idea of earning a degree online to be less worthy of a degree that was obtained from a physical university. Granted, certain courses are not accredited, so you have to do your homework before you decide to fork out money to get your online degree.

To put your mind at ease though, if you get your online degree through an accredited university, the degree will be equal to one earned at a physical campus.

In addition to being on par with a normal degree, an online degree is often much more affordable. The course material is provided digitally and you can review your lectures as often as you like. The sessions are mostly recorded and all other materials and resources can be downloaded with ease.

What format does an online degree have?

For one, wherever you have a good internet connection, there is your classroom. You can study anywhere at whatever time suits you. This is one of the key benefits of an online degree.

Many people cannot get to the campus during the day time due to various constraints. Obviously, all of your course material is digital, including your lectures. These can be livestreams that are recorded or just pre-recorded sessions.

In terms of the assignments and assessments, they vary greatly and they continue to change as technology develops. The great thing about online coursework is that you are already in an online environment. So, you are much more accustomed to finding term paper topics list or other useful resources like a research paper example to spark your own creativity.

You also have the freedom to use a service that can write my assignment, ranging from dissertation to thesis, college essays to term papers and all other college and university level writing requirements.

When you do an online master’s degree, the research paper format stays the same, the only thing that changes the is communication from the university.

What is communication like?

When you are on campus, you have the luxury of speaking with your lecturers after a class, but most of the time, you have to make an appointment beforehand if you need assistance.

This is an area that is both beneficial and one of the drawbacks of an online degree. While you don’t always have instant access to one of your lecturers, you do have email. Though an email is not the fastest mode of communication, you can be certain that your queries will be met in due time. There are many other digital tools that are used by students and teachers to facilitate communication.

The great thing about email conversations is that lecturers can attach digital resources for you in an instant. This allows you to have time to phrase your queries much better.

Conclusion

As time goes on, more and more people are turning to online degrees to get their qualifications. The variety in degrees is also expanding rapidly and who knows what you will be able to do online in the future?

Online degrees have made it possible for people from all walks of life to get an education. No longer are we restricted by national borders either. The only thing that stands between you and your degree is your willingness to see the degree through.

Author Bio:

Ray Campbell is a renowned academic writer, editor and student mentor. He has trained many students to become successful authors, bloggers and academic writers and excel in their academics with the help of their superior writing skills. When he’s not at work, he meditates, loves to prepare Thai dishes for his family and goes out for long walks at the beach.

Teens seem to add new words to their vocabulary every other day, and many of these are used online. That’s why we have created a handy list to help you!

THE RELATIVELY INNOCENT TERMS

11:11 - 11:11 AM or 11:11 PM; it’s commonly believed that making a wish at these times makes it come true! Has connections to numerology and spirituality.

Awks - Short for ‘awkward.’

BTS - A popular boy band in Korea.

Bruh - Another slang for ‘bro’ or ‘dude.’

CYA - Two very different possible meanings: 1. See you. 2. (See RUDE list.)

Chillaxin’ - A compound word formed by adding ‘chilling’ with ‘relaxing.’

Dabbing - Again, two very different possible definitions! 1. (See DRUGS list.) 2. A trending dance move.

Dope - Awesome.

GOAT - Greatest of All Time.

GTG/G2G - Got To Go. Used to end a conversation.

Gucci - Not just the brand! Implies anything that’s extremely expensive.

High Key - Very much. The opposite of Low Key!

Hundo P - One hundred percent.

ILY - I Love You.

IRL - In Real Life.

ISO - In Search Of.

JK - Just Kidding. Used after pulling someone’s leg.

LMP - 1. Like My Pic. Used to ask someone to like one’s picture online. 2. (See SEXUAL list.)

Low Key - A little bit. The opposite of High Key!

Lit - Someone/something that is popular.

LMAO - Laughing My Ass Off. Used when a particular content is found to be extremely funny.

LOL - Laughing Out Loud. Sent after reading something funny.

NP - No problem.

Noob - Used to describe a novice in a field.

ROFLMAO - Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Ass Off. Used to refer to the funniest things you read!

Salty - To be bitter or irritable about something.

SMH - Shaking My Head. Used to express exasperation or frustration.

Snatched - Someone that looks good or is well-styled.

SIC - Something that Is Cool.

Squad - The social group someone belongs to.

TBH - To Be Honest.

WUF - Where You From? (Where are you from?)

WYA - Where You At? (Where are you?)

WYD - What You Doing? (What are you doing?)

Yeet - A very emphatic ‘Yes’.

RUDE, SWEAR WORDS OR BORDERLINE ABUSIVE TERMS

AF - As F*ck. Used as a suffix to exaggerate something. For example, ‘She was boring AF.’

As B*lls - Used exactly the same as ‘AF’, this suffix is also used to exaggerate simple statements.

Basic - Someone who is boring.

Bih - Short form for b*tch.

CYA - Cover Your Ass.

KMS - Kill Myself.

KYS - Kill Yourself.

OMFG - Oh My F*cking God. Used in the same way as ‘Oh my god’ or ‘OMG’.

Shading - To gossip about someone/something without naming them.

SH - Sh*t Happens. Used when something unforeseen happens (Note: Not sympathetic).

SMDH - Shaking My D*mn Head. Usage similar to SMH.

STFU - Shut The F*ck Up.

Tool - Someone who is either stupid or geeky.

Throw Shade - A subtle, sneering expression of contempt, either verbal or non-verbal.

Wanksta - A person who acts tough in public but is mellow or soft on the inside.

DRUG REFERENCES

4:20 - Marijuana reference.

Dabbing - A concentrated dose of cannabis.

Dexing - Overdosing on cough syrup to feel drunk.

Hulk - A 2mg benzodiazepine bar; a party drug.

Juul - Small pods or e-cigarettes used for smoking.

Molly- 3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine. A drug that alters moods and perceptions.

School Bus - Yellow Xanax, often now being misused as a party drug.

Turnt Up - Someone who is high on drugs or drunk.

Zip Ghost - Someone who has a hard time functioning in society as a result of being high on Marijuana.

MOST IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS TO KNOW!

CD9 - Code 9. A quick warning to alert friends when parents are near!

Finsta - A fake Instagram account.

FOMO - Fear Of Missing Out.

LMIRL - Let’s Meet In Real Life. Sent between individuals whose communication has thus far been restricted to online messaging.

POS - Parents Over Shoulder. Used to warn the other person not to type or discuss anything explicit.

Spam - To have a fake social media profile.

Swoop - To be picked up in a car.

YOLO - You Only Live Once. Often used as a justification to perform dangerous stunts.

RELATING TO SEXUAL OR ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS

53X - Sex.

ASL - Age/Sex/Location. Used to ask for basic information about a prospective partner.

Bae - A sweet term for crush or partner.

Beat Cake - Term for rough sex.

BMS - Breaks My Scale. Someone who’s so attractive they’ve broken the ‘beauty scale’.

CU46 - See You For Sex.

FWB - Friends With Benefits. Two friends who regularly hook up sexually without any emotions or feelings.

GNOC - Get Naked On Camera.

Hentai - Graphic anime pornography which originated in Japan.

Netflix and Chill - Getting together to hook up.

NIFOC - Naked In Front Of the Computer.

PMYOS - Put Me On Your Snapstory. Used between friends or partners to show everyone how close they are.

Sexting - To share sexually explicit messages between two individuals.

Ship - The desire to see two individuals (often fictional characters) as a romantic couple.

Smash - Casual sex.

Snack - An attractive person.

Snapstreak - The continuous number of days in which two individuals ‘snap’ each other. A snap could be either a photo or a video, created using Snapchat.

Thirsty - Someone who is desperate for sexual attention.

Thot - That Hoe Over There. Used to describe someone as a ‘slut’.

TDTM - Talk Dirty To Me. Used for sexting.

Thicc - A hefty person who is considered attractive.

Tight - In a close relationship with someone.

WTTP - Want To Trade Photos?

While a few of these terms are innocent enough, there are quite a few that should raise concern if you find your teen using them online. At the delicate age where they require both independence and guidance, the perfect way to strike a balance would be to talk the subject through with your teens. Meanwhile, forewarned is forearmed. Go through this list so that you know what your kids are saying online. All the best!

Writing credit: Authored by Prithiv, a Mobicip researcher who writes about the effects of technology on health and well-being. Keep in touch with the latest on parenting, technology and education. Subscribe to the Mobicip newsletter. Learn more at www.mobicip.com.

The online world is full of possibility, but security issues exist too. In particular, there is a growing danger of sextortion on the internet. Here is everything you need to know about the topic, along with what you can do if you get caught up in it.

What is Sextortion?

According to the FBI, sextortion is, “a serious crime that occurs when someone threatens to distribute your private and sensitive material if you don’t provide them images of a sexual nature, sexual favors, or money.”

Sextortion is not just about someone getting their hands on sensitive material for nefarious purposes, however. The intent is usually financially motivated blackmail.

What Can Be Done?

Remain vigilant. If you are a parent, make sure you have security measures in place with regards what content and websites your children can access (especially on mobile devices) and run regular scans and checks for flagged words and content (there is software available which can assist in this approach). Most importantly, educate your children regarding the dangers that lurk online, and dissuade them from sending sensitive material online, or engaging in conversations with people they do not know.

Follow the same advice yourself. Never share sensitive content, especially images of yourself. Even if the person you are sending to is completely trusted, accounts can and do get hacked.

In the online world, sextortion is a real threat, and something everyone should be wary of. At the very least, think about how you conduct yourself online and the type of images and content that you share. If you share something on one medium of communication, the chances are that those images could be accessed and sent or posted elsewhere. Let that always determine the type of imagery you share, and ask the question: ‘Is this something that I wouldn’t mind everyone seeing?”

Of course, this is a worst-case scenario. Those who have sent intimate pictures of themselves to partners never believe that those images could be shared with the greater online community, but that, unfortunately, is what happens sometimes.

Are There Any Specific Scams To Be Aware Of?

One particular scam running currently is an email that you will receive purportedly stating that they have access to sensitive materials belonging to you, and this will be revealed in the public domain unless you comply with the request (which is usually for money). To validate the threat, a sensitive password that you once used is usually shared.

“At this stage we in the security community do not believe that these blackmailers have access to your materials, but have instead gained your password through past breaches. Change all your passwords immediately, and report the email to the relevant authorities, but absolutely do not comply with the demand,” says Richard O’Connor, a security blogger at Coursework Writing Serviceand Online Paper Help.

What Should You Do If You Are a Victim?

It is easy to say that you should tell someone, but that may be the very last thing you want to do. If there really are compromising pictures of you, actually telling someone about them can be as bad as the images themselves getting leaked. In some ways it is a ‘no win’ situation.

But that is not the case. Telling someone you trust, and ultimately reporting it to the right authorities is absolutely the right thing to do, and is a ‘win’ situation for you.

“Do not be ashamed, that is the first thing to know. We are all human and all of us engage in private activities, so you are not doing anything that other people may do too. Of course, as a young person this is the last conversation you want to have with your parents, but they will understand more than you realize! And very often it’s not even your fault. Even if it is (you deliberately took and shared some photos, for example), you simply made a mistake that has been made countless times before you. And we all mistakes, just ask your parents,” counsels Monica Hart, an educator at Best Research Paper Writing and OxEssays.

You need the support of someone you trust through this, so report it. Although the perpetrators may not get caught, by telling people you have removed the very aspect of their approach that they hoped to use to blackmail you. You have taken their power away, so they will now go away. Telling people and reporting it removes the threat. Absolutely do not suffer in silence, as that is how they win. Do not give them anything that they want, immediately tell someone, and let an adult deal with the situation. You can and will get past this.

Aimee Laurence can be found offering her expert insights as an educator at UKWritings and BoomEssays, where she mostly writes about college life. Aimee also tutors at Online Essay Writeracademic service.

The increased amount of online presence we all have today makes it relatively easy for malicious people to stalk or harass us online. Cyber-stalking is a sad and creepy reality that modern society faces. Let’s take a look at its definition, types of cyber-stalking and how to stay safe.

What is Cyber-Stalking?

The English definition of stalking is unwanted, obsessive attention to a particular individual. Physical stalking can range from persistent texting, manipulation and watching secretly. In the digital world, malicious people also stalk unaware online users, except they rely on technology to do it. Cyber-stalkers’ motive is to threaten, harass and embarrass their victim. Instant messaging, email, personal data, and social networks are available to cyber-stalkers. All this data can be used to make inappropriate contact with victims.

Types of Cyber-Stalking

Catfishing

Online catfishing is a scam that occurs on social media sites, where the online stalkers create fake profiles. Then they approach their victims as friends or someone interested in having a romantic relationship. A cat fisher is likely to have few friends on their profile and most of their photos don’t look real.

Trolling

Trollers live out of other people’s social media posts. They post offensive comments because they feel that you don’t have a way of getting to them. Sadly, some make false statements to incite or upset others. If you ever face such an incident, consider consulting a criminal defense attorney. Trolling is a criminal act that is punishable by law.

Hijacking Your Webcam

Hijacking a PC's webcam is one of the creepiest methods that cyber-stalkers use to invade their victim’s privacy. The offenders trick you into downloading a malware-infected file that grants them access to your webcam when installed. They make it sneaky such that the user doesn’t suspect anything strange. The thought of someone watching your actions through your webcam is very creepy.

Visiting You Virtually Through Google Maps Street View

If a cyber-stalker knows your home address, they can use Google Maps to see how your house looks without stepping on to your property. The stalker can also research about your neighbors, the surrounding environment and the alleys in your area.

How to Protect Yourself

1. Avoid posting personal information on social media

Apps like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are meant to link up people from all over the world. Unfortunately, they can cause havoc when misused. Most people don’t consider the harm that posting personal information would cause. When you post online your mobile number, home address or email address, you are making it easier for cyber-stalkers to reach you. To be safe, use a separate email address from your official one to open social media accounts.

2. Be mindful of your accounts

The importance of a unique password can never be overemphasized. Stalkers use various methods to get access to their victims’ social media accounts, and a robust password is your first defense. That is why you should create one that is both unique and strong. Avoid using personal information such as your birthday or anniversary date as the password.

3. Change all your accounts’ details when you end a relationship

In most cases, the offender is usually a victim’s ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend. It is common in instances where there was abuse in the relationship for there to be stalking afterwards, because the dominant partner will want to remain in control. Cyber-stalking is the perfect way for them to showcase their power.

4. Carry out an internet search of your name regularly

You might not be posting stuff about yourself, but your family and friends could be doing it. Strive to keep your identity and name protected by conducting a regular internet search of your name. It will also help you to know whether a cyber-stalker might be posting false information about you.

5. Get professional assistance if you are cyber-stalked

If the stalking and harassment escalates, it is essential to consult thetop criminal defense attorneys in Los Angeles. They will guide you on how to report the offense to the authority. If the stalker’s identity is unknown, you may have to hire a private investigator. In case you need to pursue the case, a lawyer will also help you with filing and prosecution.

Douglas Parker is a creative content marketer at Manshoory Law Group, APC. He has always had a special interest in the sphere of Law and Human Rights. Dedicating a lot of his free time to understanding the small details and specifics of these fields, Douglas enjoys exploring and analyzing them in his articles. His main goal is to make this sometimes complicated information available and transparent for everyone.

With the internet advancing at such a fast pace, trends seem to come and go with the breeze. A new website might be offering an unheard-of online service or product one day, and then be more or less forgotten within the month; a budding trend may lie dormant for years only to explode in popularity over the course of a week. And with all this going on, it's become more important than ever to be vigilant regarding your own safety and security. To that end, we're using this piece to point to a few major emerging trends in mobile app and internet use, just to make sure they won't catch anyone off guard. Investment AppsApps that allow you to quickly and easily invest in companies and alternative finances have been on the rise these last few years. For the most part these apps offer invaluable services, simplifying processes that were once prohibitively complex, and often operating with no fees. But that doesn’t mean it's a good idea to start using these apps on a whim, or to approach them haphazardly. Some are more reliable than others, and it's always important to read the fine print and ensure you aren't doing anything with your money you'll later regret. The app Robinhood strikes a nice balance when it comes to apps like these. It lets you invest freely from your mobile phone or tablet on the go, gives you updates on your investments regularly, and also provides advice regarding your specific portfolio and potential areas of interest. This is not to say Robinhood is necessarily the best or the one you should use, but it is a decent model to follow as you sift through what's becoming a very crowded category. A reputable, popularly-used app like this, with clear features and functionality, can help you to get in on this trend in a responsible manner. Online Gambling Online gambling is nothing new, but it's been on a roll lately as well. With sites getting more tech-savvy, apps making bets more accessible, and New Jersey's new sportsbooks opening up the U.S. market, it's fair to say this entire practice is getting trendy all over again. And for the most part, it can be a great way to pass the time, enhance your existing enjoyment of sports and other public events, and potentially pick up some spare cash. Here too, though, it's important to be careful as the trend continues. The most important thing when engaging in online gambling is to make sure you're dealing with a licensed and regulated site or app. There are plenty of trusted, mainstream options, but there are also various smaller or less-established companies that can be less reliable when handling your money. In addition to picking the right site, you also want to make sure you're gambling responsibly. Betting for fun, with the hope of getting lucky, is a perfectly reasonable hobby; betting because you need to, or because you expect to make money, can quickly become problematic. Messaging Clients It seems that every year, new messaging clients become hits, growing into industry leaders and outstripping competition despite relatively familiar methodology and functionality. We’ve seen it happen with Slack, Skype, Discord, and going even further back, AIM and Stride. So, while the idea of new messaging systems isn't a trend in and of itself, the next specific service you build a profile for probably will be. As always with these types of online messaging clients, be wary of any unknown friend or contact requests from people you don’t know. Avoid links that look suspicious or that come from unknown services. And, beyond these basics, keep an eye out for more specific modern concerns, such as uninvited bot activity (which can lead to some pretty serious stuff) or deceitful subscription models. Most messaging clients are fairly harmless, and can be very convenient - but that doesn't mean they can't land you in a tricky spot now and then if you let your guard down. These are just three of the many, trends occurring on the internet of late. But hopefully considering how to handle them safely can renew your interest in digital vigilance and help you to continue to navigate the ever-evolving web as safely as possible.

We're busy updating the Cyber Civics curriculum,expanding our team, and getting ready for an awesome Fall. See where we'll be:

8/5 | Santa Rosa Academy, Menifee, CA

8/12 | St. Eudes School, Chatsworth, CA

8/29 | NY Jets Tackle Cyberbullying Symposium, MetLife Stadium, NJ

9/6 | United Way of Central West Virginia, WV

9/17 | Heilecher Jewish Day School, Minneapolis, MN

9/24 | Novato Charter School, Novato, CA

9/25 | Marin Waldorf School, Marin, CA

10/1 | Infinity Kids Pediatric Group, Lake Forest, CA

10/16 | Sandpoint Waldorf School, Sandpoint, ID

10/21-23 Wall Street Journal Tech Live, Laguna Beach, CA

10/28-30 | Texas Charter School Conference, Austin, TX

11/13 | CETPA Conference, Anaheim, CA

If you’re one of those parents who constantly find their children gazing into their computers and smartphones and worry about the technology’s influence on them, relax a bit. It can actually be good for them. Aside from making their (and our) lives more convenient and helping teens connect with their peers, technology provides useful information to inquiring minds. It can broaden their outlooks, and expand cultural views and diversity. Different types of media can help teenagers develop their reading, writing and critical-thinking skills, not to mention creativity.

At the same time, the Internet has some hidden dangers. According to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents, American teenagers aged 12-17 who have a habit of spending time on social networking sites daily, are twice more likely (in comparison with teens that aren’t hooked on social nets) to smoke marijuana, 3 times more likely to drink alcohol, and 5 times more likely to smoke cigarettes.

While parents, teachers, and the federal government are trying to teach a younger generation to say no to drugs, more than $25 billion are spent each year on the advertising of cigarettes, alcohol, and prescription drugs. Moreover, TV shows and movies demonstrate considerable amounts of substance use. Consequently, impressionable young minds develop misconceptions about alcohol and drug use and their effects. What makes the situation even worse is the fact that any drug can be easily found and bought online.

How do teenagers get drugs through the Internet?

Many young people who become clients of teen drug rehabilitation (Addiction Resource)reveal that one of the sources where they obtained substances was the net. And there are three main ways:

1. Social Networks

It turns out that Facebook is not just a place to connect with friends. The platform has also become a fruitful marketplace for drug sellers. The trade mainly occurs through Facebook’s secret groups were dealers push ecstasy, LSD, Xanax, and cocaine.

Some sellers do their “business” even more blatantly. Make a quick search of “oxycodone” on Facebook. You’ll see the pics of pills and profiles of fake pharmacies that offer sleeping pills, opioid painkillers, sedatives, and other prescription drugs. As you’ve already understood, to buy these, your child doesn’t need any prescription. Some media resources report that such illegal trade takes place on Instagram and Snapchat.

2. The Dark Web

The dark web (or darknet, deep net) is part of the internet that can be accessed only through special software. Criminals use it for various illegal activities, including drug trafficking. Since this part of the net is not regulated, black market sites that offer illegal substances operate freely.

Fortunately, one of the largest black markets called Silk Road was shut down in 2013 by the FBI. Before the shutdown, Silk Road had facilitated more than a million transactions that totaled over $1.2 billion in its short lifetime (just 2 years).

However, there are still many shady sites in the darknet. It goes without saying that teenagers are very tech-savvy. It wouldn’t be a problem for them to access the dark web and purchase something there.

3. Illegitimate Online Pharmacies

Psych Central reports that around 10% of prescription abusers obtain their drugs from online pharmacies. In addition to the deep net, the internet is full of illicit pharmacy sites.

Many of these stores are based abroad, so they are not subject to U.S. governance. People of any age can go online, place an order, and get it delivered in discreet packaging. Again, there’s no need to obtain a prescription to these purchases.

The additional danger of buying drugs off the net is that buyers don't truly know what they are really getting when they receive an order. The World Health Organization estimates that about 50% of illicit “no-prescription” online pharmacies are selling counterfeit medications. At best, customers might get just sugar pills; at worst, the substances might be mixed with additional ingredients to make them more potent and deadly.

How to prevent your child from buying drugs over the net?

Given that youth can easily get any type of drug on the net, parents should watch their kids closer. If you have any doubts, check out your child’s browser history and Facebook, Instagram or another social networking site they use. If you find some unfamiliar hashtags, look for them here. It may be street terms for various drugs.

Most importantly, you should keep a direct and candid dialogue with your children. You should educate them on the dangers and risks involved with substance use and addiction. Make them feel comfortable telling you about what’s going on at school, including alcohol and drug use among their peers, if it happens. Understanding the environment your children live in and relationships they have with peers can help you understand how to protect them from detrimental influences.

What parents can do about teen drug use?

The younger the individual who experiments with drugs is, the higher the risk of serious health consequences. For teenagers, it’s vital to get help early on. When it comes to substance abuse, rehabilitation is the best solution. Teen rehab centers traditionally offer two types of treatment programs:

Inpatient (residential) programOutpatient program.

The choice of rehab depends on the type of addiction, mental or other health condition that your child may suffer from, the duration of usage, and the level of the teen’s maturity.

For someone with a relatively mild addiction, outpatient teen drug rehab is a suitable option. It’ll allow your kid to continue studying at school and leading a normal family life while undergoing treatment at the center.

If your offspring was unlucky enough to develop a severe addiction that has already caused serious problems at home or school, or already had one or more unsuccessful attempts to quit drugs, inpatient teenage drug rehabilitation would suit more.

No matter what type of rehabilitation you choose, it’ll provide a lasting and life-changing experience. Teen drug programs are designed to treat addiction and co-occurring health problems caused by abuse. And what is more, they teach teenagers coping techniques to prevent relapse and enable them to sober lifestyles after treatment.

I wrote about the first Harvard admissions incident in "Raising Humans in a Digital World: Helping Kids Build a Healthy Relationship with Technology"(HarperCollins Leadership) and, in light of a current event, decided to post the following excerpt.

It’s imperative to talk to kids about their digital reputations, early and often. Many schools address this by inviting online safety experts to their campus. But often these “experts” either lecture kids or rely on scare tactics that either don’t work or backfire completely.

Kids take to adults talking at them about their digital world like birds take to dogs telling them how to fly.

A better way to help kids understand the importance of maintaining a positive digital reputation is by letting them experience it from a different perspective.

A Lesson on Digital Reputation That Sticks

During our first year of Cyber Civics lessons, I tell my sixth grade students the story of the almost-Harvard students who lost acceptance to this prestigious university because of racist posts in a "private" Facebook group. To help the story sink in, I challenge students to imagine they are college admissions officers. I even let them decide what college they want to pretend to represent. Since we are in California, the ones that come to their minds include Stanford, UCLA, and Cal, some of the hardest in the state, and country, to get into. Next, the students peruse online content I have gathered (all made up, of course) about two fictional applicants and use that information to decide which candidate is most worthy of receiving the full scholarship they are (supposedly) awarding.

They start by reading each student’s (fake) application letter. The candidates—one male

and one female—describe themselves and tell of their high GPAs, excellent test scores, and numerous extracurricular activities. Both claim to be outstanding athletes. Since it’s impossible to decide which one is more deserving based solely upon this self-reporting, students turn to each applicant’s (fake) “digital billboard” to learn more.

Before this activity, students have already learned that a digital billboard is a collection of a person’s online activities—their digital reputation. While often referred to as a digital footprint, we call it a billboard for a couple of reasons. First, as students have pointed out to me, footprints are easily washed away. To them, a billboard seems more permanent. Second, anyone and everyone on the “information superhighway” can see a billboard. It advertises what kind of person you are.

Students quickly discover that the content of each applicant’s digital billboard isn’t so stellar. The male applicant, David, a talented soccer player, posted a picture of himself toilet-papering a neighbor’s house and also posted a YouTube video of the escapade. Ouch. Plus, a newspaper article said he’d allegedly been caught hacking into his school’s computer to access a biology test. Furthermore, a club he said he belonged to posted on its Facebook page that he had been dropped for missing too many meetings.

When the students turn their attention to the female applicant, Kate, a prospective English major in the school’s honor society, they discover her food blog is full of grammatical errors and misspelled words. On her Instagram feed, someone had accused her of using a photo that belonged to someone else. She appears scantily dressed in another social media post, and her name does not appear in the list of honor society members on the school’s website.

My young students, most of whom are just starting to use social media themselves, judge these applicants harshly. Neither, they decide, is worthy of a scholarship.

But Wait, There's More!

After students make their decision, they must go back to take another look at each candidate’s digital trail. Upon closer inspection, they notice that the “Dave” who was accused of hacking was a different person from the “David” who had applied for the scholarship. It is not uncommon for two students at a large school to share a last name, I explain. Besides, had they studied the information I gave them more carefully, they would have noticed that the “Dave” in the article plays lacrosse, not soccer. Plus, I point out, the Facebook post that said he was being dropped from the club’s roster was several months old. Something else they had overlooked.

Students realize they missed some important details about Kate as well. Her school’s website had not been updated in nearly a year, which explains why she did not appear in its honor society list. Oftentimes, this closer inspection leaves my students feeling deflated.

“It’s not fair,” they say. “It’s so easy for mistakes to happen online, even mistakes that aren’t your fault. Plus, sometimes other people post stuff about you that’s not true.” They also say, “Kids joke around online a lot,” and they wonder if adults can tell when kids post things in jest, or when they are being sarcastic. “Do adults take all of this into consideration?” they want to know. My answer?

Maybe, but don’t count on it.

People Are Judging You By What They See Online

Just as my students made snap judgments about the two fictional applicants, based on a cursory review of each one’s digital billboard, people in real life do this all the time. Bradley Shear, a D.C.-based lawyer specializing in social media law, thinks this is a big problem. In an interview with the New York Times, Shear says, “Colleges might erroneously identify the account of a person with the same name . . . or even mistake an impostor’s account—as belonging to the applicant, potentially leading to unfair treatment. ‘Often . . . false and misleading content online is taken as fact.’”

As founder and general counsel of a company called Digital Armour, Shear advises

students, professionals, and corporate clients about the legal, privacy, reputation, and security issues inherent in the digital age. “Kids are going to make mistakes,” says Shear. “Why should these mistakes be tied to them for the rest of their lives?”

Shear told me about a client of his who had been admitted into one of the most prestigious universities in the world. This applicant had his offer and a $250,000 scholarship revoked because of an alleged inappropriate Facebook like and an emoji about the 2016 presidential election.

“This was a kid with the highest privacy settings,” Shear said. Despite this, one of the applicant’s “Facebook friends” had taken a screenshot of the alleged inappropriate “like” and emoji, saved it for months, and then sent it anonymously to the admissions office of the school Shear’s client had been accepted to. The school contacted the applicant, who verified the long- deleted “like” and emoji. Subsequently, the applicant’s offer and scholarship were rescinded.

I'd Heard This Story Before

Shear’s story is eerily similar to one I heard from an admissions officer who works for a California university. She told me she’d received a manila envelope in the mail, no return address, filled with screenshots allegedly from the “fake” social media accounts of a female applicant. A note that accompanied the images claimed they were being sent by another prospective student. It read, “You need to know what this girl is really like; she’s not as squeaky-clean as you think.”

“The envelope was filled with half-naked selfies, posts strewn with foul language,” the admissions officer told me. “Not only could I not believe what I was seeing, I also couldn’t believe that another student would go to such lengths to bring this to my attention. I thought to myself, ‘Is this really what we’ve come to?’”

According to Shear, “Colleges, graduate schools, and employers do not revoke offers because applicants lack a robust digital life; however, they have and will continue to reject applicants if they find something online that raises a question about an applicant’s character, integrity, or judgment.”

Please tell your kids that anything they say or do online, or that others say or do about them, speaks volumes about their character. And that character still matters.

Excerpted from"Raising Humans in a Digital World: Helping Kids Build a Healthy Relationship with Technology" (HarperCollins Leadership).

Cyber flashing is when an explicit or inappropriate media file is sent to your phone anonymously and without your permission. This is most common with iPhone users, using an application called AirDrop, which allows anyone within 30 feet to send images and other media files as long as their AirDrop is set to receive the files without explicit permission.

Even as adults, it is never pleasant to receive unsolicited images. However, we at least know how to handle the situation. Can the same be said of your teens? Since plenty of us parents like to equip children with iPhones, this essentially places multiple iPhones within 30 feet of each other during school and on the bus ride home. If their AirDrop settings are set to 'accept files from everyone,' you are putting them at the risk of receiving unsolicited images.

The Problem With AirDrop

AirDrop comes pre-installed on all iPhones and the default setting for receiving files is from ‘everyone.’ While it is easy to change the settings in a few simple steps, most people make changes to their settings only after the first time they've received an unwanted image from a stranger! Another problem with AirDrop is that a person sending you a file can also access your name from the image transfer. For example, if your child’s name is Christina, her device will typically be named and appear as Christina’s iPhone on a stranger’s device.

With children whose AirDrop settings allow anyone to send them an image, you risk exposing their personal information to a stranger, including adults who have no business knowing these details. Given the physical proximity that is a prerequisite for AirDrop, it's easy enough for predators to figure out their victim's appearance, name and location from simply the instinctive disgusted reaction of viewing the inappropriate message. Such a risk calls for an immediate application review of AirDrop.

AirDrop, when used right, is an excellent tool to transfer files between devices. However, with a sharp increase in cyber flashing, there is no clear method to circumvent the loophole that comes with this application, even if you have parental controls in place.

Apple accounts are opened using the user's birthday, but this information is not used intelligently to adapt AirDrop settings on phones that belong to a child.

Changing AirDrop Settings

There is only one way to resolve this issue, but it is straightforward and foolproof. Click the ‘Settings’ icon on the main menu, go to ‘General’ and then ‘AirDrop.’ Once you enter the application settings, you’ll find that the receive option is set to ‘Everyone.’.Change this by choosing between ‘Receiving Off,’ ‘Contacts Only,’ and ‘Everyone.’ We recommend 'Contacts Only.'

While this is recommended for everyone, make sure that this step is taken for all children and teenagers in your care.

Sending and Receiving a Photo With AirDrop

To send a photo using AirDrop, you can go to your gallery, choose an image and click on the ‘share’ icon. Of all the sharing options displayed, choose ‘AirDrop’ - this will allow you to send your images to a particular device or to everyone within a 20-30 feet radius from you. However, you can transmit only to devices running on MacOS or iOS.

When you receive an image via AirDrop, it appears as a popup with a preview of the image. Your children don't even have to open the image, to be exposed to cyber flashing.

When AirDrop Becomes Unsafe

As mentioned earlier, AirDrop is not entirely harmful if used right. However, abusers don’t necessarily use an application in the way it is intended to be used, do they?

Imagine your children sitting on the school bus when one child decides to click an embarrassing photograph of a fellow student and decides to AirDrop it into available devices. (If your children’s AirDrop setting is set for ‘everyone,’ they will also be one of the recipients.) Imagine the trauma that one child could go through in such a situation! Apart from this, AirDrop can also be used to spread hateful and embarrassing memes about a particular student or teacher.

Another scenario is during public events, when an abuser might send an image of his/her private parts to all and sundry, including kids.

HERE IS ANOTHER GREAT STORY ABOUT THIS TOPIC:

WHEN GROWNUPS GET CAUGHT IN TEENS' AIRDROP CROSSFIRE VIA THE ATLANTIC

What Can Be Done About It?

The least that Apple can do remedy this situation is to change the default setting to ‘Contacts Only.’ The company could also go further and bring it under the purview of any parental control installed on a phone.

At this point, however, they haven't! So what parents can, and should, do is manually change your children’s AirDrop settings to ‘Contacts Only.’ This way, your children will at least know who they are receiving messages from and, to an extent, expect safe images.

You can also talk to them about receiving abusive images and what to do in such cases. Explain clearly to them that it is not their fault and that you should be immediately notified when they receive any kind of image from an unknown person, or disturbing content from someone they know. In this way, you can equip them to face the situation without being scared or scarred.

Writing credit: Suren, the co-founder and CEO of Mobicip, and a passionate advocate for mobile learning and Internet safety. Suren speaks or hosts panels at conferences and seminars on these topics for parents and educators. He also serves as a consultant for educational technology projects in K-12 schools and school districts.

Keep in touch with the latest on parenting, technology and education. Subscribe to the Mobicip newsletter. Learn more at www.mobicip.com.

There are many things that interfere with our sleep on a daily basis. For starters, you may find it difficult to sleep when you’re constantly using electronics before bed. This can have negative side effects on rest, as you can imagine, ruining your sleep cycles and leaving you with little to no energy for day-to-day activities.

There are many causes for electronically-induced insomnia, all of which could be quite easy to fix. First, know that how long you use electronics before bed can be a big contributing factor to why you may not be able to sleep well at night.

Fear Of Missing Out -- or FOMO for short -- is basically what happens when you obsessively check your phone every single minute to get updates on social media or text messages. It is called this because you usually do it out of a desire to stay up to date on whatever your friends are doing.

While this is healthy in short bursts, it absolutely can be devastating to your sleep. We’re going to go over some ways to identify and fix this problem, leading you to getting better overall sleep and feeling much more energized throughout the day.

How do I know if FOMO is disrupting my schedule?

There are a few ways to tell if FOMO is being an active problem in your life. For starters, ask yourself if you tend to check Facebook or Twitter a lot while in bed. Do you have a nervous breakdown when you go five minutes without checking status updates before you go to sleep?

If so, you could have FOMO. It might be daunting not knowing what’s going on in the lives of your friends and family, but this can often lead to stress, which can absolutely compound a sleep deprivation problem if you’re not terribly careful with it.

Usually, when we keep our cell phones, laptops, or any other internet-connected device near us when we sleep, the constant checking of statuses can definitely cause us to get less sleep. Simply moving your phone away from your bed could have a major impact. Or try using Do Not Disturb and other bedtime modes to discourage sleep disruption.

Is it bad to watch television before bed?

You might be wondering if watching tv before bed is a good idea, but this too can damage your sleep cycles. TV emits what is called blue light, which can severely interfere with your body’s ability to make melatonin, your body’s hormone for sleep cycle regulation.

When this happens, it can be very difficult to fall back to sleep, if not next to impossible. That’s why it’s often recommended to shut down tv before bed, so you can get a full, proper night’s rest.

Falling asleep with the television on especially can do damage to sleep. So, while some people believe they cannot sleep without the sound of a TV on, you could be damaging your sleep cycle and health more in the long run by using it as a sleep aid.

What are some ways I can help prevent this?

There are a few ways you can help fix this. For starters, you need to limit how much you use your electronics at night, as well as set a day schedule for use. That way you can accomplish everything you need to do on your computer, as well as social media accounts, before you go to bed. Set early ‘bedtimes’ for your devices, turning them off a good hour or so ahead of sleep.

For social media, you can help curb FOMO by not checking updates well before bedtime. You can always find out in the morning what your friends are up to, so keep that in mind while doing this. For children, you should also help them to cut out electronics, as they too can have their sleep affected by it.

You should set a schedule for television as well, getting all of your shows and movies done before you go to bed. Catch up on the latest episodes earlier in the day, or wait until the next day to get your binge on. It might be rough going without TV before bed at first, but your sleep will definitely be improved by it.

Conclusion

It might seem difficult at first to completely adjust your life schedule around cutting out electronics before bed, but it really can do wonders in helping you to sleep more soundly. You should be aware of how your habits in the digital world can affect your sleep cycles, as well as be conscious about what it takes to fix these issues.

You can implement new schedules in your routine, so as to curb the amount of time spent on these devices, which should go a long way in improving your sleep at night. It’s vital that your body be able to produce melatonin properly, which can be interrupted by blue light and stress-inducing FOMO. Knowing balance in terms of using devices and restricting use when necessary is a great first step in fighting insomnia and sleep deprivation.