Social Media — News & Popular Guides
Quick-Guide to Roblox for Parents
Parents should know that most Roblox games include social features, like in-game chat and filtered messaging, though you can turn off these features.
Ask Trish: What is X?
So Twitter is now X? What does that actually mean? What’s going on?
Anxiety, Social Media, and the News
“The more we seek certainty over what will happen in the future, the more anxious we will feel.”
Parent and Guardian Guide to Meta Horizon Worlds
Meta Horizon Worlds is now open to teens ages 13 to 17. Here’s what parents and teens need to know about navigating the social VR app safely.
Time to Think about Back-to-School Devices and Policies
Even though it’s only early August, many families are on the verge of sending their kids back to school.
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FBI Issues Warning About Sextortion After Arrest in Teen Death
The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) issued a joint national public safety alert on financial sextortion schemes.
Ask Trish: Social Media and Mental Health
Dear Trish: Maybe it’s just me but I just feel really bad about myself when I’m on social media. Like literally everyone seems to be living their best life and it reminds me how much is wrong with mine. How can I feel better?
Family Guide to Parental Controls
What are parental controls and what do they do? How do I know when to use them, and should I tell my kids?
Protecting Mental Health on Instagram
I’m grateful to the Wall Street Journal for shedding light on some of the ways social media can contribute to a sense of inadequacy and other mental health issues. But what the article didn’t include is tips on how parents and teens can deal with these issues for a healthier online experience.
Seniors Flocking to TikTok
When you think about TikTok, it’s easy to conjure up images of young teens lip-synching and horsing around in short videos they share with their peers.
Ask Trish: The Pressure to Be Perfect
“I sometimes feel like the pressure to be perfect on social media can be so overwhelming. Do you have tips for...
Parent’s Guide to Snapchat
Users love that they can share a moment that’s digital footprint-free — they don’t have to think about how their photos, videos or comments make them look to some unknown audience in the future.
Quick-Guide to Secure Passwords
The FBI along with other security experts are now recommending a “pass phrase” rather than simply a password. Such a phrase should be relatively long – at least 15 characters.
Tips for Dealing with Teen Sexting
Also see: Teen Sexting: Quick-Guide for Parents and Teens “Sexting” usually refers to the sharing of sexually explicit...
Protecting Mental Health on Instagram
I’m grateful to the Wall Street Journal for shedding light on some of the ways social media can contribute to a sense of inadequacy and other mental health issues. But what the article didn’t include is tips on how parents and teens can deal with these issues for a healthier online experience.
Seniors Flocking to TikTok
When you think about TikTok, it’s easy to conjure up images of young teens lip-synching and horsing around in short videos they share with their peers.
Ask Trish: The Pressure to Be Perfect
“I sometimes feel like the pressure to be perfect on social media can be so overwhelming. Do you have tips for...
Parent’s Guide to Snapchat
Users love that they can share a moment that’s digital footprint-free — they don’t have to think about how their photos, videos or comments make them look to some unknown audience in the future.
Quick-Guide to Secure Passwords
The FBI along with other security experts are now recommending a “pass phrase” rather than simply a password. Such a phrase should be relatively long – at least 15 characters.
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Well-Being on Instagram: The Latest Advice
We had a wide-ranging discussion with Instagram's head of safety, Vaishnavi J, about feeling pressure to present a...
Is Cyberbullying Increasing Amid Covid-19?
We spoke with Justin Patchin, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center about how young people (and...
How Schools and Parents Can Promote Media Literacy
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, executive director of National Association for Media Literacy Education, speaks with us about why media literacy is more important than ever.
Why Teens Love TikTok
We spoke with Jeff Collins and Lavanya Mahendran about all things TikTok, including how people are creatively using the service during this period plus TikTok’s new safety features.
Facebook Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis
ConnectSafely’s Larry Magid and Kerry Gallagher interview Facebook Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis Podcast (Audio...
TikTok Adds Parental Controls and Disables Direct Messaging for Users Under 16
TikTok, the popular app that allows users to share short (typically 15 second) videos announced Family Pairing to give parents greater control over their teen’s safety setting.
Combating Domestic Violence While Sheltering at Home
Larry Magid and Kerry Gallagher speak with Rachel Gibson of the National Network to End Domestic Violence about how sheltering at home can affect domestic violence survivors and what survivors and supporters can do.
Resources for Coping, Learning, and Shopping While Stuck Home
There is never a good time for a pandemic, but the silver lining on this very dark cloud is that it’s happening at a...
Tech Tools to Engage your Family in Fun or Educational Activities
There are plenty of tools out there to keep every member of the family engaged during this period when many of us are...