Social Media — News & Popular Guides
Time to Think about Back-to-School Devices and Policies
If buying a device, consider school recommendations, education discounts, and specific needs for different grades.
Meta’s Threads Offers a Kinder, Gentler Experience than the New Twitter
Meta’s new Threads service is the second biggest challenge to Twitter.
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.
Parent’s Guide to ZEPETO
ZEPETO is popular among teens for designing content, fashion, items, and virtual environments.
Ask Trish: Stressing About Social Media
I’m always so stressed about social media, like who’s viewing my stories, how my pictures look, and if I “measure up” to everyone else. How do I let go?
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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...
New Research & Resources for Online Wellness
It’s been a big week when it comes to resources for promoting wellness and helping protect children online. with new resources from Google and Instagram and a study from Common Sense Media.
ReThink Founder on How App Promotes Kindness & Decency
Rethink founder Trisha Prabhu is on a mission to help cultivate the next generation of responsible digital citizens.
Battening Down your Facebook Hatches
Controlling who can see your friends list is only one of many optional privacy settings.
Family Guide to Messenger by Facebook
Features include blocking, vanish mode, and enhanced protections for teens.
How We Got Here
Because they’ve been written about extensively, there’s no need for me to repeat how the internet – Facebook, Twitter and lesser-known sites like Gab and the now-suspended Parler have contributed to the division, vitriol and violence that has shaken our country.
Parent’s Guide to Tech for Tots
Teaching even our youngest children how to use devices and interact with digital content in a healthy way has become an important part of parenting.
Facebook’s Messenger & Instagram’s Disappearing Act
Snapchat may have pioneered disappearing posts in social media, but Facebook is adding a disappearing act to...
Parent, Educator & Youth Guide to LGBTQ Cyberbullying
64% of LGBTQ+ respondents have been harassed online.
Strengthening Resilience During Tough Times
We spoke with Rabbi Kevin Bemel, a former US Navy chaplain, about resilience, relationships and thriving during...
Online Conspiracy Theories Could Hurt Kids
Conspiracy theories have been circulating on social media and getting ever more convoluted. Facebook, Twitter and other companies have taken some actions to reduce their visibility, but they are still present in one form or another.
Do Passwords Really Protect Us?
Online security expert Andrew Shikiar of FIDO Alliance talked to us about phishing, vishing, social engineering, and what’s wrong with passwords. “Simply put, passwords aren’t up to the task.”
One Person’s Internet Junk is Another Person’s Treasure
That expression, “one person’s junk is another person’s treasure” could certainly be applied to the internet. But when it comes to some controversial content, I’d go a step further to say “one person’s sewer is another person’s rose garden.”
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Teens Stress Authenticity at First US ‘Kids Have Your Say’ Meeting
As part of the Kids Have Your Say project, coordinated globally by ConnectSafely, Insight , our U.S. partner, My...
Dire Warnings About Children Dying Because of Apps and Games are a Form of ‘Juvenoia’
We can educate children and families about the dangers that surely exist in the Internet world, without having to exaggerate the nature of the danger and the degree to which the Internet itself is a risk amplifying environment.
Facebook & Instagram Offer Controls to Manage Time Online
Facebook has announced tools to enable both Facebook and Instagram users to better manage the time they spend using those apps.
Survey Shows Adults Lack Trust in Social Media
It’s been obvious for awhile that we’re starting to experience a tech backlash, with an increasing number of people expressing skepticism over whether our devices and social media are doing us harm. Some of this skepticism can be healthy when, for example, it leads to people tightening up their privacy settings or putting down their phones and stepping away from their computers for quality time with friends and family. But, as a couple of recent surveys have found, it’s also starting to cause people to think more about regulating technology companies.
The Good and Bad of Location Sharing
Two recent news stories about cell phone location services recently caught my eye. One was a positive development and the other quite negative, until it was at least partially fixed.
Facebook Slips, Snapchat Grows Among Teens — Nearly Half Online “Almost Constantly”
A new survey from Pew Research found that Snapchat is now the social media app that teens use most often, followed closely by YouTube.
Facebook is Cleaning Up Inappropriate Content But You Still Need to be Vigilant
by Larry Magid I’m about to report on some interesting numbers from Facebook regarding inappropriate material it...
How to Use Privacy Tools for Popular Services and Apps
After School "Anonymous" app After School does not have typical privacy settings because users do not have a profile...
Facebook Begins Notifying Users if their Data Was Accessed by Cambridge Analytica
Facebook is in the process of notifying users whether their personal information may have been accessed by Cambridge...