The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Internet safety, cyberbullying and bullying is a major concern for people of  all  ages. Whether you’re tween is being harassed online or in school, or maybe a teenager that is being mocked on Facebook or any social media platform, as a parent it’s your job to try to be involved as much as possible. This isn’t always easy, which is probably why it’s topping the highest health concern among parents according to a new national poll. Each year, the  C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll  on Children’s Health asks a national sample of adults to identify health topics that are a “ big problem ” for children and teens. The number one concern parents stated was  cyberbullying/bullying  at  61 percent  with  internet safety  at  55 percent. Communication is key We understand that talking with our children is crucial when it comes to online safety. Are you someone that believes your child is more tech-savvy...

Can you guess what crisis is affecting 25 percent of our children today? It’s not ebola or drug addiction. We can rule out measles and depression, because the answer is not a disease at all. The answer might come as a surprise to many, but  cyberb ullying is hurting one quarter  of our children. Unfortunately, cyberbullying might actually be more prevalent than previous studies have shown. In fact, recent data shows that the  rates of cyberbullying have actually tripled  within the last year!  The newer study estimates that 87 percent of our youth have experienced or been affected by cyberbullying. This is devastating for parents to realize, because all the education and awareness about this issue is not making a huge difference for our tween and teen populations. Tragic Consequences: Cyberbullying Matters October is National Cyberbullying Prevention Month and provides the perfect opportunity to make sure we are helping our families to delete this tre...

Your Child's Online Behavior Is a Reflection of Offline Parenting Raising children in a digital society can be challenging. Today kids are exposed to technology and are sometimes given their very own keypads in their first years of life. Generations earlier, the big talk was about the birds and the bees. Maybe parents would discuss this with us only a few times. A handful at the most -- sometimes not even that much in our adolescent years. Sex was (and is) a topic that many parents want to talk about as briefly as possible and then walk away. When it comes to the digital world, there is no walking away. The reality for today’s youth is that their online reputation will someday determine their college admission and very possibly their future employer. Every keystroke, post, and comment counts. Your child's online social skills are as critical as their offline people skills. Where do you begin? In tech terms -- by chatting . The tech talk is not a conve...

June is Internet Safety Month and cyber-parenting is another aspect of parenting that we have to consider when raising teens today. As if parenting wasn't challenging enough, now we have the added fun of technology and the digital world. The Web offers a plethora of fun and educational things for kids to do, plus all the social networking that is huge for tweens and teens. But along with that comes plenty of places for danger. Just as parents need to talk to their kids about safety in the everyday real world, they also must discuss safety precautions related to the Internet, and make sure their kids get it. What can parents do? How do they start the conversation? It is important to cover the dangers – all of them – in age-appropriate language to help kids understand the dangers of giving away information online. Talk, Talk, Talk The most important thing parents can do is talk to their kids, tweens, and teens. Make sure they know the dangers that are prevalent online, ...

Make time to chat offline with your teens about online safety. Did you know that spending 15 minutes a day listening and talking with your child can help build the foundation for a strong relationship? It can also provide support for your child to come to you with a problem, such as bullying or cyberbullying. It's true - we live in a fast paced society.  Most families either have both parents that are working or have a single parent household, so it can be difficult to even find 15 minutes of quiet time (time without interruption of digital devices) to have face-to-face conversations. This is why we often hear experts talk about side-by-side conversations - referring to chatting in the car.  Turn-off all gadgets, including the radio.  Chat on your way to their activities.  Talk to your child about their digital lives as frequently as you would ask how their day at school was.   Read more from my Family Online Safety Institute article .

As a parent, you know that school supplies today include more than notebooks and pencils. Among the “must-haves” for students are tablets, laptops and smartphones. Now that kids integrate technology into their daily lives, it’s more important than ever for parents to keep tabs on their kids’ activities. These back-to-school technology safety tips compiled by AT&T can help you take the proper steps to make sure their children are using technology safely. 1) Get tech savvy . Talk to your kids about what sites they’re visiting on the Internet and what kind of social media they are participating in. You should even experiment with them yourself. This will give you a better feel in evaluating risks and potential abuses. Friend them or follow them. 2) Check privacy settings on social media, but emphasize there is no privacy. The more private, the less likely inappropriate material will be received by your child, or sent to their circle of acquaintances. B...

In the summer heat, it’s easy to  understand why kids (and their parents) don't want to be outside during the middle of the day. More free time spent inside during the summer, likely means more screen time for kids.  Technology can help strengthen friendships and open a world of knowledge for our kids, but it calls for some limits during the summer months (and school year, of course).  But where to start? AT&T's Anita Williams Weinberg has some great suggestions for parents in AT&T’s new Thread magazine . Weinberg suggests parents arm themselves with some solid guidelines and use common sense to navigate the summer with teens and tech. She offers three simple rules to help kids get the most out of their screen time. 1. Be the gatekeeper : Set up parental controls that limit screen time and phone use, and designate which contacts may (or may not) be called or texted between certain hours. Most popular video game systems...

How many parents have seen their kids go crazy looking for their cell phone? How many parents are paying for cell phone services for their kids or teens? How many parents try to limit their teen's cell phone time? How many parents are finally learning to text to communicate with their teenager? Just another example of how parenting has become more challenging than generations prior.  Exactly what did we do when there weren't any cell phones? Sometimes, it appears that cell phones have become a required accessory attached to every kid and teenager that you see in public. You see them being used for calls, text messaging, music listening, and game playing, virtually everywhere that kids are found.So, how did kids survive without cell phones in the 80′s? 10 ways kids survived without cell phones:  Notes in Class. Kids in the 1980s may have been one of the last generations to have to rely on passing notes to communicate with each other during class. Pay Phone...

With the ever expanding world of technology and the sometime irresponsible world of our teenagers, it is important they learn how to create strong and secure passwords for their cell phones, iPads, computers, social networking etc. There may come a time when they lose their phone or other technology devices; help them secure their privacy and safety.  Or maybe someone picks up their phone or iPad and starts browsing it with unacceptable searches or worse gains access to their social networking page and posts pictures or content that are less than acceptable. School is opening , more teens than ever have cell phones or iPads that are easily transported with them to school.  Help them create strong and secure passwords and this includes their social networking sites. In this day in age it seems like you can’t trust anyone.  It’s sad when you think about it. Every time you log on to a site you have to have a password now.  We all have trouble remembering...

Teens love to hang out, whether it is in malls or at their friends, however it is when they are mingling online where serious danger can happen.  Yes, when they are alone with their keyboard and mouse . Here is a great reminder of social web safety tips for teens.  They can never be reminded enough! Think about what you post. Sharing provocative photos or intimate details online, even in private emails, can cause you problems later on. Even people you consider friends can use this info against you, especially if they become ex-friends. Read between the “lines.” It may be fun to check out new people for friendship or romance, but be aware that, while some people are nice, others act nice because they’re trying to get something. Flattering or supportive messages may be more about manipulation than friendship or romance. Don’t talk about sex with strangers. Be cautious when communicating with people you don’t know in person, especially if the conversation st...

As the World Wide Web grows at an ever expanding pace, it is up to us to keep up with the changes as well as keep our lives safe virtually. Being virtually safe can literally lead to being physically safe . Chat rooms are dangerous places for adult, not to mention children. Meeting people online can be fun, but it can also be misleading. Keep in mind when online the following tips, consider it Social Networking 101 crash course . Use privacy settings. This is a no-brainer. Keep the strangers out of your profiles and photos. Don't make yourself an easy target for predators and for bullying. Check your privacy settings weekly to be sure they haven't changed. Think before you post. In the same respect, think before you hit send. Imagine a teacher, a parent, a family member, college admissions, potential employer seeing this post and consider whether it is appropriate or not. Trust your gut. If someone is bothering you, block them. If you have suspici...

Some people are hooked on the "housewives" series, whether they are in New York, California, New Jersey or Georgia, viewers will tune in to watch these train wrecks (in my opinion). We need parents, whether they are housewives or house husbands, to take as much time tuning into cyber safety and their children. Imagine there was Cyber County USA - who would be watching? Would you be? There are many things in life that we can just squeak by doing , but parenting isn't one of them. Parenting today is more challenging than generations prior. We can talk about Penguin Parenting , the contrast from years ago verses today and there are many similarities, however with the arrival of cyberspace, parenting has become a speeding train that we need to keep up with. SuperMom and SuperDad today are usually both working full-time, and even more children are being raised in a single parent home. This doesn't excuse taking the time to get in touch with your kids both online and...

It is school break, holiday time, and more kids, especially teens, are surfing in cyberspace. The breaking story of the parents in the UK posing as their daughter to catch predator is an example of the dangers that lurk online. Chat rooms are one of the riskiest places our kids can mingle in. It is difficult to monitor all their cyber time, so the best solution is to educate them. First, parents need to be educated. Reminder to parents: Order your FREE booklet on Cyber safety from the FTC today. Here are some Chat Room Safety Tips for Teens: Source: Assembly of Words 1. Never enter into private chats or private chat rooms with people you don't know. Most kids know about stranger danger and are taught not to talk to, or give personal details to strangers in the street. The same rules apply, don't do it with strangers online either. 2. Think before you send a message. Once a message is out there, there is no way to get it back so think before you send the message a...

Cybercrime TV is inviting experts to address 600 policy makers at the International School Safety Convention in Denver, Colorado, April 22-23, 2010, as part of a special session on cyber threats faced by schools, students,teachers, and parents. Washington, DC December 21, 2009 – Cybercrime TV http://www.cybercrime.tv/    is inviting experts to address 600 policy makers at the International School Safety Convention in Denver, Colorado, April 22-23, 2010, as part of a special session on cyber threats faced by schools, students, teachers, and parents. The program chair for the session is Andy Purdy , former U.S. Department of Homeland Security cyber head, and founder of Cybercrime TV . High-definition television highlights of the proceedings will be distributed to media outlets worldwide. Cybercrime TV will also produce with participating speakers print materials and interactive presentations. Purdy expects topics to include cyber security, cyber bullying, sexting, illegal...

Part 1 of a 5 part series for a "virtual make-over" in 2010! As quickly as the holiday's have come upon us, New Year's is literally weeks away. What will your resolution be as a parent? Parenting teens today is extremely challenging. With all the technology, cell phones, i-Phones, i-Pods, and much more, how can parents keep up? As many times as we hear we need to be ten steps ahead of our kids technically, it seems almost impossible. Here is part one of a five part series. As a parent you need to consider this New Year's resolution and take the time to make a difference in your child's life - technically speaking right now. "Time" is the key word, and you never know what you will learn from your child in this process. This is a resolution every parent needs to consider, and honestly can't afford to ignore in today's hi-tech society. Part 1 - Sit down with your child, and especially those with teens, and review each others social ...