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

There's no app for parenting teens online today - yet according to a recent PEW Research survey 95 percent of teenagers have access to a smartphone while almost half, 45 percent claim they are online constantly.  That's up significantly from the last survey in 2015 when it was 24 percent were on almost constantly. What else has changed? Where the kids are virtually hanging out. In 2015, 71 percent of teens were still using Facebook as their primary social scene. Today it's dropped to fourth place. In the lead is YouTube at 85 percent, Instagram 72 percent and Snapchat at 69 percent. Parenting in the age of technology. No matter where our kids and teens are gravitating to online, parenting doesn't change. Like growing up offline, it's never without challenges, however today it's compounded with their digital life being as important as their real one. As a matter of fact, most teen's believe that their online life is their life - period. A...

In 2017 we heard a lot about digital resilience , but do we understand what it is? Helping our teens be ready for online hate and digital discourse offline can better prepare them when they are faced with it. Reality is that incivility exists - sadly this is a human behavior that we don't have control over, but we can choose how we handle it. Today our kids consider their digital life as important as their lives offline, so it's important to give them as much knowledge and encouragement to know they are not alone when they are faced with cyber-hate. Cyberbullying is not only impacting our teen's emotionally - it causes them to miss school, become withdrawn, drop out of sports or other activities they once enjoyed, failing when they were once good students, changing peer groups or becoming isolated and more. Teens can experience a higher level of stress and anxiety when they are struggling with online bullying. The most troubling outcome of cyberbullying and online ha...

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...

I’ve spent a lot of my life watching children — as a parent, and then working with parents of troubled teens. I’ve seen so many adolescents gravitate towards the wrong thing like moths to a flame. Even if they don’t dive into the fire, they almost can’t help but be drawn to it. It’s nothing new that teens put peers’ input above that of their parents. But what has changed? The input comes not just from classmates and neighbors, but from complete strangers who enter our children’s lives through their virtual world —  the Internet . When it comes to teenagers, it’s no surprise that social media is their virtual playground with  93 percent of teens checking YouTube weekly .  Why does this concern me? Over the last year, we’ve gotten just a rough idea of how much bad stuff kids can find on YouTube. Last May, researchers from a non-profit consumer group, the  Digital Citizens Alliance , searched YouTube for videos that came up after entering “ buy drugs without...

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...

Most Teens Spend at Least 3 Hours a Day Socializing Online AT&T and  Tyler Clementi Foundation  Survey 1,000 Area Teens and Parents: Find Pervasive Cyberbullying and Significant Awareness Gap Between Parents and Teens As middle and high school students spend more time online than ever before, a survey of New York City-area teenagers and parents finds cyberbullying is a prevalent issue that touches a vast majority of area children. The poll of 1,000 parents and teens in New York City, Long Island, Westchester and northern New Jersey was conducted by  AT&T  and the Tyler Clementi Foundation. 48%  of teens have experienced cyberbullying. 8 in 10  know someone who has been the victim of cyberbullying. Unlike in-person bullying at school or outside the home, cyberbullying is happening right under parents’ noses. A majority of teens  (53% ) spend at least 3 hours a day online, with most of this socializing ( 86% ) taking place at home. ...

One of my favorite parts of being a Parent Advocate is being asked to share great articles, tips and resources to help parents today.  When I was asked to share this one, I felt it would not only help parents of teenagers, but younger kids too.  11 Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe on their Cell Phones Each new generation of parents face obstacles and menaces with which the previous generation never had to contend. The changing times have brought with them a new, more complicated world in which our children must learn to live, to thrive and, most importantly of all, to survive. Contemporary problems arrive without guidelines on the best way to teach our children to stay safe and protect themselves or precedents to guide us in teaching them. It is our job as parents to define the method and provide clear guidelines our children can follow and live with. But when you are in uncharted waters whose depths and dangers frighten you, how are you supposed to steer your children to...