Social Media Articles

It’s safe to say that the advent of the digital age—and specifically the Internet, smartphones and social media—have brought unique and daunting challenges to the current generation of parents. As a “bonus” challenge, the technology that both helps us parent and also poses danger to our kids’ safety is ever-changing. As soon as you have one dangerous app deleted from a mobile device or have installed safety software on a computer, another scary app or Internet safety issue appears. The best way to face these parenting obstacles is to educate yourself about them and communicate openly with your child.

Not everything online is evil, nor does danger lurk behind every new app that comes to market. But keeping up with your teens’ and preteens’ online activities is much like trying to nail jelly to the barn door — frustrating, futile and something bound to make you feel inept.

Keep in mind that no app poses a danger in and of itself, but many do provide kids with an opportunity to make, ahem, bad choices.

Pop quiz: What is Voxer? If you're scratching your head, it's time to read up on the trendy new social media apps kids are using. Friending your child on Facebook is now just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to online safety.

You may be thinking your kids are downloading apps because they are just a simple way for them to keep in contact with their friends. This is certainly true for most kids, but unfortunately, even innocent use of most of these apps can land a kid in a situation he/she never intended to be in. Take a look at these 10 apps. 

Teens love fresh and new, so when a new app or social media site pops up, it can be tempting for your tween or teen to hop on over and start sharing. And we as parents can often get left behind. Things change so quickly it’s hard to keep track of what each app or social media site does. Many of these apps have fun and positive uses. But used incorrectly, they can lead to some scary consequences. Cyberbullying is now a huge issue for many teens. Take a look at the list of Apps of "jail breaking" programs you children might be using.