Guest Post Archives - Page 4 of 5

May 14, 2013May 6, 2013

Safeguarding Children: Knowledge for Parental Control and Reassurance

Our children are growing up surrounded by technology, with smartphones, online gaming, texting, and social media available at every turn. Intended to make communication and everyday life easier, the modern technology that is now available offers fantastic opportunities, but with these opportunities come risks.

Smartphones, social networking, and the wider Internet have, especially in recent years, been associated with many dangers that we strive to protect our children from. We’re all aware of the problems associated with technology; cyber bullying, online abuse and grooming, as well as the potential risk that our children are being exposed to inappropriate content, ranging from pornography to self-harm, are incredibly daunting and can become an overwhelming battle to fight. This battle seems even harder when we are faced with the facts; 7.5 million children under 13 are using Facebook, despite the sign-up rules stating that you must be 13 or older. Add to this the fact that ½ of all children aged 8 and under regularly use devices that are capable of accessing the Internet and most of us break out in a cold sweat.

As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure our children are safe at all times, on and offline. So, how can we safeguard our children and keep their use of technology appropriate and safe?

We must first teach children the skills to stay safe online and when using smartphones to communicate, as well as encouraging not only safe, but responsible use of technology.

The following tips are a great place to start when allowing children to use any digital device:

Explain the importance of keeping personal details private.
Explain the dangers of online contacts to your children so they are aware that people may not always be who they say they are.
Highlight the dangers of meeting people with whom they have connected with online.
Talk to your child about what they should do if they become worried or concerned about anything regarding their use of technology, especially inappropriate or abusive conversations.
Teach children to avoid spam links or adverts.
Make sure your children are aware of and understand the implications of cybercrime; including illegal downloading, viruses, and Internet scams.
Advise children to log out of computers or accounts when they are finished, even at home, and teach them not to share passwords.
Ensure that children who are old enough to use social networking sites are aware of the dangers of accepting friend requests from people they don’t know.

Explaining these aspects of technology use to children at a young age will set a foundation for safer use of technology when they are old enough to begin using devices unsupervised. Whilst children are younger it is advisable that whenever they are using technology they are supervised, for example, rather than allowing children to use a computer in their bedroom place the device in a shared family room. Try to limit use of technology also, allowing set hours for doing things like surfing the net.

Making children aware of the potential dangers they face whilst using technology and taking extra precautions will provide you with peace of mind, but what extra protection is available?

With advances in technology have come welcome developments in protection from the potential risks associated with using digital devices. Parental controls give parents the extra reassurance that they need and come in a variety of forms. For example, most web browsers and operating systems have their own parental control settings that will allow us to limit access to specific types of content, set time limits on use, and monitor activity. These types of parental controls are also extended to televisions, allowing control and monitoring of what children are viewing. If the basic parental controls are not sufficient, extra software is also available for computer devices that can monitor and intervene when certain pre-set words are used, perfect if you have concerns about chat services or social networking sites.

More sophisticated forms of parental controls are available as apps that can be downloaded onto tablet devices or smartphones. Not only can parental control apps pinpoint the specific location of your child, keeping parental anxiety at bay, you can also monitor their social media use. You may feel you have done everything within your power to teach your children appropriate ways to behave when connecting with others on social networking sites, but the only way you can really be sure they are safe and behaving appropriately is through monitoring their usage.

Using a parental control app to monitor social network use will save you time, rather than checking your child’s accounts regularly you will be informed of anything deemed to be important. Apps like MamaBear will alert you when new friends are made on Facebook, or your child is tagged in a photo, post or location, as well as providing information about who posts on their wall and alerting you to the use of restricted words.

Armed with the correct knowledge we can use parental controls to feel completely reassured that our children are safe, no matter what they are doing.

About the Author:

Ryan Burch a proud member of the team at High Speed Training Ltd, one of Europe’s leading e-learning providers. We actually formed in 2007 as a specialist consultancy in food hygiene but have since grown our offering considerably and now have over 42 high quality online learning products, created in partnership with a specialist company in each relevant field. You can view the full range of career courses here.

The article above was from a MamaBear guest blogger. The MamaBear blog is now accepting guest post from reputable bloggers on a variety of subjects. If you are interested in guest blogging for MamaBear simply contact us here.

May 8, 2013May 6, 2013

Teenage safety tips on their first independent vacation

It’s hard enough when your child starts leaving the house without you – not to be filled with worry. But when your child is old enough to go on their first independent holiday, it can be difficult to avoid the temptation of frequently calling them up and checking that they’re OK.

I mean, let’s face it – there are plenty of things that could go wrong on vacation and even though it’s unlikely anything bad will happen, as a worried parent you’re much more likely to be focusing on the bad things than the good things. But stop right there.

There are things you can do, and things you can put into place before hand – that will not only put your mind at ease – but that will ensure the safety and well being your child too.

The likelihood is, for their first independent holiday your child is going to be around 16-20 years old – as this is when most children decide they’d rather explore the world with their friends than with their parents – and that’s fine. You can’t argue against this – you were probably the same at their age (even if you’re denying it all these years later!). First things first, you need to give your child acceptance and be encouraging about this big step. While it should be your job to ensure you have measures like this in place – the main outcome you want from this vacation is that they enjoy themselves and they don’t come back afraid to take such an important step again. Independence is hugely important when growing up and venturing into adulthood – and the last thing you want is to scare them away from it.

So how can you rest easy knowing they’re safe?

Here are a few teenage safety tips while traveling:

1. Book a package deal

Book your child’s holiday vacation with a package deal operator, where most things are included – such as flight transfers, hotel, breakfast and even dinner. That way you know that all those little details are being taken care of – and you know that they’re getting a good meal every day. Always book through a trusted provider too, and if you like – you could even tell the travel agent or booking agent that this is their first independent vacation and that you’d like someone to keep an eye on them. Just don’t tell you child you’ve arranged that – as it takes away the fun from their point of view!

2. Don’t let them go solo

Traveling independently for the first time is pretty nerve-wracking, and even if your child is putting on a brave face, the chances are they’re also feeling a bit apprehensive. I’d always say that for the first independant holiday, your child should be going somewhere with one or two friends – never solo. Traveling solo is daunting for even the most seasoned jetsetter, so make sure they have company. There is also safety in numbers here – as the chances are – if they get lost – at least one of them will know how to read a map, or speak the language, etc.

3. Get a money passport

Most banks now offer money passports, where you pre-load currency onto a debit card – which you can then use freely when you’re abroad without getting fined of charged fees. Not only is it hugely convenient, but you also get given 2 cards (one for safe keeping) and an online log in. So should your child run out of cash half way through the vacation – you can simply load more currency onto the card from home online

4. Pay for Roaming Charges

If you’re really worried about keeping in touch with your children – then for your own peace of mind it may be better to allow you child to use the mobile internet on their phone while abroad. That way, they can update their Facebook status, tweet, email you photos, etc – all of which are signs they’re OK and doing well – without you hounding them on the phone every hour. Failing that, schedule a quick Skype call every couple of days, so you can at least check in with them to make sure things are alright. If you are looking for even more security then you can purchase a GPS tracker app which will allow you to check your child’s every move and location. Some people may see this as a little too much, however the apps tracks geographical location so if anything does occur then you know exactly where your child is located.

5. Lecture them on the do’s and don’ts

As with all children the last thing you want to do is lecture them – but this is one occasion when that’s OK, and years later they’ll appreciate it. Sit them down one night over dinner and chat through their plans, safety precautions and other things that are bothering you or might trip them up. It’s a good idea to research tourist scams in the area they’re visiting so they can brush up on them and avoid them successfully. It’s also a good idea to remind them of the basics – such as only using registered taxicabs, etc. Things like this slip your mind when you’re an excited teenager – so just take the time to remind them. This should also include the laws – like drinking and smoking. Make sure your child knows what is breaking the law in this new country.

6. Print out important documents

This is especially important if your child is going somewhere a bit further afield. Many children choose to venture off to Australia or Thailand after their final high school assessments on a ‘gap year’ which can be a culture shock if they’ve never been anyone alone before. Because of this, make sure you’ve got paper evidence of sections of their trip, so a printed booking of the flight, the hotel, the address (with map) and even printed insurance documents and photocopies of passports. Things like this will come in handy and will stop them from either getting lost or being unprepared.

About the Author:

Ryan is the resident blogger at AsiaRooms. When Ryan is not working he spends his time travelling the globe, drawing on his travel experience and passion for travel to spread the good word. Ryan is also a social monkey and can be found lounging around on Twitter & Google+ and loves to interact with other travel bloggers.

May 2, 2013April 30, 2013

A father’s perspective of using a child tracking app

I am a new father. With hawk like vision, I spend most of my days transfixed on my new son’s whereabouts, barely letting him break the unseen six foot boundary I have created in my own mind.

This can’t last forever though, sooner or later, I will have to let go, and watch helplessly as my son embarks on his journey into adolescence and beyond.

Do I have to let go fully though?

In the digital age, it is just about possible to keep tabs on anyone with an iPhone, and with social media becoming bigger and more advanced, it takes only seconds to let the world know exactly where you are, who you are with, and what you are doing.

As an adoptive father, I know all too well the security risks posed by social media. My own son’s identity is kept secret for very good reasons, but when the time comes for my son to broaden his horizons, I have no qualms with using a tracking app.

If technology has made parents paranoid, it is not necessarily a bad thing. It is the same technology that is used to groom, manipulate, and take advantage of children. The easier it gets for us to announce our arrival in a foreign country via our mobile phone, the easier it is for children to take that one last, lost step.

More fool you if you think a tracking app is a step too far.

The use of such an app needs to be managed however. It is not a tool to be used to trap your disobedient children, but a safeguard to ensure they can take part in all of life’s fun without the fear of becoming isolated.

I would like to think it can be used with children, rather than against them.

My son is very young, and it is not time to empower myself with this kind of technology, but that doesn’t mean I can’t prepare myself. Who knows where advancements in technology will take us over the next ten or twenty years. It is my responsibility to keep on top of it, at least, for my child’s sake.

By:

Andrew McDougall

http://www.theonehandman.co.uk/

April 11, 2013April 26, 2013

The ages at which children receive a mobile phone

With news that the number of mobile phones that exist in the world will exceed the current global population in 2013, it makes us wonder why mobile phones have made such a huge impact on our lives over the past ten years.

I remember my very first phone- a hand me down from my mum, then sister- and strongly recount how grown-up I felt for owning my very own mobile device. However, at 9 years old, I used the phone for nothing but playing games, especially as none of my friends had a phone for me to text or call.

But things today are already very different from when I was 9 years old; it was just last week that I witnessed my 3 year old cousin successfully unlock her dad’s iPhone and navigated her way to a particular app. With children having more and more exposure to technology today, it is hardly surprising that toddlers are capable of handling mobile phones and tablets.

But what age is too young when it comes to children owning mobile phones?

A recent study suggested that 47% of teenagers now own a smartphone, with over half of them considering themselves addicted to their mobile device.

Teenagers activating and looking for the best mobile phone deals on smartphones such as BlackBerrys, iPhones and Androids was at a record high last Christmas, suggesting that the number of young people being bought a mobile phone is increasing year on year.

The report found that over 20% of 13 year olds now own a mobile phone, though the majority of these teenagers don’t have the latest smartphone models such as the iPhone 4S or Samsung Galaxy S3. Many parents even admitted that their children as young as 10 owned a mobile phone, though a high proportion of these owned hand-me-down devices rather than brand new phones specifically purchased the for child in question.

The increase in young people owning a mobile phone can even be seen in the way that contracts have changed. For instance, while pay as you go devices may have become less popular over the past 10 years, pay monthly contracts that can be capped have become more so. In this way, parents find that they are able to track their children’s mobile phone usage insofar as checking which numbers they are calling, and how much money they are spending.

The Pros of young people owning a mobile phone

While critics often focus on the negative impacts of children owning a mobile phone, it is clear that there are obvious benefits of young children being able to navigate their way round technical devices at a young age.

The main pro of a child or teenager having their own mobile phone is an issue of safety; if they can contact you and if you can contact them at any time, it lessens the anxiety that a parent feels if their child is out with their friends, or on a school trip, for example.

Also, by allowing young people to have their own mobile phone, it teaches them the art of budgeting, as well as making them responsible. As mobile phones aren’t always cheap, entrusting a device to a young person is key to their personal development and transition into becoming an adult.

Cons of young people owning a mobile phone

On the other hand, recent reports suggest that out of the all mobile phone thefts last year, a high proportion of them were targeted at teenagers. For example, of the 1,223 mobile phones that were stolen in Nottinghamshire last year, 40 per cent were taken from young people under the age of 21.

However, while this figure may be high, it doesn’t necessarily represent the crime rate throughout the UK. Also, teaching young people about how to stay safe when using their mobile phone is a good lesson learning how to prove their ability to take care of their most prized possessions.

Summary

So there we have it; while the number of young people owning a mobile phone might be on the rise, it doesn’t necessarily mean that our children are failing to learn how to communicate. With the technology dominating our society today, it only seems fitting for the future generation to be at the forefront of the hi-tech revolution. And with ‘text speak’ well and truly out of fashion, mobile phones could even get young people writing the English language more frequently, thus enhancing their education. What is clear, however, is that the pull of mobile phones to young people today seems to be getting stronger for parents to resist.

By:

David Khan

http://www.mobilephones.com