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Sleepover Parties and Digital Device Use

sleepover-parties-digital-device-use

Sleepover parties generate lasting memories for our kids and lasting bonds with their peers. Some of my greatest childhood memories were while staying at a friend’s house and now my two boys beg to sleepover with a friend or have a friend stay the night just about every weekend. Today, digital media and screen time have turned sleepovers into a new environment and have become part of the parental discussion before sleepovers – should my kid bring their device, will you monitor their use, what time will you take their devices away for night, will they be behind closed doors with their devices?

Video rentals and late night board games have given way to streaming movies, social media and internet connect game consoles. Connectivity to even more people outside of the sleepover is now an option. The peer pressure and potentially skewed judgment of fun with friends mixed with available connectivity can lead to some embarrassing or reputation damaging consequences.

Adult content, chat rooms, webcam chat rooms, desired attention and bullying on the web and on social media are all very real threats that kids could face during the well intended sleepover. And then of course, there’s always the discussion of sneaking out to prank another friend or get into other mischief. Did you ever sneak out at a sleepover? Do you worry your kids will?

The MamaBear app can help minimize anxiety when you let your children stay the night out. Our location and social media monitoring can put your mind at ease and reduce the risk of potentially dangerous situations for our kids.

Give your children freedom to create some of the best memories of their lives when they aren’t with you. They can learn powerful lessons in independence, responsibility and accountability. But, you don’t have to suffer with worry and anxiety or text them every 5 minutes to check on them. Let the powerful suite of tools MamaBear app offers alert you to only the information needed to protect your kids. Parents can receive alerts if the child leaves the house or moves at preset driving speed. Social media alerts give parents an early warning about compromising photos, posts and inappropriate contacts and followers on Facebook and Instagram. The MamaBear child monitoring app gives parents the tools they need to sleep easy while the kids spend all night doing what they do best, being kids.

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Is Instagram Safe For Kids?

is instagram safe for kids

We get a lot of questions about Instagram. “Is Instagram safe for kids?” “How old should my kid be before they use Instagram?” “How do I make sure my kids are safe on Instagram?” There’s a lot to think about with Instagram, but MamaBear has advice and information to help parents sort it all out.

Like many social media platforms, Instagram offers kids both opportunities and hazards. Due to fairly lax login policies and few restrictions, it is fairly easy for children on Instagram to be exposed to age inappropriate content. Racy photos are fairly common. Nude photos aren’t allowed but are often posted anyway and with a quick search on the explore tab, kids can let their imagination run wild. While the app requires users to be at least 13 years old (compliance with COPPA) to create and account, it is not difficult to fudge to access the app.

Like all social media platforms, Instagram can easily mean too much exposure. Anyone can view photos a child posts, and anyone can comment unless settings are appropriately changed. Geotagging presents another danger. Instagram settings make it easy for a child to broadcast their location and information to millions of strangers.

With the basic settings, any user can comment on an Instagram photo, which makes the app prime for bullying. Parents know all too well that kids can be cruel, and Instagram can become a venue for this behavior. In current trends, children of all ages are being ranked in “Instagram Beauty Pageants.” This disturbing trend has teen girls of all ages attempting to gather millions of votes compared to classmates and peers.

Rest assured, Instagram isn’t all bad. Many parents have discovered ways to mitigate and monitor risks for their kids that like to stay up-to-date with popular technologies. Instagram does allow kids to share and view amazing photography and creativity around the world. That’s a pretty exciting prospect for parents and kids.

We have a few tips for parents who want to allow their kids to participate on Instagram.

1. “Stranger Danger” Rule Applies.

Parents can prevent most problems by talking to their kids know about the risks of the app and what to do should they face an uncomfortable situation. Making sure kids understand that exposure isn’t always a good thing can prevent many unfortunate situations. If your child doesn’t know someone, they shouldn’t follow or allow a stranger to follow your child.

2. Check the Privacy Settings.

Protect from outsider looking in on your child’s Instagram profile by adjusting the built in privacy settings. Setting the “Photos are Private” option in the profile menu prevents unwanted strangers from accessing the child’s photos.

3. Use a Social Media Monitoring App Like MamaBear.

Many parents need a little help when it comes to ensuring social media is safe for their kids. MamaBear can make it easy to track a child’s Instagram account. Parents can receive email alerts or push based alerts when a child follows someone, a restricted word is used or a restricted follower mentions the child. It also gives parents a nudge when the children upload photos. It’s a time-saver.

Is Instagram safe for kids?

Like all family matters, it’s up to the parent and the kid. Parents have options to help. MamaBear is here to help parents navigate the tricky world of social media with our groundbreaking social media monitoring app for Android and iPhones.

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Monitor Cyber Bullying on Social Media with the MamaBear Worry-Free Parenting App

When a parent is thinking of providing online safety to their children, bullying comes readily to mind. Bullying is a major behavioral problem most parents want to curb as soon as it occurs, but it can sometimes be difficult to identify. Social media based cyber bullying is easier for parents to keep tabs on than physical bullying, but can still take hours of social media monitoring to catch. The MamaBear app gives parents an alternative to hours of digging through social media. It allows parents to monitor a child’s social media language or bullying behaviors in real time.

Children can be tempted to get profane online when sitting behind a computer or phone. Casual profanity, even with friends and peers in social media, can be an indicator that a child is starting to engage in bullying. MamaBear updates parents when the child uses words the parent enters as restricted on both Facebook and Instagram. This allows parents a real-time, real world answer to a child’s social media hijinks. The MamaBear child monitoring app offers parental updates for specific words. Parents can assemble a list of unacceptable profane or hate language and MamaBear will offer alerts each time those words are used.

Regular name calling and casual bullying of friends and peers are surefire signs a child is probably taking bullying behavior too far in other instances. This type of behavior can start, and spiral out of control, on social media. Social media removes tone, body language and other physical communication indicators that can turn what may be meant as a joke, light-hearted or funny to one person to being received as intolerant and insensitive by another. Social media can provide a nearly anonymous facade that a child can use to say all manner of unfortunate things to others online. Monitoring a child for insulting or derogatory terms and expressions is not the only way to improve online safety for children. The MamaBear child monitoring app gives parents an efficient and simple way to monitor these behaviors on social media with a relevant scenario to start an appropriate conversation about respect and unintentional bullying with their child. It’s a tool to help stop the behavior early. It can also be a tool for awareness if your child is a victim of bullying. Having the proper knowledge can help spark a conversation about how to work as a team to put an end to it. MamaBear can also issue alerts for both single words and terms like “I’m sorry” and “leave me alone” so that parents can get alerts when a child is being bullied. And don’t forget the whole other language of acronyms being used.

Children left unattended online risk both being bullied and becoming bullies themselves. It is important to talk to your children about their personal digital footprint they are creating now and the lingering effects of their social media actions when it comes time to be accepted in a college or even when getting a job. They are creating a reputation and persona for themselves that can be permanently recorded.
Social safety for children is important for parents and bullying behaviors run rampant online. MamaBear gives parents a way to monitor a child’s social media account without personally observing it for hours every day. Parents can spend far less time worrying about Facebook and Instagram.

For a parenting resource about bullying – see Carrie Goldman’s site and book, Bullied.

If your child is a victim of cyber bullying, there are many great online resources where you can reach out for help.

http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/
http://www.cyberbullying.us/
http://www.stopbullying.gov/

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Driving Monitor App – How Fast is Your Teenager Driving?

driving monitor app

It’s so important for our newest drivers, in most cases teenagers, to be safe when out on the road. Speeding is a common violation for many new drivers, yet can have terrible consequences. MamaBear App’s driving monitor feature can tell you how fast your teen is driving. Knowing how fast your teen is going can start a needed conversation on ways to be safe drivers and the consequences of speeding.

According to a survey from Allstate.com, 69% of teens who speed say they do so because they want to keep up with traffic. Also, it states that 55% of teens knowingly exceed the speed limit by at least 10 miles per hour and 17% of teens surveyed said that speeding is fun. There really shouldn’t be any reasoning behind speeding. It’s a law in place with safety in mind. It’s a must follow. MamaBear’s driving monitor app can help parent’s track their teen’s speed to see if they’re exceeding the limits and by how much. How do you think your teen drives when you’re not around? Can peer pressure from friends in the car play a role?

Knowing and understand your teen’s speeding habits gives you a chance to share stories with them about the most severe consequences. You’ll find a new one in the news pretty much daily.

During the teenage years, they may feel invincible like nothing can hurt them. So when approached about speeding, your teen may be defensive. But, hold your ground. There’s no debate. We all know how important it is to abide the speed limits.

Speeding teenage drivers are more common than many parents may think. Much of it can be a result of peers and the pressure put on teens. If you choose to use a driving monitor app, like MamaBear’s, you may be surprised by what you find. However, this knowledge can start great conversations. Constantly impressing the importance of safe driving upon your new driver is just one more way you can help protect your children. The full Allstate.com survey can be found here: http://www.allstate.com/tools-and-resources/safe-driving-resources.aspx

Keep your teens safe while driving, download the MamaBear driving monitor app.