Kids Safety
Parents and Video Prankster Lure Teens on Facebook for Scary Lesson
21-year-old Persin, with permission from each teen’s parents, connects with three different girls via Facebook. He communicates with each girl over the course of three days to a week before suggesting they meet in person. With the cameras rolling, he comes face to face with the three girls. But also present at those meetings are the girls’ parents, who react harshly to seeing their daughters so willingly meet a stranger. The moms and dads yell at the girls, screaming about the dangers of going off with strange men, and about their fear at seeing their children make bad decisions.
Rachel Bertsche, Yahoo! Parenting
Violent video games boost aggressive behaviour, psychologists say
“Video game players who favour violent ‘shoot-em-up’ games are more likely to be aggresive and callous in real life and are at risk of committing crimes, psychologists have said.
A review of almost a decade of studies found that exposure to violent videogames was a “”risk factor”” for increased aggression.”
The Telegraph
Worried About Your Child’s Safety Online? Watch This.
Do you know how to keep your kids safe online? FBI cybersecurity experts joined CBS2 today to share advice on protecting and monitoring kids online.
CBS Chicago
Net effect: Teens now prone to self-harm
Today’s teenagers are less likely to get pregnant at a young age and are turning away from drink, drugs and cigarettes – but are increasingly engaging in self-harm, suffering from eating disorders and not getting enough sleep, according to a UK government paper.
The findings, published by a group of Britain’s most senior civil servants, suggest that the pervasion of the internet and social media, coupled with better parental monitoring and supervision, has prompted major changes in the behaviour of the UK’s youth.
The Independent
YouTube and Vevo will now have to show age ratings on music videos produced in the UK
Clear age ratings will be displayed on UK-produced music videos on YouTube and Vevo, as the government seeks to protect children from inappropriate content online. The new measures, which have been agreed voluntarily by parts of the music industry after a government initiative, will apply to videos that are deemed unsuitable for children and are produced in the UK by artists who are represented by major labels.
Frances Perraudin, The Guardian
Online course teaches kids to program while having fun
With technology skills becoming as important as readin’, ritin’ and ’rithmetic in today’s digital world, many parents want to ensure that their children develop the right skills for the future. But many don’t know where to begin and how to make learning tech skills fun for their kids.
Linda Haviv, Fox News
Are You Ready for Your Child to Have a Smartphone?
Today, the question for many parents isn’t if they should get their child a smartphone, but when. A recent survey Techlicious conducted with Sprint reveals that 23% of parents feel comfortable giving their kids a smartphone between the ages of 9-11, and that jumps to 67% by the time kids are 14. And if dads are making the decision, 37% are likely to give kids smartphones in elementary school (vs. 24% of moms), while 41% of moms wait until middle school (vs. 34% of dads).
Suzanne Kantra, TECHLICIOUS
Classroom best place to help kids deal with explicit videos online
Ongoing work to protect children from explicit content online took a step forward this week as the music industry and online video providers agreed to include clear age ratings to flag up explicit content. Clear age ratings will help parents make informed choices about the content their children access online. Using the familiar BBFC age ratings, which we know well from the cinema and DVDs, is a great way of providing helpful and trusted advice to parents.
Hannah Broadbent, the Guardian
Kids explain pressure to buy in-game extras online
The popular online games Moshi Monsters and Bin Weevils have been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority for putting unfair pressure on Children to make in-game purchases.
bbc.co.uk
4 Back-to-School Identity Theft Tips to Keep Kids Safe
Most 8-year-olds and their parents aren’t checking their credit, and why should they? Sadly, that’s the exact reason a minor’s identity is so appealing to identity thieves: it’s a blank slate. Unless a parent has opened a credit card in his or her child’s name, added them as a joint account holder or identity theft has already occurred, a child’s credit is clean. Since it’s not in parents’ heads to check their children’s credit, identity theft might go unnoticed for years. In 2012, approximately 2.5% of households with children under 18 in the U.S. were expected to experience identity theft at some point, a number that has surely risen with increase in identity theft overall. Fortunately, there are some ways that parents can protect their children from falling victim to identity theft.
Jocelyn Baird, NextAdvisor.com via Huffingtonpost.com
Social media threat against black high school students in Texas causes parents to take kids out of school: reports
A violent online threat against African-American students at a central Texas high school prompted hundreds of parents to take their kids out of school on Friday, according to reports
The night before, the Instagram user “jakedajesus254” apparently posted one picture of a man holding a gun and another with a message for kids at Killeen High School, the Killeen Daily Herald reported.
TOBIAS SALINGER, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
