Internet and Social Media Safety
About
What you need to know
Be Familiar
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There are more than 200 social media apps
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Some of the more popular apps to be aware of are
Facebook Twitter Snapchat
TikTok Instagram Yubo
Tinder MeetMe X-Box Live
Grindr Kik Tumblr
Discord
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Hidden apps on phones such as private photo vault and calculator vault can be used to hide pictures or messages.
Potential Red Flags of Exploitation
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Spending more time online
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Taking extra steps to conceal what they are doing
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Receiving gifts from those you don't know
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Getting upset when they are not allowed on their devices
Tips to keep your kids safe
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Set up workstations that provide visual access
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Set boundaries and stick to them: an example is having a digital curfew
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Take a genuine interest in the games or apps your kids are involved in
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Keep an open dialogue and have face-to-face conversations about healthy and unhealthy situations that can happen online
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Go to https://www.commonsensemedia.org for rating and reviews on social media apps and gaming
Safeguards
Because we can't always be with our kids to watch what they are doing, having the ability to have safeguards in place can helps give you the peace of mind that extra steps are in place to protect your kids. Below are a some options for safeguards to help protect your kids.
Bark
Bark is the #1 rated in monitoring programs. Bark offers two different versions of their program depending on the age of your children. Bark can monitors 30+ social media networks, text messages and e-mails.
Circle
Circle lets you manage screen time and monitor not just some, but ALL websites and apps. With their complete in-home and on the go solution, you set the rules for sites like YouTube, TikTok, Discord (and many more) across all your family’s connected devices.
Covenant Eyes
Covenant Eyes is a service that can be downloaded to the users phone and other devices to address the issue of porn use. This program is designed not only for your children but for anyone in your life that is struggling with the desire to view porn. Covenant Eyes works to break the cycle of porn use.
Net Nanny
Parents can monitor their family’s online activity and customize filters for each user. Filtering technology blocks inappropriate content in real-time and provides the option to block, warn or allow users when viewing websites. Families can use Net Nanny® to protect users from pornography, online predators, cyber bullying, and other threats that compromise online safety.yes works to break the cycle of porn use.
NetSmartz is The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's (NCMEC) online safety education program. It provides age-appropriate videos and activities to help teach children be safer online with the goal of helping children to become more aware of potential online risks and empowering them to help prevent victimization by making safer choices on- and offline.
Into the Cloud Video Series
Into the Cloud™ is NCMEC’s flagship online safety product for children ages 10 and under. Using data from actual CyberTipline reports, each episode of season 1 focuses on a different element of online safety, from strategies for handling cyberbullying to recognizing and reporting unsafe/inappropriate interactions and content. Season 2 focuses on preventing online exploitation, reporting, and removing inappropriate content online. This is done through a series of short videos and online activities.