A common question parents have – and an ongoing debate within the comments section on many of my articles – is whether or not to monitor their kids’ internet and phone activity.Here are a few of the headlines I’ve come across just in the last few days.In Pennsylvania:“Four Chester County middle school students have been charged in connection with a sexting and cyberbullying scandal.According to the DA, the victim was coerced by her then-boyfriend to share naked or partially naked photos with him. He promised only he would see them and that he would delete them immediately, Hogan...…A common question parents have – and an ongoing debate within the comments section on many of my articles – is whether or not to monitor their kids’ internet and phone activity.Here are a few of the headlines I’ve come across just in the last few days.In Pennsylvania:“Four Chester County middle school students have been charged in connection with a sexting and cyberbullying scandal.According to the DA, the victim was coerced by her then-boyfriend to share naked or partially naked photos with him. He promised only he would see them and that he would delete them immediately, Hogan...WW…

I received an e-mail recently asking “When I comment on someone else’s post, how can I keep that activity from showing up on my profile for all my friends to see?”This is an excellent question and something to keep in mind when commenting.   Your comments and likes on Facebook are shared with different audiences depending on the privacy setting of the original post.  Since you can’t control the privacy setting of original post, think before you like or comment!(Originally posted in 2012; updated December 2019)When you comment on someone’s post (status update or link...…I received an e-mail recently asking “When I comment on someone else’s post, how can I keep that activity from showing up on my profile for all my friends to see?”This is an excellent question and something to keep in mind when commenting.   Your comments and likes on Facebook are shared with different audiences depending on the privacy setting of the original post.  Since you can’t control the privacy setting of original post, think before you like or comment!(Originally posted in 2012; updated December 2019)When you comment on someone’s post (status update or link...WW…

(Original post from 2015, updated December 2019)Now that I’ve been using iOS family sharing features for a while, I’m finding it isn’t quite as bad as I thought it would be.  I wrote earlier about the “Pros and Cons” of iOS Family Sharing.  This post builds upon that one, but focuses on one feature in particular that I’ve found useful:  location sharing.  With location sharing, you can check the location of family members, without the need for an extra app on your device or theirs.First, a quick review.  Family Sharing was introduced with iOS 8. ...…(Original post from 2015, updated December 2019)Now that I’ve been using iOS family sharing features for a while, I’m finding it isn’t quite as bad as I thought it would be.  I wrote earlier about the “Pros and Cons” of iOS Family Sharing.  This post builds upon that one, but focuses on one feature in particular that I’ve found useful:  location sharing.  With location sharing, you can check the location of family members, without the need for an extra app on your device or theirs.First, a quick review.  Family Sharing was introduced with iOS 8. ...WW…

Last year I mentioned Periscope, Meerkat, and YouNow as three apps that parents should be familiar with.   At the time, Meerkat (now defunct) and Periscope were fairly new. People using the apps at that time were the early adopters.  But now, live streaming has gone mainstream, especially now that Facebook is in on the action with Facebook Live.  And, live streaming is attracting a younger audience due to live.ly, from the makers of popular app musical.ly.It’s important for parents to be aware of these apps and services due to the risks involved with live...…Last year I mentioned Periscope, Meerkat, and YouNow as three apps that parents should be familiar with.   At the time, Meerkat (now defunct) and Periscope were fairly new. People using the apps at that time were the early adopters.  But now, live streaming has gone mainstream, especially now that Facebook is in on the action with Facebook Live.  And, live streaming is attracting a younger audience due to live.ly, from the makers of popular app musical.ly.It’s important for parents to be aware of these apps and services due to the risks involved with live...WW…

 Yeah, I did it.  I downloaded Pokémon Go.  I’m not much of a gamer, and I usually don’t jump on bandwagons.  When a new app or technology is hyped up to the extent that Pokémon Go has been, I tend to rebel and stay away until the fervor has died down.  Usually I can wait a while to see if an app is going to take off before installing and testing it out. But, alas, I went ahead and downloaded Pokémon Go about a week after its release – after dead bodies had been discovered by people playing the game, after police stations were putting out warnings, after two men...… Yeah, I did it.  I downloaded Pokémon Go.  I’m not much of a gamer, and I usually don’t jump on bandwagons.  When a new app or technology is hyped up to the extent that Pokémon Go has been, I tend to rebel and stay away until the fervor has died down.  Usually I can wait a while to see if an app is going to take off before installing and testing it out. But, alas, I went ahead and downloaded Pokémon Go about a week after its release – after dead bodies had been discovered by people playing the game, after police stations were putting out warnings, after two men...WW…