In the most-used social media platforms ranking, Facebook has still managed to maintain itself at the top for the past 14 years, but does that mean it is still the most used amongst tweens and teens?

According to recent research, Facebook continues to lead the rank of most used social media platforms, with 2.9 billion monthly active users as of October 2022, which represents 36.8% of all people on earth. This information has been accurate even after acknowledging the decrease of roughly 2 million users per month in the first half of 2022. Facebook is still the most popular network in the world. This data is indeed impressive, but when it comes to tweens and teens it might not be as relevant as we may think, given that only 5.6% of Facebook users are 17 years old and under.

When focusing on which social media platforms parents should not only be aware, but also wary at times, we must turn our attention to the list bellow with the most popular social media apps and platforms kids and teens spend most of their time on:

The use of the Internet, apps and social media keeps changing as the generations grow and evolve, and as the time goes by, more and more generations are born into a world of technology where likes and shares have an ongoing growing importance on their lives and wellbeing. According to FameMass, teens in the ages between 13 and 18 years old have an average of 3 hours a day on social media nonetheless, some teens spend up to 9 hours a day on it. This is longer than the time they spend on school, if you worry about what your child is learning on school shouldn’t you also be aware of what they are being exposed throughout most of their days as well?

Summer vacation is over and your kids are back in school, facing the threats of cyberbullying, sexting and other online safety dangers. According to a recent poll in the UK, 35% of 11- to 17-year-olds reported being bullied online and four in 10 said they had witnessed others being picked on online.

 

And according to a study from December 2013, 473,000 6-17 year olds visited an adult website from a PC or laptop, of which 44,000 children were aged 6-11 years old!
And what about Secret, Whisper, Tinder and all the other new anonymous messaging apps that kids are using these days? There’ve been a lot of stories recently in the media about how these apps are being used for anonymous cyberbullying…

Know what is happening online, where your kids go and what they do when they are online. Learn about the possible dangers – cyberbullying, sexting, online predators, and inappropriate content. Understand how these could occur, what warning signs to watch out for, and what the possible consequences could be. Remember that sometimes familiar “frenemies” who use the Internet as a weapon, may be more threatening than strangers.

Explain about the dangers possibly awaiting them online. Tell them they should feel free to come to you whenever they feel uncomfortable – whether they “accidentally” see inappropriate content, receive a request from a stranger or feel threatened by a bully.

Remind your kids of these basic online safety rules:

For older kids that use social networks, remind them that everything online is permanent. Screenshots, caches and other tools mean that even deleting a post or comment won’t make it go away. Tell them to pause and think through every post.

Did you get them a new laptop, tablet, or smartphone?

It’s fun to share your children’s first day of school photos for all your relatives and friends to see. But here are a few things to consider before you do so:

Here some questions to look into with your child’s teachers and administrators:

Are you posting pictures of your kids’ milestones, your family trips and sharing those cute kid quotes and anecdotes on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or other social media platforms? If you are, you are creating digital media profiles for your kids. And guess what? You may be guilty of ‘sharenting’…

Sharenting (or oversharenting) is a term used to describe the overuse of social media by parents to share content based on their children.¹

Parents are also using social media outlets to receive support and advice for common child rearing dilemmas. Some of the more common issues that are raised are:

• Getting kids to sleep
• Eating tips
• Discipline
• Behavior problems

1. Many kids already have a “digital identity” before they even start using social media – thanks to their parents’ postings.
2. Over 50 percent of mothers and some 33 percent of fathers discussed the health of their child and parenting on social media.
3. About 50 percent of parents were also concerned that when their children grow up they will be embarrassed to see what has been shared about them.
4. 75 percent of the survey participants pointed to “oversharenting” by other parents, which included sharing location of the child, embarrassing stories related to a child and posting inappropriate stories.²
5. 70 percent of parents said they used social media to get advice from other parents. 62 % said it helped them worry less.³

Social media outlets are indeed a great place to receive support and advice from other parents who are undergoing or have undergone similar trials. Enough has been said about the “wisdom of the crowds”.

But most parents don’t realize that sharenting can endanger their kids’ privacy and can be excessive and harmful. Here are some examples:

1. Sharing of unauthorized photos: someone, who you may or may not even know, shares photos of your kids without receiving permission. This may even include “digital kidnapping” where other people steal pictures of your kids and share them as their own children.
2. Embarrassing pictures/videos: sharing pictures or videos of your kids that could embarrass them when they are older
3. Personal information: posting personal information about your kids on the web, that will never go away – may be used for cyberbullying or cruel jokes

How can we reconcile between the need to protect our children and our need to seek advice and/or show off our darling offspring?
Remember that you are responsible for your child’s privacy, medical information and digital profile. Make sure you understand the importance of what you are sharing about your children so that it doesn’t come back later to haunt them.
In case you are wondering, here are a few suggestions about things you should avoid posting, to avoid potential harassment and bullying from your kids in the future:

With over one billion Facebook users worldwide (as of October 2012) it looks like social networks are here to stay. And as of September 2012, the majority of American teens (58%), ages 13-17, now own a smartphone, so they are able to access the internet and social networks 24/7, wherever they are.

Although the jury is still “out” on the positive vs. negative influences of social networks on teens, tweens or even younger kids, there are certainly dangers involving their use. Cyberbullying, the posting of private information or images, and other online safety issues should concern you as parents.

The following infographic provides some statistics about how often your kids are on social networking sites, what they do when they are there, and the possible dangers involved.

This Infographic is courtesy of Parenting Tips and Designed by Graphs

Concerned?
AiSeeAll can help you protect your children online, on Facebook too!

These days, it is not unusual to see toddlers intuitively swiping screens and confidently pressing buttons on an iPad or similar tablet. But even parents, who enjoy the momentary peace that comes with handing a small child a gadget to play with, worry that this screen time may not be healthy for them. On the other hand, whether you like it or not, technology, in the form of phones and tablets, is here to stay. Many elementary schools and some pre-schools are introducing iPads into the classroom to facilitate learning. So the question isn’t if your child will be computer literate, it’s when — and how soon is too soon to start thinking about technology for children.

So, what’s good about technology for my toddler?
For young kids technology can fine tune motor skills and improve eye-hand coordination. It can also teach them cause and effect – every button, character or icon they press or swipe causes something to happen. And as technology is becoming more and more prevalent in the schools – it is good for them to become technology literate. And experts say that good-quality programs and specific software can help children with learning difficulties develop the skills they are lacking.

OK, so why not?
More time in front of a screen means less time with other kids – so their social skills may not develop as they should. It also means less time for hands on experience with the real world – touching and feeling real objects which should be part of the development process for any young child. Your toddler may also be over stimulated by all those sensory effects — loud sounds, bold colors, flashing lights, and endless action. And finally, toddlers need physical activity to stimulate growth – to build muscles and learn what their bodies are capable of. More time in front of a screen may be mentally stimulating but reduces good old fashioned physical play time. And some experts say that early screen viewing is likely to lead to long periods of viewing for the rest of your life – in other words – addiction.

I’m confused, what should I do?
Based on current research, here are some rules of thumb, on how to deal with your toddlers and technology:

• No screen time under the age of 2 – the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children under the age of 2 have no screen time at all. In 2013 the US Department of Health recommended that children under two years of age should not be in front of a screen at all, and over that age the maximum leisure screen time should be no more than two hours a day.
• Two hours of screen time each day is enough for children aged six and under (and over two).
• There is no evidence to suggest screens are unhealthy for young kids.
• Children typically get bored with one type of media quite quickly, and tend to combine screen time with playing with toys and physical play of themselves.
• Remember that technology itself doesn’t create problems, what matters is what we do with it. Just as you monitor the foods your kids eat, you should introduce quality media when they’re ready, help them think about what they see and hear, and make sure they’re not sacrificing time for physical activity, family, or friends.
• Set family rules for screen times. For example: put screens away during meal times.
• Set an example – ever catch yourself checking your email, using your Smartphone or watching TV while your child is trying to talk to you? Stop using the device and communicate with your child face to face. This will set a good example for the child.
• No screens before bedtime – take some time between screen time and sleep. Most screens use LCDs that emit a blue light that inhibits sleep and disrupts the body clock.
• Don’t be afraid of boredom. Being over stimulated is worse than being bored. Children need to learn how to deal with boredom. Learning to cope with boredom leads to greater self sufficiency, and less risk of later become addicted to unhealthy activities.

Online activities are an integral part of your children’s lives and they probably spend many of their waking hours surfing the net. Your children use the Internet to study, browse for information, socialize, or play games. These are all constructive activities and there is no doubt that your children can derive tremendous benefits from the Internet.

But that same wonderful environment can very easily become unhealthy and unsafe and even threatening for your children. The increasingly popular social networking sites, instant messaging programs, and chat rooms are just a few potentially dangerous applications that your children probably use regularly. These and others are often misused by sexual predators and cyber bullies who are lurking around the corner, just a few clicks away.

You can’t keep your children off the Internet but you can try to make it a safer place for them, by following a few practical steps that will keep your children safe online.

Discuss!
First of all, discuss the following safe Internet use rules with your children:

• Use caution with your personal information
  • Avoid publishing your full name, your school name, home address, email address, mobile or home phone numbers and images, where they are easily accessible by others. Use caution especially with social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace
  • Never give out personal details to online friends you do not know offline
  • Never post anything you wouldn’t want your parents, teachers, or future employers to see
  • Remember that once you post information online, you can’t take it back. Even if you delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other people’s computers
• Do not share other people’s personal information or say things that might violate the safety or rights of others, even if you mean it as a “joke”
• Do not share passwords, user names, account IDs or PINs with anyone besides your parents
• Do not leave mobile phones or other personal electronics (such as a laptop, iPhone, Blackberry, PDA, etc.) unattended
• Remember there are impersonators out there who lie about their real identity. Someone you meet on the Internet may not be the right person to share your problems with, not to mention meeting with them face to face
• Never agree to meet someone you only know online without your parents’ consent
• Never open messages or attachments from someone you don’t know. It could be a virus, or worse – an inappropriate image or film
• Only add people as friends on social networking sites and instant messaging programs if you know then in real life. Set privacy settings so that you have to approve people to be added as a friend
• What you do not do in real life, don’t do on the Internet. This includes all kinds of cyber bulling using text, photos and videos
• Talk to your parents if something feels inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable.

Take measures
In addition to discussing the rules with your children, these are a few proactive steps that you can take:

• Place the computer in an open area in your home – not in your children’s bedroom. But remember that your children have other means of accessing the Internet and communicating with their peers. Pay attention to other computer and Internet-enabled mobile devices.
• Set clear expectations for your children, based on age and maturity
  • Is there a limited list of websites your children can visit for their school work?
  • Are they allowed to use a search engine?
  • Are they allowed to visit social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace?
  • Are there sites they are allowed to visit just for fun?
• Write down the rules and place them next to the computer. Your childrens’ teachers should be able to advise you which sites are appropriate for schoolwork and educational fun
• Install parental control (content filtering) software, to help you limit the websites your children visit, monitor their online activity, limit the amount of time your children spend online, block file sharing programs and protect them from offensive content or cyber bullies. Pure Sight does all this and more. Click here to find out how.Don’t forget to inform your children that you have done this. Explain to them that that you are not spying on them – you are keeping them safe!
• Limit and monitor the amount of time your children spend on the Internet, and at what times of day. Too much time online, especially at night, may be a sign of a problem. AiSeeAll can help you do this!
• Learn Internet basics: If you are not computer savvy, enlist the help of those who are. Learn the basics of the Internet so that your children do not become complacent. Look at blogs and social networking sites to see what children are doing. Go ahead and create your own accounts and play around with it a bit. Get on your children’s friends list
• Be approachable: try to keep an open communication channel with your children, so that they trust you and feel free to approach and ask you anything or tell you about things that are bothering them. Talk to your children regularly about their online activities.
• Lead by example. Your children are watching you. Limit your online time and use the Internet and your mobile phone wisely.

If your children are victims of online bullying or aggression, click here to find out what you can do.

With over one billion Facebook users worldwide (as of October 2012) it looks like social networks are here to stay. And as of September 2012, the majority of American teens (58%), ages 13-17, now own a smartphone, so they are able to access the internet and social networks 24/7, wherever they are. And summer vacation means a lot of free time for your kids, no doubt a lot of it will be spent on social networks!

Although the jury is still “out” on the positive vs. negative influences of social networks on teens, tweens or even younger kids, there are certainly dangers involving their use. Cyberbullying, the posting of private information or images, and other online safety issues should concern you as parents. But the good news is that there are quite a few things you can do to provide a safer social networking experience for your kids:

Launched in February 2004, Facebook has recently announced that it has 1 billion active users worldwide1 (about 3 times the population of the United States!)
Although buried and eulogized many times over, Facebook’s popularity is still very much on the rise. Love it, hate it, there is absolutely no getting away from it. And it doesn’t look as if Facebook is going away in the near future.

So is it a good thing? How does it affect your kids? What are the advantages? What are the disadvantages? Here’s a look at some of the many ways in which this ever popular social networking site affects your kids’ lives in some good, and some not-so-good ways.

So does the good outweigh the bad? It’s hard to tell. Either way you probably won’t be able to completely block your kids from using it. So it’s important to remember that if your kids are on Facebook, they should be aware of the dangers, and they should take steps to protect themselves, such as adjusting the privacy settings. It’s your job as a parent to explain the dangers and help them protect themselves, but also to be there for them, to listen and help, if they experience something that makes them feel uncomfortable or scared.

AiSeeAll provides protection from cyberbullying and suspicious contacts on Facebook and you don’t even have to be “friends” with your child.

Summer vacation is here and time away from school could mean plenty of extra time online for your kids – a lot of it happening when you’re not around to supervise.

And while the Internet can be a great source of fun and social interaction for your kids, it can also be a dangerous place. And while it feels like home is the safest place for your kids – the more time they spend online the more they could potentially be exposed to inappropriate content (pornography, hate, violence, etc.), cyberbullying, and other online dangers.

Following are some suggestions that will help you keep your kids safe, when online, this summer:

Holiday time is gift- giving time, and we all want to make our children happy. When considering this year’s gift – are you thinking about purchasing a Smartphone, tablet or some other internet-enabled device for your child? Do you feel the need to “keep up with the Joneses”, or that the earlier your child becomes familiar with the technology – the better? Or is it simply because your daughter has been using the “everyone in my class already has one” excuse? In fact, recent data shows that 41% (!) of third graders already have access to a personal Smartphone!

Two sides of the same coin
Whatever your motivation, you are probably aware that there are two sides to this coin: on the one hand, the benefits of being technologically ahead, exposed to the enormous repository of knowledge that is the Internet, and the ability to be socially connected to their peers – are all enormous advantages for your children. On the other hand, there are the dangers that we constantly hear about: cyberbullying, sexting, pornography, online predators, and privacy issues are only a few.

And there are so many other questions to consider:

• What is the” right” age to give them their first device?
• What will they do with it?
• Will they be able to use it all the time or only for a few hours each day?
• Do I even understand the potential dangers?
• And what about “parental controls”?

Confused? In fact, a recent FOSI (Family Online Safety Institute) report dealt with parenting in the digital age, exploring how parents weigh the potential benefits and harms of their child’s using electronic devices and being online.

There doesn’t really seem to be a clear answer, but here are some points to think about:

• Technology is part of modern life. Children should be allowed to become familiar with it and become digital citizens like most of the people around us
• The Internet is an amazing repository of knowledge and information – children need to feel comfortable with it and with the ways to access this information and make use of it!
• As adults we are aware of the fact that our connection to our Smartphone is quite unique – we check it often (the average user checks their Smartphone 150 times a day!). It is much more than just our telephone or our phone book. We use it for recreation, to play games, to socialize, to navigate, to seek information, to shop, and much much more. The boundaries between what is and isn’t allowed are not clear, even for adults. Do we want our children to behave this way at their very early age?

The Smartphone could be dangerous
Along with it being an amazing tool, there are inherent dangers associated with being connected to a Smartphone, to name a few:

• If there is no filtering in place, your child could access websites with inappropriate content – pornography, anorexia, hate, violence, and many more.
• Smartphones can be a very convenient platform for cyberbullying as your child will be able to reached at any time, and at any location. And there are quite a few very popular anonymous social media apps that enable anonymous cyberbullying
• Sexting is another burning issue – how long before your child is exposed to their first sexually explicit image? Or before they are encouraged by someone else to send one of their own?
• Privacy issues are also of concern – will your child be sharing their full name? Phone number? Address? The name of their school? How about their location? Unless turned off, anyone can determine where your child is.
• Your child could also be at risk of being approached by online predators, who may even convince them to meet them in person

So, what should I do?
One way to determine whether the time has come to purchase a Smartphone for your child is to ask yourself these 2 simple questions:

• Does your child need the phone to stay connected with you or for emergency situations?
• Does your child understand and respect the time and usage limits you have placed on other things like television and video game playing?

If the answer to these questions is ‘yes’, your child might be ready for their first phone.

Things you can, and should, do
If you do decide to go ahead and buy them a Smartphone, it is still very important that along with that shiny holiday gift-wrapped box with a Smartphone inside you give them an equally important gift – talk to them! Talk about what types of apps are okay to download and how to surf the Internet safely, make sure that they understand who it is OK to communicate with and more importantly, with whom it’s not OK, that they understand what is OK to share online and what is not OK, which pictures are OK to share and which are not. In addition to all this, make sure that the phone you give them is protected. AiSeeAll Multi can help you do that – check out how!