ML Interest Tag: online-safety

How to Start the Conversation Around Tech With Your Kids

by Kenzie Kramer
Partner Content

From how we buy groceries to the way we teach our kids to the ways we bond as a family, technology is now a huge part of our day-to-day lives—and our kids’ lives. Navigating the digital playground can be confusing for parents anytime, but it’s been especially complicated over the past year. According to a study done by Google, 2 in 5 parents do not feel confident to have The Tech Talk with their kids discussing topics like online safety and wellbeing, screen time, discovering quality content and more.

The online world can be an intimidating place for parents, but it can also bring families closer together. The same study by Google also found that 42% of families discovered new passions and activities online and that 25% of families surveyed grew closer to family and friends through video calls. The keys to using tech as a positive tool in your family: building healthy habits and teaching your kids how to stay safe online. Here are some tips for improving your family’s digital wellbeing from our friends at Google.

Make the Conversation Engaging

Kids (and adults) are drawn to technology that keeps us engaged, whether that's entertaining us, teaching us something or helping us connect with others. Google Families has tons of tips to help parents have a family tech talk that'll resonate with their kids, including tips on talking to kids about their interests to find the best apps and games for them, teaching kids about healthy screentime by showing them the tools you can use to monitor their tech usage and much more. To help kids navigate online safety, Google also created a free online game that is both fun and informative. Interland lets your child control a character that explores the different lands that teach them how to Be Internet Awesome. As they explore places like Mindful Mountain, they'll learn about sharing with care and being kind online. 

Make It Age-Appropriate

If your child is too young to have social media accounts, talking to them about being intentional in what they post may not resonate with them just yet. Start the conversation by asking your child how they feel about technology: What do they think of using computers for learning? What apps or websites do their friends talk about? Have they seen people post unkind things online, and what do they think about them? Asking open-ended questions will help you lead the conversation in a way that resonates with them and their current interests. Once you’ve figured out what to talk about, families.google has loads of resources to figure out how to talk about these topics.

Make It About Balance

Between school, work, connecting with others and entertainment, some tech time is inevitable. What’s important is to make sure we’re creating a healthy relationship with our technology and balancing online and offline activities. According to a survey done by Google, 3 in 5 parents allowed increased screen time for kids over the last year. Each family’s balance with technology will look different, and families.google has helpful tools to help you decide what works best for your family! To get started, check out Google's digital wellbeing guide or practice finding balance with the new Headspace Breathers series for families.

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4 Ways Your Girl Scout Can Supercharge Her Digital Cookie Sales

By Brian Weisfeld

Let’s face it, this is going to be a very unique cookie-selling year. Many councils across the nation are canceling booth sales due to their local COVID restrictions. Nonetheless, the cookie sales must go on. If your girl is allowed to set up a physical cookie booth and can do so safely, remind her to mask up, practice social distancing, and request her booth visitors to do the same.  However, this next cookie season will rely even more on the digital cookie program.

Going digital will empower your girl to find creative ways to reach customers with her cookie business and develop a digital connection with her buyers. After your girl reviews the Girl Scouts’ online safety pledge and guidelines, The Startup Squad has some sure-fire digital cookie strategies below. She’ll level up her digital cookie-selling powers in no time!

Sales

This year, more than ever, girls should focus on their “why” and not their “what.” As much as people love cookies (the what), your girl can attract more orders and larger orders by focusing on her why. Why she’s selling cookies, why she needs help to meet her goal in this most challenging of cookie seasons, why the cookie funds will help her community. Engaging stories drum up sales, so encourage your girl to be a storyteller in her videos and email messages that focus on her why! And when it comes to the what, the cookies, have her describe the cookies in a way that will get people interested and excited to try each product. It’s one thing to explain that she’s selling mint cookies, it’s another to describe them as the chocolatey, minty, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness that so many know and love. Finally, its easier to get an existing customer to order more boxes than it is to find a new customer.  Encourage her to ask her customers if they want to donate a box or two to the needy or military.

Marketing

The digital world can create opportunities for your girl to expand her customer base across the globe starting with her digital cookie page. A catchy name, a unique slogan, and attention-grabbing visuals are just some of the ways your girl can make her online cookie shop standout. Her cookie video is a great opportunity for her to act like her fave entertainer and sing about the cookies or do a dance number. It’s all about having fun! Check out this video from a girl whose creative cookie duet with her dad has been watched over two million times!

To kick off cookie season, your cookie CEO can create her own digital sales event on Facebook Event or Instagram Live. Share her digital cookie link and news about the event on your social media accounts to help bring in a huge audience. Your girl can even reach out to influencers with large networks and ask them to share the link to her page. Speaking of influencers, have your girl guest star during your next work Zoom call so she can pitch your co-workers to help her hit her cookie goals!

Merchandising

Your girl can add a personal touch to her cookie video production by creating a custom colorful display of the cookie boxes and using an eye-catching unique background (or even a virtual one!). Good lighting is also key for your girl’s videos so online viewers can see her cookie business in the best way possible. What’s more, proper lighting allows prospective buyers to better see the cookie boxes as your girl highlights and describes each one. Last but not least, remind your girl to wear her troop uniform with pride in every video!

Customer Service

Whenever your girl sends a virtual or physical thank-you card to her customers, she builds a strong, lasting connection with them. Impressed customers always come back! Your girl can also tailor each thank-you message to fit the people she’s communicating with. For example, she can inform previous buyers about the nut-free or gluten-free cookie types they have yet to buy. Or remind her customers to stock their freezer with boxes to last them until next cookie season. Canva is an easy-to-use and free online graphic design tool that’s great for every type of digital or printed card.

Excited for your girl to build her cookie empire, grow her entrepreneurial confidence, and flex her digital marketing skills? We know we are! And we’re going to share on The Startup Squad’s social media accounts the digital cookie page of one lucky cookie seller. Check out The Startup Squad’s Instagram page for details about how your girl can be The Startup Squad’s preferred digital cookie seller. And download our handy tip sheet to keep these tips and more with her throughout the cookie season. We wish nothing but sweet success for your girl!

This post originally appeared on The Startup Squad Blog.

I've always built businesses, from a childhood gummy bear business to adult gigs at IMAX and Coupons.com. I founded The Startup Squad to help girls reach their potential and my book series, The Startup Squad, is published by Macmillan. I live in Silicon Valley with my wife and two daughters.

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LEGO Wants to Help Parents Talk About Online Safety

by Jennifer Swartvagher

Kids are spending more time on screens. The LEGO Group wants to help keep them safe online.Their new initiative Small Builds for Big Conversations offers a series of creative challenges for families to engage in conversations about being a good digital citizen and the importance of online safety. 

Small Builds for Big Conversations

According to Kaspersky, parents spend just 46 minutes talking to their children about online risks throughout their entire childhood as they find it difficult to express the risks in a relatable way. Small Builds for Big Conversations has been created to address such barriers by giving parents simple, fun ways to talk to children aged six to 10 about digital safety and wellbeing while they play.  

Small Builds for Big Conversations

The ‘Build & Talk’ challenges are based around characters built from LEGO bricks, who represent both the positive and negative aspects of life online. Parents and children are encouraged to build similar characters with LEGO bricks they have at home and use play and conversation prompts to talk about digital wellbeing, safety and potential dangers. 

Anna Rafferty, Vice President Digital Consumer Engagement, said: “As a parent I know it’s not always easy to talk to your children about being a good digital citizen in a way they understand, as they are often influenced by peer pressure and exciting digital experiences. We have a long history of creating safe digital play experiences for kids, so we wanted to give parents the confidence to connect with their children on this important topic.  

“We understand the power of learning through play, which is why we’ve made the conversations playful. LEGO bricks are great for sparking imagination and storytelling, so building characters while talking will make the experience more memorable and enjoyable for parents and kids. Today’s young children will live their lives online and many have their first digital experience before their first birthday. Being a good digital citizen is critical for their development.”  

Small Builds for Big Conversations

The builds are available in three themed activity packs that include two character categories: ‘The Online Explorers,’ like ‘The Giggler’ who loves to watch and make online videos, and The ‘Watch-Outs,’ like ‘The Chameleon’ who represents strangers that pretend to be friends. Each activity pack includes inspiration on how to build the characters, as well as talking points and questions to help guide the conversation between parents and their children, helping them have a natural conversation, that leads to learning while they play. The content has been developed in line with UNICEF digital safety guidelines.

Small Builds for Big Conversations

“Spending time with parents and talking openly about experiences on the internet is key to keeping children safe and happy online,” said Andrew Mawson, Chief of Child Rights and Business at UNICEF. “We welcome this timely initiative by the LEGO Group to facilitate these conversations through play.” 

Building inspirations for all of the characters are available on www.LEGO.com. Each takes around 10 minutes to construct using existing bricks, and their physical features reflect the different aspects of being online.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of The LEGO Group

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5 New Year’s Resolutions to Do as a Family

by Jennifer Massoni Pardini

Ah, the New Year’s Resolution—easy enough to think up when you want to make a self-improvement or two, but also easy enough to willfully forget come February. Instead, commit as a family to resolutions you’ll have fun sticking to all year long for your goals on and offline. Read on for five ideas that all have something in common: more time together.

photo: Simon Rae via Unsplash

1. Move and groove.
Want to make 2020 a year for getting out and about? That can mean scaling hillsides with mini trekkers or simple strolls around the block to explore the wonder right beneath little feet. However you get outside, there is so much value in fresh air and time together. A motivational dance party during meal prep sure counts too. Small or big, healthy choices add up to good moves and good moods!

photo: Courtesy of Google Kids & Families

2. Work on a healthy digital lifestyle.
Healthy choices should factor into digital diets as well. Have “the tech talk” with your family and talk about what will work best in your home. Google has products and programs that can really help your family make the most of technology. With the Family Link app, you’ll get a suite of parental controls to help you set digital ground rules for your family. With the app, you’ll be able to set up screen limits on your child’s Android or Chromebook devices, remotely approve or decline app purchases, set app time limits, hide apps on devices, curate a set of safe sites and set filters that block certain sites altogether. Keep the conversation around a healthy digital lifestyle going with learning about digital safety and citizenship with the Be Internet Awesome program. Use the family guide and tips to guide your conversations about online safety and play the educational game Interland to help keep tech smarts on point for the whole family.

 

photo: Samantha Hurley via Burst

3. Get more zzz’s.
Whether we as parents want a little more patience at the end of a long day or for kids’ budding brains to have the best opportunity to absorb all they learn at school—sleep is key. So why not go after more of it in 2020? The Family Link app from Google can also help here, with the ability to set bedtimes as well as a daily limit per device or app for each day of the week. Once that time is up, the Android or Chromebook device in use locks (aside from making calls). Added tip: the screen time features also works anytime you need—not just at bedtime.You can also grant bonus times or remotely lock your child’s devices too!

photo: Anna Earl via Unsplash

4. Give back.
Have a family talk about the importance of giving back. You can decide on one cause to support all year long by raising money, lending helping hands and spreading awareness. Or, try out a few different organizations to learn more about the populations or needs they serve. If a friend or family member is already dedicated to a cause, that’s also a wonderful way to double-down on supportive efforts. No matter how you go about it, the kids will experience the power of working together for a greater good.

photo: Mi Pham via Unsplash

5. Have fun!
However you want to get in touch with your adventurous sprits, resolve to create some serious family fun. Let everyone in the family add to the bucket list too. Kick off a year of adventure with some of these ideas: explore a new local destination, take a family cooking class, visit a friend or relative you haven’t seen in a while, picnic or camp out in the backyard, try a new sport, run through the sprinklers, take that hike you’ve been meaning to, get to know a neighbor. Whatever resonates, make this the year it happens!

— Jennifer Massoni Pardini

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5 Must-Dos Before Giving Your Kid a Tablet or Phone

by Jennifer Massoni Pardini
Partner Content

We are constantly teaching our kids to make wise choices, from what to wear for the weather to how to play fairly with friends. In order to raise smart digital citizens, the very same motivation applies. If you’re wondering where to start, Google offers tools, resources, and tips to help parents teach kids about digital safety while giving them the autonomy to make smart online choices, too. Read on for five tips to live by before giving your child a phone or tablet.

Learn how Google’s Family Link app and Be Internet Awesome program can help your family make the most out of technology and build healthy digital habits!

 

1. Purchase a screen protector and a quality case beforehand.
Kids are rough on their toys, and the same will likely be true for the tablet or phone you are introducing to their free time. Find a durable case that can handle a few falls from the couch or the resilience required of traveling. Protective screens work in two ways as well, keeping the device intact while protecting your child’s eyes, skin and sleep rhythms from blue light.

2. Talk through rules, expectations and Internet safety.
We don’t give our kids a bike and simply say, Go for it! We provide gear to protect their bodies and the practice needed to ride all on their own. The same logic is true of a smart device. The Internet is full of useful information and knowledge as well as phishing, scams, cyberbullies, and more. As a family, learn about online safety in a fun and engaging way with Be Internet Awesome. The program will help your family learn how to communicate responsibly online, discern what’s real from what isn’t, safeguard personal information and when to turn to a trusted adult if something online doesn’t feel right or seem safe. Use the family guide and tips to help drive your conversations at home. With these digital fluency fundamentals, little techies can learn how to navigate the Internet in safe, smart and positive ways—a skill they will need throughout their schooling and development.

3. Point them to educational games and apps before giving them the device.
Kids won’t waste a minute exploring their tablet or the portals games and apps may open. Set them up for success by vetting several that you would be comfortable letting them play on their own. You can get started with Interland, Be Internet Awesome’s educational web game that makes learning about digital safety fun through play (teachers take note: additional free resources for educators are also available too!) In the game, fun characters lead you on adventures while imparting helpful knowledge about navigating the web. It’s a good one to play periodically as a family as well for a digital basics refresh. For additional guidance, we always love the ratings and age recommendation from our friends at Common Sense Media.

4. Get the Family Link app from Google to help your family learn responsible digital habits.
Let’s be clear: it’s almost impossible for you to control everything your kids do online (especially when they’re a certain age). Family Link provides tools for parents to kick start conversations about healthy digital habits. The parental controls app has a number of features to help families tailor the best online experience for their kids. What you can do: set daily screen limits or specific app limits, remotely approve or decline apps your kids want to download from the Google Play Store or approve in-app purchases, hide apps on your kid’s device, and block sites or only allow a curated set of sites to be visited. What you can’t do: read their text messages or see what they’re viewing.

5. Charge the device and set some limits before you give it to them.
Let the fun begin… and continue thanks to a fully charged device. Family Link’s functionality understands that limits are important, too. So it allows you to set bedtimes as well as a daily limit per day of the week. Once that set time expires, the device is locked (calling functionality will still work). And much like the parent’s handy sidekick, the timer, the pre-set limit—instead of mom or dad—ends the screen session and spares everyone a power struggle. Now that’s smart.

Have fun setting your child up for success online with a little help from Google!

— Jennifer Massoni Pardini

all photos courtesy of Google Kids & Families

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5 Ways Parents Can Keep Their Kids Safe Online

By Linsly Donnelly

Although cell phones and computers have been around for decades, digital media consumption is very different among Generation Z, compared with Generation X and even Millennials. Nowadays, children are surrounded by digital devices since birth and their devices are considered essentials of daily life, not just sources of occasional entertainment or educational tools.

The average age at which a child starts using their first device—2 years old—trends younger with every research study. However, exposure to the internet begins far earlier, at around three years old. As teenagers, that jumps to nine hours a day. Statistics like these concern parents about exactly what kids are experiencing on the internet.

Below are five ways to keep up with kid’s online lives and protect their online activity.

1. Educate Yourself: To ensure your children are safe online, educate yourself about existing dangers. Stay up to speed with the latest trending apps, games, social media, and websites popular with kids and teens. Be particularly aware of unsafe apps such as anonymous apps, which can be used for cyberbullying or by internet predators.

2. Open a Discussion: As children are spending the majority of their time on the internet, it is important now more than ever that you have the necessary discussion about online safety and it is never too late to start. Provide your child with information rather than a list of don’ts. Talk about the risks involved with social media. Try not to be confrontational and ask open-ended questions. Let your child know that they can come to you if they come across disturbing content and if they are being bullied.

3. Set Rules: Collaborate as a family to clarify rules and expectations around internet activity and home devices. Consider things like time limits, priority family commitments, and social engagement at home with each other. Coming up with rules as a family helps everyone be on the same page, and gives children expectations before they start using devices, so there aren’t any surprises. Rules and expectations can be compiled into a “tech contract” so they are easily accessible for all members of the family.

4. Use Parent Controls: Use a powerful parental control solution like Hub by Securly to manage and monitor their online habits. After setting a clear agreement and expectations with your children, explain to them that these are your devices, and you will review them because as parents, you only wish to keep your children healthy and safe. Hub by Securly allows you to limit your child’s internet access by turning off the internet with a tap. With the Hub, you can also put blocks and monitoring on your kids’ devices. Most kids aren’t searching for bad content. They just stumble on it but they can’t unsee what they’ve seen.

5. Be a Role Model: Oftentimes, children copy what their parents do, so it’s best to try to set a positive example for them. Not only does it help manage your own screen time, but it also sets a healthy device standard in the household. It is a good idea to enforce “screen-free time” into your daily routine, such as at dinner and during bedtime.

Linsly Donnelly, SVP of Consumer and Parent Operations at Securly, an online solution for managing children's devices and online activity to ensure their safety. 

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3 Ways to Keep Kids Safe Online, So You Don’t Have to Ban the Internet

By Kara Doyle

So that “Momo challenge” thing isn’t real—but the fact that parents need to be watching their kids’ online definitely is. Banning media and certain websites will not work. Why? Because the internet is constantly evolving and changing. And let’s face it: technology will play a significant role in the way they learn and communicate in their futures.

Here are the three things that I am doing to help my kids understand how to use technology.

1. Set time limits and stick to them.

At first, I was letting my nine-year-old use her internet-connected devices whenever she completed the things I needed her to finish, almost like a reward. When she started always choosing that reward, I decided I was doing things wrong. I really didn’t like the idea of her not wanting to do all of the things that make being a kid fun!  So we talked about it. A lot.

At first, I took away all tech, cold turkey. It wasn’t fun for her, and she felt like she was the “only one” who couldn’t use it. After a little while, she remembered that she loves to read and color and play hide and seek with her brother, and I remembered how little she is.

Now she is allowed to use a device for more random spurts of time. Sometimes I let her use it for five minutes, but sometimes she can play a game or watch a slime tutorial for 20 minutes. I try not to let it be longer than that.

2. You do NOT have to stand over their shoulders, but you do need to be present.

Make sure your kids are somewhere you can see and hear them while they are spending time online. Check in on them, and ask them what they are doing. If your kid has a favorite YouTuber, you should know who it is. If your kids like to play a particular game, try it too.

Let your kids know you are interested in what they find interesting! When you do this, they are more likely to share things with you as they get older.

3. Have a real talk about what it means to be safe online.

This is an offshoot of the “stranger danger talk,” except it’s the online safety talk. Chatting is an option on nearly every site our kids are using today. Please tell your kids how important it is never to give information about themselves to anyone online. However, let them know that if they do make a mistake, they can tell you. The last thing you want them to do is to keep a secret that could harm them.

Let them know that if they see or hear something they don’t understand, YOU are available to help them and that you won’t be mad at them for telling you.

Our kids navigate tough stuff every day. They are bombarded with things that a lot of us didn’t have to deal with when we were little. The most important thing that any of us can do for our kids is to communicate with them, on their level, consistently. Play, talk, read, sing, build and every once in a while, watch that cool new unboxing video with them, too.

As a teacher, I've always relied on love and a sense of humor to get through the day. When I became a mom, I decided to tackle the job the same way. I believe that every day is a chance to share some smiles with the people you love.

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Check it Out! Secrets of the San Francisco Public Library

by Arin Hailey Reese

Think that Visa is the most valuable piece of plastic in your wallet? Not if you are packing a library card from the San Francisco Public Library. Sure, you knew it was good for books, but what about music, audiobooks, online games for kids, tutoring help and even access to Exploratorium and the California Academy of Sciences? We uncover the little-known perks to being a card-carrying member of the SFPL.

A Site of One’s Own
For a glimpse into all that SFPL offers, you don’t even need to leave the house: Just check out the library’s website designed especially for parents and kids (sfpl.org/kids). The site is a wealth of resources, from tips on online safety and kindergarten readiness, to extensive lists of librarian-recommended, age-appropriate books. Looking for something specific? The site also offer targeted recommendations for a diversity of audiences, including disabled kids, children from LGBT families, kids of color, and parents and little ones trying to cope with difficult situations, such as disturbing current events. You’ll also find educational games for preschoolers through middle schoolers, including programming activities from MIT’s Scratch project and music activities from the San Francisco Symphony, and games with favorite characters from PBS Kids and Nick Jr.

Once you have your library card (get one at any SFPL branch), you can access tons of kids’ audiobooks, ebooks, and music online. The library’s entire catalog is searchable on the website, and many titles can be downloaded directly to your computer, tablet, e-reader or smartphone for a standard lending period.

Photo: SFPL Richmond Branch by Eric E Castro via Flickr

Running Late? Don’t Worry!
Long gone is the era of the library as the home of musty hardback volumes, crabby librarians, and dreaded late fees. (For children’s items, there are due dates but no fines, so don’t sweat it if you’re late returning The Very Hungry Caterpillar because, say, your toddler hid it in the refrigerator).

Photo: SFPL

Plays Well With Others
You won’t find much shushing going on in the children’s sections of the SFPL. At any given branch on any given day, you’ll find free storytimes and playgroups for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers (conducted in English, Mandarin, Russian, or Spanish); music and movement classes; crafting sessions; Lego free play; and after-school “snacktivities” that combine free snacks and creative play. Check the Kids Events page at SFPL.org for the schedule.

Nursery Rhyme Hotline
Even the most devoted of parents grows weary of “The Wheels on the Bus” after a few months of constant requests. SFPL to the rescue: The Children’s Story Line features recordings of nursery rhymes in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese; hear the recordings on the website or dial the Story Line on your phone.

415-294-6751 for English
415-294-6753 for Spanish
415-294-6750 for Chinese

Photo: REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival

Next Stop: Sundance
Give your littles their film fest training wheels with a visit to the library’s Reel-to-Reel 16mm Preschool Film Series. The event for 3-to-5 year olds and their caregivers features short animation or live action movies based on children’s books. Other free film events include First Friday Fun Flicks (an afternoon family-friendly movie and popcorn!) and family movie screenings tied in with seasonal events (this month’s flick, Ruby Bridges, honors Black History Month).

No Need to Whisper
Music more your jam? In partnership with the San Mateo County Library, SFPL’s annual Tricycle Music Fest brings live kiddie rock and a tricycle raffle to several branches on weekends throughout September and October. Last year’s lineup included Grammy award winners the Okee Dokee Brothers and Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band.

Homework Help on Demand
For older kids, SFPL.org offers links to homework help resources arranged my subject, as well as access to live help via the Brainfuse tutoring service and a text-and-chat reference service during the main library’s open hours. Kids can also get in-person homework help at all branches (check schedule online for availability).

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
It’s one thing to read about great works of art, luminescent rainforest butterflies, the wonders of electricity, and Japanese garden bridges pitched so steeply you have to climb over using all fours—and it’s yet another to get out and see them for yourself. Luckily, all these things can be found within SF’s seven square miles, and you can visit each one for free if you have an SFPL library card. How? Simply use your card at any SFPL branch to check out a Family Pass, which will admit up to two adults and four kids (SF families only) to one of 23 participating attractions, including the Asian Art Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium, the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park—even public pools. Check the SFPL website to see which passes are available for checkout at which branches. The site also has excellent lists of free things to do with kids in the Bay Area, and the best family adventures in SF and beyond. When Morrissey sang, “There’s more to life than books, you know—but not much more,” he clearly had never been to the San Francisco Public Library.

Do you have an SFPL library card? What is your child’s favorite event or service?

—Arin Hailey Reese

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