PBS KIDS Launches PBS KIDS Super Vision FREE App for Parents

PBS KIDS® launched a new revolutionary app designed specifically for parents that will give them the “super power” to engage with their kids in the digital medium as never before: PBS KIDS Super Vision. The new, free app is a first-of-its-kind tool that parents can access conveniently from their mobile phones anytime, anywhere, to see what their kids are watching, playing and learning on pbskids.org, and help them make the most of their children’s PBS KIDS screen time.

With the PBS KIDS Super Vision App, now available on iPhone and iPod Touch, parents enter a simple code on their mobile device to start receiving:

• Real-time information on what their child is playing, watching and learning on pbskids.org;
• The ability to remotely set a Play Timer from their mobile device that will put pbskids.org to sleep on their child’s screen, easing the transition from playing online to another activity, such as dinner time or bed time;
• Related activities that they can do with their child off-screen to extend the fun and learning goals of the games or videos their child plays on pbskids.org;
• An Activity Summary to view the top educational skills, shows, videos and games their child used on pbskids.org.

The PBS KIDS Super Vision App will mean peace of mind for parents, while their kids build key skills in the safe and educational environment that pbskids.org provides. The app works anytime, anywhere – the connection doesn’t require physical proximity – making it easy for busy parents to check in on their kids’ online activities while they are on the go.

Invasion Of Privacy Or Safety? Should You Monitor Your Child's Phone by Naomi Shaw

It’s gotten to a point where you and your child need to have cell phones and private computers simply for convenience and communication, but those things can come with a cost. We’ve all heard the horror stories of teens meeting someone online, agreeing to meet up in person, and quickly realizing that they’re in way over their head and are dealing with someone who lied about who they are and their intentions. From online predators to cyberbullying, there are many digital dangers that you want to protect your child from, but that can be hard to do without sacrificing your child’s privacy and trust.

What to Look For

It’s perfectly normal these days for your child to always have their nose in their phone or laptop. Having access to those things is important for socializing, learning, exploring, creating, and expressing themselves. Their texts, phone conversations, and blog posts can usually be likened to keeping a personal journal in that they are simply expressing their thoughts and not putting themselves into danger. It’s when they start chatting with people they don’t know, often using anonymous profiles, when things can get iffy.

Here are some signs that your child might be at risk:
● They hide their internet and phone activity from you.
● They receive texts, phone calls, emails, letters or packages from people you don’t know.
● They are withdrawn and quiet.
● They use someone else’s name or an anonymous profile.

It can be hard to tell exactly what your child is doing online or on their phone, and usually what they’re doing is safe and completely innocent. However, if you are ever worried that your child might be engaging in risky behavior, it’s important for their safety that you address the problem right away, even if it turns out to be nothing.

What You Can Do

First and foremost, you should talk to your child about internet safety and be very clear about your rules and expectations. Having a phone and a laptop is a privilege that shouldn’t be abused, and for good reason. Make it clear that you aren’t trying to invade their privacy or take away the great, positive things that technology has to offer, but rather that you’re simply looking out for their safety.

Sometimes talking isn’t enough, and there’s still the matter of responsibility. You can have every intention to respect your child’s privacy, but if they’re under the age of 18 you have to consider that you can be held responsible for many of their actions. While you want to create trust with your child, there are still situations that kids can fall into online where they aren’t safe and the risks they take can have a huge effect on your life as well as theirs. With this taken into consideration, you may want to look into tools which allow you to monitor what your child does online and on their phone, which can come in handy in situations where their safety is at risk.

The best way to keep your child safe and happy is to have good communication and trust. In a perfect world that would be enough, but as a teenager in this digital age, there are constant threats out there and sometimes kids don’t have the tools or the insight to deal with those situations in the safest way. If you’re worried that your child really is at risk and they aren’t being open and honest with you, you many need to take measures to ensure their safety either through limitations or monitoring tools or by seeking outside help through counseling so that you can better communicate about the situation.

Naomi Shaw is a journalist who lives in California with her husband and three kids. She has a passion for writing on home decor, DIY and parenting. Her having 3 kids has made her even more aware and take all the right precautions when it comes to social media.

Guest Post: Talking To Your Children About Internet Safety

As children grow older they become curious about computers and the Internet, especially if Mum and Dad are using them on a daily basis. In fact, a lot of studies show that children who aren't introduced to technology at a younger age can sometimes lag behind at school when it comes to computer orientated classes. There's no getting around the fact that today, and even more so with every year that passes, technology is ubiquitous, important and necessary.

With this in mind, children who are introduced to the world of computers, at any point should be sat down to a conversation about safety, especially when using the Internet. The World Wide Web is a hive of information and multimedia so vast that there will always be certain parts of it that are a risk to a child's safety, innocence and curiosity. A simple talk with parents can help pave the way for a trouble free introduction to the Web.

The first thing to remind children of is that the Internet is not a gated community. Like the real world, you're free to roam pretty much where you like – the good and the bad. With the Internet it's your decision what you view, what you search for, and what you avoid. You must be ethical and honest; careful and cautious. Talking about links and ads is also important, and being able to differentiate between the two. Banner ads are usually boxed off and not related to the page at hand. This can lead to pages that are not relevant to what you are viewing and may be dangerous or inappropriate.

Passwords are another important topic to discuss. The importance of strong, varied passwords is paramount, along with not telling anyone what they are. Numbers and different case letters should be included, and dictionary words are easier to hack than an arbitrary array of characters. All of this is especially important when it comes to online banking and card transactions; although this doesn't apply to most children until they get to a certain age. That being said, it is sometimes worth mentioning.

Chat rooms, strangers, and emails are another thing to talk about. These three are mentioned together because they are the essence of unsolicited communication; a phenomenon that is rife on the Internet. Never reply, talk to, or discuss personal details with strangers or people proclaiming to be someone else. Always be wary of anyone asking for specific details about your life, especially when it comes from things like emails from banks, strangers from chat rooms, or Nigerian princes informing you that you've won the lottery. When it comes to the Internet, anything that smells the slightest bit contrived probably is.

There are a few things parents can do to keep the family computer safe. Search engines like Google have safe search settings to stop adult content from being shown in the search results. If you think it necessary, you can go one step further and install parental control software, which will stop adult content from being shown. This type of software will scan a website when it's requested, but before it's shown for any keywords related to certain adult subjects; if any are found, the page will be blocked.

All of these topics can help give your child a sense of responsibility when introducing them to the Internet, but most important of all is an open and honest discussion about ethics and technology as a whole. For more information, articles and software about internet safety, head over to the Gecko Parents website.