Tag: Facebook

New Instagram Message Settings for Teens

With social media constantly changing, META (the company behind Facebook and Instagram) has taken a big step to keep teens safe. They tightened the messaging settings to help prevent young people from ending up in bad situations or getting unwanted messages from strangers. As a parent who also uses social media a lot, I’ve totally noticed a difference. So, let’s break down what these New Instagram Message Settings are and how they can make teens’ online life way better.

New Instagram Message Settings

Setting Boundaries: The New Message Controls

The other day, my daughter nearly threw her phone across the room. “Mom, this creepy guy keeps leaving me a message on Instagram!” I totally get it. Social media can be useful, but it can also be unsafe for teens. Fortunately, Meta just released an update that allows teens to control who he can directly message, which I think is a huge success.

  1. Message Requests: Previously, anyone could send a direct message to a teen’s account. Now, with the new message request feature, teens have more control. They can choose to accept or ignore messages from people they don’t follow. This simple change empowers teens to filter out unwanted communication.
  2. Time limits: Teens can now limit how much time they want to spend on Instagram and Facebook. As a parent, I appreciate this aspect. It promotes healthy screen time and prevents scrolling sessions that lead to late night sleep deprivation.
  3. Restricted Mode: Restricted mode allows teens to limit interactions with strangers. When enabled, it restricts messages from accounts that don’t meet certain criteria (like age or mutual connections). It’s like a digital bouncer at the entrance to their inbox.

My Daughter’s Experience

“Mom, I used the restricted mode, and it’s amazing!” My daughter’s enthusiasm surprised me. She shared how she’d received fewer unsolicited messages and felt more in control. As a parent, I felt relieved knowing she had tools to navigate the digital world responsibly.

One evening, she excitedly showed me a message request from a classmate. She accepted it, and they chatted about homework. But when a stranger messaged her, she hesitated. “Should I accept this?” she asked. We discussed boundaries, privacy, and the importance of being cautious online. The new settings provided a framework for our conversation.

Conclusion

Meta is doing a great job focusing on teen safety. As parents, we can help our teens make the most of these features. So, next time your teen grumbles about a message, remind them: “You’re in control. Use those settings!”

eVerify Check – The Best Online Background Check System

Are you tired of wondering just who someone is? You can now use the great program called eVerify Check to do exactly that, but without having to go through any confusing paperwork. The great site uses different directories that are kept by the government to allow you to do these checks, but also to search their listings.

There are many wonderful features that eVerify has which can also be used in ways other then checks. You can use it to find relatives that you don’t see forever, to conduct background checks on someone’s criminal past, and also to see if a person is a sex offender or has received a DUI. Many different searches are available from the online service.

eVerify Check
Alexas_Fotos / Pixabay

Other features of this site can be used to tap phone directories to discover who is calling you, check classmates and phone numbers, addresses, and even email addresses, making eVerify an all around great program. Also, you can use it to delve deeper into the social aspects of a particular person in the form of blogs, social networking, photos and more, giving you an in depth look at any person you need to check out.

As eVerify Check is going to be using government information you can be certain it is accurate and up to date at any given time. Get all these great directories for one low price.

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Sex Offenders Can’t Be Banned From Facebook

Banned From Facebook

An appeals court decided that sex offenders are not allowed to be banned from Facebook.

A United States appeals court has decided that a law passed in Indiana last year banning registered sex offenders from using social media sites online is not legal.

The ACLU challenged the law a year ago, but it was upheld by a judge in Indiana.  The court recognizes that social media is an important part of today’s society, and offenders online have the same needs for social media that other people do.

The ACLU argues that the law was too restrictive, and it prohibited too many activities that are protected by the First Amendment.

The way the law was written, it barred sex offenders from using online social media to look for jobs on social media sites like LinkedIn.  They also could not post on news sites.  Social media can also be used to follow religious or political figures.

The ACLU feels that existing laws protect children from sex offenders, and this new law was too restrictive without offering more protection.

The Court of Appeals agreed with the ACLU, claiming that banning sex offenders from using social media infringed on their First Amendment right of free speech.  The ruling from this higher court overturned the ruling from last year.

Another reason for the decision is that the Court recognizes that the State already has a law stating that adults can not have inappropriate communication with children, and this new law restricted the same thing and more.

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3 Basic Ways To Help Keep Your Child Internet Safe

These days, as a parent, it’s often the case that your children know more about the internet and computers than you do. But it’s still your duty as a parent or guardian to protect their experiences online, keep your child internet safe. While there is legislation in place that requires children to get a parents permission before giving out sensitive information like address and phone number, among other things. But that doesn’t always happen – so just as with pretty much everything else with your child – it doesn’t hurt to be proactive.

What follows is some basic advice for making sure that the internet experience of your younger child is safe and secure (and they don’t inadvertently end up charging your credit cards a ton of money).

Become Computer Literate Yourself

It is still your job as a parent to make sure that your child’s experience online is safe and secure – but how can you do that if your kid needs to show you how to change the internet settings on your computer? If you aren’t too tech-savvy, enroll in a class at the local community college or high school. You’re going to want to make sure you are able to know how to:

  • Set up a separate “profile” on your computer for each child, with only you as an administrator
  • Manage and block websites that your child has access to

While younger children generally will not try and find ways around your internet restrictions, as children get older, they might attempt to get beyond your restrictions if they find them unfair – for example, if you don’t allow them to set up any social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, myspace, etc) or use chat-rooms. So be prepared to enforce and defend your decisions – which is where our second piece of advice comes in handy.

Educate Your Children About The Dangers

The internet is not a safe place – not intrinsically. Sensitive data is not always secure and once something is posted on the internet it’s always going to be there – even if the profile or image is deleted.

Some basic ground rules and dangers to warn your children about might include:

  • Never complete an online profile – don’t give out address, phone number, photos or even their real name.
  • Warn children of people who contact them and and interested in meeting face-to-face.
  • Make sure they know they can (and should) talk to you if anything happens on the internet that makes them feel uncomfortable.

Get Involved

You’re going to want to get involved with your child’s internet experience to make sure that things are safe. Especially with younger children, there are definitely things that may seem innocent to them that may not actually be. Some guidelines for getting involved in your child’s internet experience include:

  • Keeping the computer in a common area.
  • Share an email account with your child – or make sure that you have the password to their email account to monitor for unsolicited emails.
  • Bookmark your child’s favorite sites for easy access.
  • Monitor credit cards and phone bills for unfamiliar charges.
  • Disable “cookies” so that a child can’t inadvertently process a credit card charge because all the necessary data is already stored.

These are some of the most basic things you could (and should) be doing to keep your child and your child’s identity safe on the internet – this is the “don’t take candy from strangers” lesson for the digital era, and you want your children to understand it without having to learn it the hard way.

Alison Waters is a freelance writer who works with a company that offers IT project management and hardware support – so that if you’re a small business owner and your kid inadvertently pulls all the plugs, they could still recover your data. She hopes that no child is the target of an internet predator.

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Why You Shouldn’t Friend Your Teen on Facebook

If you have a teenager, you’re probably well-versed in how important the Internet is to the social life of a high schooler. Most teenagers have Facebook accounts and spend many hours per week on the computer. It’s a trend that isn’t going away. You might even have a Facebook page of your own. But does that mean you have to be “friends” with your teenager? Some parents very closely monitor the computer usage of their teenagers and others don’t bother. Where do you fall on the spectrum? A teenager’s Facebook page is a very personal place, and if you’re friends with them, you’ll have access to it. As a parent, you may think it’s a good idea. It’s not. Some things should remain sacred, and your child’s Facebook page is one of them. Under no circumstances should you friend your teenager on Facebook. If you do, you’ll probably end up regretting it very quickly. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t go there.

Do You Really Want to Know What They’re Doing?

Teenagers use Facebook to post and comment on all types of teenage things. They’ll post pictures of the weekend parties, talk about relationships, say things they think are “cool,” and much more. Do you really want to be able to see all that? Being able to view your teen’s Facebook page may grant you too high a level of access into their personal life. Many things may not warrant parental intervention, but seeing them may make you uncomfortable.

Do You Really Want to Know What Their Friends are Doing?

Teens use Facebook to communicate with each other all the time. Not only will you have unnecessary access to the comments of your own teenager, you’ll also be viewing the wall posts, status comments and photos of their friends, too. If you’re not ready to see your teenager’s closest buddies in a new light, you shouldn’t be friends with your teen on Facebook.

You’ll Make Them Censor Themselves

If you’re friends with your teen on Facebook, you better believe they’ll censor their page for you. They’ll think twice about everything they post. They’ll first evaluate if it’s something they’re okay with you seeing or not. While it’s a good thing for them to be discerning with what they post, you don’t want to be the sole reason they have to censor themselves. Let your teen be a teen. They’ll be able to enjoy their social networking experience more if you’re not watching so closely.

You’ll Have to Censor Yourself

You’ll also have to make sure your page is appropriate for your teen to see, too. You won’t be able to post anything you don’t want them to see, like things they could make fun of or be upset by. But you have a personal life, too, and you don’t want to censor yourself, either. If you don’t friend your teen, you won’t have to worry about it. You can be yourself and enjoy Facebook without worrying about constantly playing the part of parent and role model.

Terry Ford wants to remind you that Facebook can be fun if you play carefully and always use a Grammar Checker.

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Promoting Family Togetherness With Communal Computing

Families are often fractured these days, whether through work or social commitments, marriage breakdown, the social lives of children – the list goes on. However it is so important for families to do things together, even when they are amazingly busy. One simple thing to do is to bring establish a family computer for use in a communal family area like the living room – it allows the family to learn and interact together, and is one simple way to promote togetherness as a positive thing.

Every member of the family can get something out of it. Not only is the family spending more time together, but they are doing it in safety and together. The more a family does together, the closer they are, and that’s a simple fact. It is also beneficial for members of the family to see what the others are doing – sort of broadening their horizons and learning new skill sets and concepts at the same time.

For example, the kids could get a lot out of seeing Mom and Dad explore different investment options and comparing online penny stock brokers to try and get a better deal. Not only does it introduce important adult concepts such as responsible investing, but also comparison and analysis. Parents can also help the older kids out by helping to search for jobs for teenagers online in an effort to earn extra money and learn responsibilities and time management.

All in all, moving a computer to a central communal location is a good idea for the whole family. IT promotes togetherness and safety online, which is always the most important issue. It’s important to be a part of each other’s lives, and encouraging a communal focus on online activities is one of the best ways to achieve that – after all the online world is here to stay, it is us that has to adapt.

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