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	<title>cyberbullying - Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</title>
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		<title>Do you think your teen talks to you about online risk?</title>
		<link>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2017/03/10/do-you-think-your-teen-talks-to-you-about-online-risk/</link>
					<comments>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2017/03/10/do-you-think-your-teen-talks-to-you-about-online-risk/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Jennifer Weeks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Mar 2017 18:42:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting, Teens & Digital Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/?p=474</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>My last post detailed research presented last year by Dr. Wisniewski . Today&#8217;s post will highlight research she presented just a week or two ago, the end of February, at the CSCW conference. Dr. Wisniewski and her colleagues continue to generate wonderful research that has real time applicability to parenting in the digital age. Very [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2017/03/10/do-you-think-your-teen-talks-to-you-about-online-risk/">Do you think your teen talks to you about online risk?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="bsf_rt_marker"></div><p><img data-tf-not-load="1" fetchpriority="high" loading="auto" decoding="auto" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-479" src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock-474858297.jpg" alt="Daughter looking a phone and ignoring her mother" width="714" height="489" /></p>
<p>My <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/2017/03/06/rethinking-online-safety-apps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last post</a> detailed research presented last year by Dr. Wisniewski . Today’s post will highlight research she presented just a week or two ago, the end of February, at the CSCW conference. Dr. Wisniewski and her colleagues continue to generate wonderful research that has real time applicability to parenting in the digital age.</p>
<p>Very little is known from the research community about whether teens actually communicate the risk they experience online with parents. Each parent may have their own thoughts about their own child’s exposure to risk and communication of that exposure but there is no way to really know the truth.</p>
<p>In the research presented last week, Dr. Wisniewski had 68 teen-parent pairs fill out weekly online diaries that cataloged the risks the teen experience online, whether the teen intended the risk to occur and how they felt about the incident. The parents were also asked to log incidents of risk that child came to them to disclose the risk encounter. The researchers then looked to see how many “matched” reports existed. A matched report was a risk diary entry made both by the parent and the teen.</p>
<p>First, let’s talk about risk. What types of risk does a teen face online? For the sake of this research, the risks were broken down into four categories. 1) information breaches – these are situations in which a teens personal information or photo is being used or shared online without their permission. 2) Online Harassment – This is cyberbullying or negative online interactions that make the teen feel unsafe, threatened or embarrassed. 3) Sexual Solicitations – these are sexting or requests for sexual content that can come from friends, acquaintances or strangers. 4) Exposure to Explicit Content is either voluntary or accidental viewing of pornography or violent content online.</p>
<p>So, what did the researchers find? Well, in a nutshell, not much matching. They found that only 15% of risk reports were matched, meaning that most of the time, parents and teens were very out of synch on what they considered risk or what they reported.</p>
<p>Parents reported much less risk than their children did. Many teens did not share exposure to explicit content or information breaches with their parents. These tend to be viewed as low risk by teens and it is hypothesized that therefore the information is not shared with parents. While parents tended to report low risk issues, teens reported more medium level risks.</p>
<p>Another interesting finding from the study involves what the researchers called Risk Agency. Basically, this looked at whether anyone was “at fault.” Was a risk accidental or intentional? Teens more frequently shared that risk exposure was accidental and parents tended to assume that their children were either victims or intended to engage in risk. Parents tended to assume that things that were accidentally viewed by their children were intentional.</p>
<p>In my work with parents, I often stress communication. This study also looked at parent teen communication. In most cases, teens did NOT tell their parents about risk they experienced online. The bigger problem is that the parents THOUGHT that their teens were talking to them when they were not. When teens did talk to parents, it was to ask them for help or when they were shocked by content they had seen. Another main reason why teens did not tell parents about risk exposure was the fear that the parent would react negatively. They didn’t want to be punished for things that were not their fault. Teens also did not want to hear a lecture from their parents that involved reprimand. Teens tended to find the reactions of parents: grounding, taking away phones, disallowing social media, etc. to be too harsh.</p>
<p>What are the practical take aways from this study? First, teens only tell their parents about 28% of the risk they encounter online. Parents under estimate risk and over estimate how much their child tells them. Teens tend to think many online risk situations are “no big deal.” Teens also find parents as lecturing, reactive and judgmental about risk they do share.</p>
<p>The study and clinical practice suggest that parents need to work hard to improve their communication with their teen about online activity, risk and resilience. If a parent can share discussions with their child about how to manage online risk before it happens in a nonjudgmental, non-lecturing manner, they will likely increase the chances of their teen talking to them about their online experiences. If parents want to know what is going on in their teens online world, they need to specifically ask what is going on and not assume that their child will tell them.</p>
<p><a name="_GoBack"></a>For more information on Dr. Weeks please see our company <a href="https://www.sexualaddictiontreatmentservices.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>. You can find The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Age-Sex-Education-Pornography/dp/1483575209/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1489152994&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+new+age+of+sex+education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Age of Sex Education: How to talk to your teen about cybersex and pornography in the digital age </a>on amazon.</p><p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2017/03/10/do-you-think-your-teen-talks-to-you-about-online-risk/">Do you think your teen talks to you about online risk?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<title>Sexting in 8th Grade – Part II</title>
		<link>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/09/27/sexting-in-8th-grade-part-ii/</link>
					<comments>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/09/27/sexting-in-8th-grade-part-ii/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Jennifer Weeks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 2016 16:56:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting, Teens & Digital Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sexual Abuse & Exploitation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[primary prevention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sexting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/?p=411</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Sexting in 8th Grade &#8211; Part I Last week I shared the story of my long time friend&#8217;s experience with her child early in the school year:&#160;Her 5th grader watching her 8th grade friend sexting on the bus.&#160; As you might imagine, the story does not end there.&#160; After the initial conversation with her daughter, [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/09/27/sexting-in-8th-grade-part-ii/">Sexting in 8th Grade – Part II</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="bsf_rt_marker"></div><p class="has-text-align-center is-style-plain has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph" style="background-color:#9df1cf">This post contains affiliate links. The author or blog owner may earn a commission if you make a purchase using these links.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-medium"><img data-tf-not-load="1" decoding="async" width="300" height="200" src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock_8333747_medium-300x200.jpg" alt="iStock_8333747_MEDIUM.jpg" class="wp-image-418"/></figure>



<p class="has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/09/20/sexting-in-8th-grade/">Sexting in 8th Grade &#8211; Part I</a></strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Last week I <a rel="noopener" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/sexting-in-8th-grade/" target="_blank">shared the story</a> of my long time friend’s experience with her child early in the school year: Her 5<sup>th</sup> grader watching her 8<sup>th</sup> grade friend sexting on the bus. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As you might imagine, the story does not end there. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After the initial conversation with her daughter, which went amazingly well because she talks to her children about the hard stuff, she is left with the question of “now what?”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The “now what” question is not about what to do with her own child, she will keep up the open communication with her. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The question is what to do with the information she now possesses: <em>that this young girl is sending pictures of herself to boys in the school</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Options for &#8220;Now What&#8221;</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As we continued our conversation, we worked through the options. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My friend’s first option is to do nothing and not tell anyone about the behavior. This option did not sit well with my friend. She felt that if this was her child who was sexting on the bus, she would want to know so she can address the behavior.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The next option was to tell an administrator at the school that a child was sexting on the bus. This option also did not sit too well with my friend. </p>



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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In telling someone at the school, the girl would possibly end up getting in a lot of trouble. It also opened up the opportunity for a large scale “sexting scandal” like those we read about in the papers. My friend is not one to try to make chaos and drama, so a large scale investigation and possible scandal were out.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Option number three was to talk to the parents of the girl. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This sounds like a straight forward option, but in talking about this option, we realized it is not as straight forward as it seems. First, would the parents of the girl be able to hear the news of their child’s behavior without being defensive, in denial or reactionary? Though my friend knows the parents from the community, she does not know them well enough to gauge what type of reaction they will have to the news.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="200" src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2022/10/max-harlynking-eyfaunEy9dM-unsplash-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1672"/></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What outcome do we hope for?</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The other concern in telling the parents, is that they will, inevitably, (we hope) address the sexting behavior with their child. It will be quite obvious to the girl where the news came from. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My friend feared for the ramifications this might have on her daughter. Would she be labeled a “snitch?” Would she be ostracized by this friend or by other kids at the school? Would there be a social consequence for her daughter for telling her parents what was happening on the bus? </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Though, as adults, we might not think these are big concerns, they are huge concerns to a child in school, where the social environment is hugely important. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Add to this the fact that my friend’s daughter did not want her to tell the other girl’s parents out of her fear for any of the aforementioned possible consequences.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the end, my friend decided that she is both a parent and a responsible person. She would want someone to tell her if her child was sexting. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">She also has a real fear for what may happen to the young girl who is sexting and does not want her to experience any long term consequences from her behavior. She continues to talk to her own child about the entire experience. Luckily, her daughter is a pretty amazing kid (like her mom) and has already decided to distance herself from the friend because the friend’s behavior makes her uncomfortable.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I share these stories for several reasons. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">First, real life accounts are often more powerful than book learning. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Second, I want you all to know that even if you talk to your kids proactively about cybersex, it doesn’t end there. There will be tricky landscapes to navigate throughout their school career.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center is-style-plain has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph" style="background-color:#9df1cf">This post contains affiliate links. The author or blog owner may earn a commission if you make a purchase using these links.</p>



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<div class="wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile" style="grid-template-columns:15% auto"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2022/05/512Ku7xyUUL-150x150.jpg" alt="Cover of The New Age of Sex Education by Dr. Jennifer Weeks." class="wp-image-1078 size-thumbnail" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<p class="has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph">For an in-depth guide on talking to your adolescents about cybersex and pornography, check out Dr. Jen&#8217;s book. <a href="https://amzn.to/3DUl9X7">Amazon</a> | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-new-age-of-sex-education?utm_source=djrr&amp;utm_medium=pattern&amp;utm_campaign=new_age_book&amp;utm_content=end_left" target="_blank">BookBaby</a></p>
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<p class="has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph">Do you feel your sexual behavior, or that of someone you love, is out of control? <a href="https://sexualaddictiontreatmentservices.com/how-can-we-help/out-of-control-sexual-behavior-and-sexual-addiction/?utm_source=djrr&amp;utm_medium=pattern&amp;utm_campaign=sats_ocsb_treatment&amp;utm_content=end_right" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">consult with a professional</a>.</p>
</div><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock_000021298934_small-150x150.jpg" alt="Worried man with his hand on his head." class="wp-image-449 size-thumbnail" /></figure></div>



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<div class="wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile" style="grid-template-columns:15% auto"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock_000009950228_small-150x150.jpg" alt="Gavel and handcuffs on a laptop." class="wp-image-373 size-thumbnail" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<p class="has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph">Have you found yourself in legal trouble due to your sexual behavior? Seek assistance before the court mandates it, with <a href="https://sexualaddictiontreatmentservices.com/how-can-we-help/cybersex-offending-and-sex-offending/?utm_source=djrr&amp;utm_medium=pattern&amp;utm_campaign=sats_legal_trouble&amp;utm_content=end_left" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">Sexual Addiction Treatment Services</a>.</p>
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<!--/themify_builder_content--><p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/09/27/sexting-in-8th-grade-part-ii/">Sexting in 8th Grade – Part II</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<title>Parents are Disconnected from Generation App</title>
		<link>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/08/25/parents-are-disconnected-from-generation-app/</link>
					<comments>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/08/25/parents-are-disconnected-from-generation-app/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Jennifer Weeks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Aug 2016 14:12:31 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting, Teens & Digital Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sexting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/?p=402</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The digital world is ever changing and parents frequently have a hard time keeping up with what their children are doing online. Many parents are trying hard to lay down rules and boundaries regarding device use and cybersafety for their children. While these boundaries are wonderful and necessary things when parenting in the digital world, [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/08/25/parents-are-disconnected-from-generation-app/">Parents are Disconnected from Generation App</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="bsf_rt_marker"></div><p><figure id="attachment_306" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-306" style="width: 4992px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-306" src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock_000017847858_double-scaled.jpg" alt="Father And Son Using Laptop At Home" width="4992" height="3328" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-306" class="wp-caption-text">Father And Son Using Laptop At Home</figcaption></figure></p>
<p>The digital world is ever changing and parents frequently have a hard time keeping up with what their children are doing online. Many parents are trying hard to lay down rules and boundaries regarding device use and cybersafety for their children. While these boundaries are wonderful and necessary things when parenting in the digital world, a new study released by the National Cyber Security Alliance reveals that there is a very large “digital disconnect” between parents and their teens regarding teens’ online behavior, their online experiences and how they resolve online issues.</p>
<p>First, an update on how teens are using tech today (as of June 2016 when the study ended). Most teens are accessing digital content on their smartphones (86%). In second place are desktop computers (63%). Teens are spending a lot of time plugged in. The study found that for teens aged 13 to 17, they (62%) spend at least five hours a day plugged in.</p>
<p>Where are they going? Youtube is the place to be, with 91% of teens using Youtube consistently. As for social media apps, Snapchat is the current most popular app with (66%) of teens using this app and a close second is Instagram with 65% of teens using this social media app. Facebook is losing its prominence though 61% of teens surveyed are still using the social media site.</p>
<p>One of the most interesting findings of the survey is that parents think they are creating and enforcing rules around technology usage and cybersafety with their children. However, when their children are asked about these issues (away from mom and dad) there turns out to be a huge disconnect about the rules. For example, 67% of parents say that their child knows that they are to come to them when they experience an online incident that makes them uncomfortable or scared. However, only 32% of teens thought that this was a rule that existed in their family. Teens were much more likely to go to a peer to address the issue than they were their parents.</p>
<p>The study looked at 12 potential tech rules in a family. The difference between the percentage of parents who said a rule exists and their children who agreed was huge. For example, 54% of parents said that their child had to ask permission before downloading a new app or game and only 16% of their teens thought this rule existed. 50% of parents said that their child was required to share their passwords with them while only 16% of their teens reported this rule. Additionally, only 9% of parents said that their household had NO rules about tech while 28% of the teens thought that they had no rules.</p>
<p>These differences show that parents and their teens are not on the same page when it comes to tech use in the household. The good news is that teens still think that their parents are the most important source for online safety and security information.</p>
<p>These differences clearly highlight that though parents think that they may be doing a good job of communicating about tech to their children, the message is getting lost somewhere in translation. Parents need to take an approach to technology that makes it a common part of the household dialogue and conversation with their children. Though you can never make a teen talk to you, demonstrating some tech savvy yourself and talking to your child regularly about their digital world makes the topic commonplace and increases the chances that they will come to you when there is an online issue.</p>
<p>To access the full study, go to <a href="/Users/Jennifer/Downloads/Keeping_Up_With_Generation_App_Findings_Summary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">file:///C:/Users/Jennifer/Downloads/Keeping_Up_With_Generation_App_Findings_Summary.pdf</a></p>
<p>Find out how to talk to your teen about cybersex with Dr. Weeks’ new book:<a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Age-Sex-Education-Pornography/dp/1483575209/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1472134276&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+new+age+of+sex+education" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> The New Age of Sex Education: How to Talk to Your Teen About Cybersex and Pornography in the Digital Age.</a></p><p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/08/25/parents-are-disconnected-from-generation-app/">Parents are Disconnected from Generation App</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<title>Tech Updates for Aware Parents</title>
		<link>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/01/21/tech-updates-for-aware-parents/</link>
					<comments>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/01/21/tech-updates-for-aware-parents/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Jennifer Weeks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2016 19:43:32 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting, Teens & Digital Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sexting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/?p=322</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>In the ever changing world of mobile technology, it is hard to keep up with new apps and services. Fads come quickly and leave just as quickly. During the first half of this month, a few tech changes have occurred that a tech savvy parent might want to be aware of. This post is a [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/01/21/tech-updates-for-aware-parents/">Tech Updates for Aware Parents</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="bsf_rt_marker"></div><p><figure id="attachment_327" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-327" style="width: 4926px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-327" src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock_000046722832_double-scaled.jpg" alt="Father And Son Using Laptop At Dining Table" width="4926" height="3283" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-327" class="wp-caption-text">Side view of father and son using laptop at dining table</figcaption></figure></p>
<p align="LEFT">In the ever changing world of mobile technology, it is hard to keep up with new apps and services. Fads come quickly and leave just as quickly. During the first half of this month, a few tech changes have occurred that a tech savvy parent might want to be aware of. This post is a short recap of new things and changes. If you are interested, please dig further into the apps and/or new functions.</p>
<p align="LEFT"><u>Peach</u></p>
<p align="LEFT">At the beginning of the month, the founder of the video messaging app, Vine, launched a new app named Peach. This new app is more like a Twitter or Facebook than a traditional messaging app. Messages that are written are posted to a home page in real time. The app allows for video, gifs and traditional images. There is also a draw function in case you want to post a doodle. The app is officially only available for iOS systems.</p>
<p align="LEFT">Three days after it&#8217;s release, Peach was in the top ten for social networking apps in the iPhone app store. Whether it is the desire for something new or the media hype, it is clear that people are checking out the app. Only time will tell if it continues to be popular or quickly loses ground.  (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/peach-a-space-for-friends/id1067891186?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/peach-a-space-for-friends/id1067891186?mt=8</a>)</p>
<p align="LEFT"><u>Upshot</u></p>
<p align="LEFT">Upshot is being touted by technology bloggers as the Snapchat for events. This new app creates a cache of pictures from an event or location of an event such as a party. If the user chooses the autoshare option, any picture they take on their phone or via Snapchat will be posted on the Upshot private event stream that a user creates. The app syncs with Facebook events to make ensure a larger inclusion of photographs. Like Snapchat, the images do have a self destruct period. The stream will only be available for seven days after it has been created. The app is available for iPhones now with an Android launch in February.</p>
<p align="LEFT">The idea of Upshot sounds great. Create a private event for something like a baby shower or family reunion and everyone who is at the event (and who uses the app) can then see all of the photos of the event. I believe this is akin to the intent of the app as it is created by the same people who created the family Photosharing app called Togethera.</p>
<p align="LEFT">Upshot is given a 12+ rating for infrequent alcohol, tobacco or drug use. As with any social app, it can be used for great good. It seems like a great idea for parties and events. On the flip side, I would be concerned about the content of the Upshot albums when they are used at teen parties. We all know that some teens have used SnapChat to send sexual content. What happens if these types of images are uploaded onto Upshot from an event? Is the entire group on the private event then possibly in trouble for possessing sexual images of children? (<a href="http://www.upshotapp.co/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.upshotapp.co/</a>)</p>
<p align="LEFT"><u>Skype</u></p>
<p align="LEFT">You may be wondering why Skype is on this list as it just celebrated its 10<sup>th</sup> anniversary. On January 12, 2016, Skype just announced that it will be offering free group video calling that will be available on nearly all mobile devices. According to the company, nearly 750 million people around the world use Skype.</p>
<p align="LEFT">Though Skype is most frequently used in business and for legitimate reasons, there are some individuals who do use Skype to engage in sexual chat online. Be aware, that this group chat can now occur.</p>
<p align="LEFT">As always, this blog post is not meant to be an in-depth look into any of these apps or advancements. For more information, please check out the company sites to determine if you think the app is appropriate for your child to use.</p>
<p align="LEFT"><u>Yik Yak</u></p>
<p align="LEFT">Yik Yak is an anonymous social network app that is popular among college students. I have written about the app previously on other blog posts. The company announced yesterday that the app is now going to also be available in a web version. The web version is fundamentally the same as the app but allows a user to type out their messages on a keyboard for ease of use or for when phone battery is dying.</p>
<p align="LEFT">When Yik Yak was originally created, the app was a problem with high school students but the founders, in a responsible move, geofenced the app around high schools and middle schools so it cannot be used in those locations.</p>
<p align="LEFT">For more posts like this, please see <span style="color:#000080"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.thenewageofsexeducation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.thenewageofsexeducation.com</a></u></span></span>.</p><p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2016/01/21/tech-updates-for-aware-parents/">Tech Updates for Aware Parents</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<title>Empowering Kids to Cope with Online Risk</title>
		<link>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/07/13/empowering-kids-to-cope-with-online-risk/</link>
					<comments>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/07/13/empowering-kids-to-cope-with-online-risk/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Jennifer Weeks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2015 12:27:32 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting, Teens & Digital Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/?p=251</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Part of my goal to slow down this summer is to catch up on my reading. Recently, I was introduced to the work of several researchers at Penn State&#160;(Wisniewski, Jia, Carroll, Xu &#38; Ronsen). This team of researchers from Penn State are in the College of Information Sciences and Technology and some of their work [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/07/13/empowering-kids-to-cope-with-online-risk/">Empowering Kids to Cope with Online Risk</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="bsf_rt_marker"></div><p><a href="https://mitigationaide.com/drjensrecoveryreadings/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/03/istock_000057190820large.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-212" src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock_000057190820large-300x200.jpg" alt="iStock_000057190820Large" width="300" height="200" /></a></p>
<p>Part of my goal to slow down this summer is to catch up on my reading. Recently, I was introduced to the work of several researchers at <a href="http://www.psu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Penn State</a> (Wisniewski, Jia, Carroll, Xu &amp; Ronsen). This team of researchers from Penn State are in the College of Information Sciences and Technology and some of their work relates to teen safety online.</p>
<p>This spring, the team of Penn State researchers presented data at the Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing Conference. The paper: <i>Preventative vs. Reactive. How Parental Mediation Influences Teens&#8217; Social Media Privacy Behaviors</i> won an award. Looking at parenting styles in relationship to teens&#8217; computer use is critical. The majority of what the average person is exposed to on the topic of teen safety involves filters and blocks. This is counter to what the research says is the most effective way to handle adolescents online behavior. Blocking something doesn&#8217;t make it go away and often creates secrecy as teens will find a way to get around the blocks or use an unfiltered device.</p>
<p>I have previously written about parenting style and how it affects kids’ behavior online. Each researcher defines parenting style differently. In this situation, two parental mediation strategies were defined. The first, Direct Parental Intervention, involves parents intervening through the use of parental controls on a device, filtering software and/or setting up social media privacy settings for them. The second mediation strategy, Active Parental Mediation, involves talking to the teen about the information they post and reviewing the information that the teen posts with them. This is a more communication based strategy.</p>
<p>In discussing this research, we also have to look at what they determined to be risky online behavior. The majority of what I write about is risky online sexual behavior, but there are other things kids do online that are risky. For this study, risky online behavior was defined as sharing of information such as name, birth date and relationship status, sharing of sensitive information such as videos, phone numbers and partaking in risky interactions which could be talking to strangers online or sharing location. They also looked at whether or not teens engaged in risk-coping behaviors which were defined as talking to others about the situation or taking corrected measures to counter the risk (blocking, deleting posts, closing an account.)</p>
<p>While both parenting styles are effective, they are so in different ways. Parents who directly intervene do have children who are more cautious online. These teens sought advice as to how to manage online privacy and didn&#8217;t really need to take any corrective actions. Therefore, this parenting style helped teens avoid risk.</p>
<p>Though avoidance of risk may feel like it is a good thing, this avoidance has some side effects. Direct intervention and avoidance may prevent teens from experiencing some of the benefits of the internet. It also does not teach kids how to cope with risk and learn from their mistakes. Children whose parents were active mediators did have more autonomy online. They did make more risky disclosures but were afforded the ability to learn how to deal with the online world. The authors suggest that “Parental active mediation allows teens to be more experiential and reflective because their parents are not attempting to directly control their social media privacy behaviors.” This research suggests, like the work of<a href="http://mindsetonline.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Carol Dweck </a>and others, that we need to make mistakes in order to learn how to cope and be effective.</p>
<p>The idea of allowing their child to take some online risks and engage in some risky online behaviors in terms of privacy might feel uncomfortable to many parents. Most parents fear that if their child is not monitored they will be more at risk for contact with strangers online. This is not necessarily so. The research indicated that teens connecting with strangers or being contacted by others in an uncomfortable manner is something teens worry about too. This risk taking behavior by teens was not associated with either parenting style, meaning that being more restrictive did not make this less likely to happen.</p>
<p>As I continue to <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/how-to-keep-kids-safe-online-and-build-trust/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advocate</a>, the research indicates that parents have to have open conversations with their children about these issues. You can&#8217;t just block and not discuss! The authors also suggested the need for parental monitoring software that can be used to facilitate conversations with parents and children. An app such as <a href="https://gopocketguardian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pocket Guardian</a> is a great solution as it does not block the device but alerts the parent when certain types of messages are received or sent.</p>
<p>We cannot prevent our children’s exposure to sex, risk and cyberbullying. This exposure happens even with the most stringent blocking software in place. We need to educate ourselves and our children. We need to have these difficult conversations. We need to teach children how to cope with risk in a healthy way.</p>
<p>To quote Dr. Wisniewski, “You don&#8217;t want to parent strictly based on fear, you want to parent based on empowerment.</p><p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/07/13/empowering-kids-to-cope-with-online-risk/">Empowering Kids to Cope with Online Risk</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<title>After School App adds with new safety features</title>
		<link>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/22/after-school-app-adds-with-new-safety-features/</link>
					<comments>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/22/after-school-app-adds-with-new-safety-features/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Jennifer Weeks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2015 00:46:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting, Teens & Digital Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online safety]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/?p=236</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>I sometimes wonder whether or not app developers read the news stories about apps that are like their own? Did After School not think that its app would suffer the same fate as Yik Yak or others before it? As a refresher, After School is an app that provides an anonymous site for high school [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/22/after-school-app-adds-with-new-safety-features/">After School App adds with new safety features</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="bsf_rt_marker"></div><p>I sometimes wonder whether or not app developers read the news stories about apps that are like their own? Did After School not think that its app would suffer the same fate as Yik Yak or others before it?</p>
<p>As a refresher, After School is an app that provides an anonymous site for high school age teens to post their thoughts and feelings on life with fellow high schoolers. The app, like others, quickly was used for cyberbullying and other inappropriate content posted by teens. After School did not close down the app after negative publicity but did work to retool its features. The goal was to stick to their mission and increase safety. The app now has a zero tolerance policy for hateful content.</p>
<p>The app also has created multiple layers to ensure safe posting by users. The first change is that now every single post on the app is reviewed by a human for approval before it is posted. This “Human layer” ensures that truly harmful posts will not even make it to the public forum. Another layer of safety included now involves potential self harm. If a user posts a message that may indicate they want to harm themselves, the app will ask the user if they want to actually talk to someone.</p>
<p>On the user end, other safety measures were added. After School now allows parents to restrict the app via passwords and to restrict the content of the app. Users are not allowed to use profanity unless they are at least 17 years old and the app can verify that by being shown a picture of the users ID.</p>
<p>I am pleased to see that these types of anonymous apps are taking safety precautions now but I wonder why these things are not in place from the time they launch the app. We know that some teens will use these apps to bully others and send mean messages. Why does it take bad press before an app creator takes safety precautions?</p>
<p>Learn more about what kids are doing online at <a href="http://www.thenewsageofsexeducation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.thenewsageofsexeducation.com</a></p><p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/22/after-school-app-adds-with-new-safety-features/">After School App adds with new safety features</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<title>PocketGuardian: New App to Help Parents Detect Sexting and Cyberbullying</title>
		<link>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/07/pocketguardian-new-app-to-help-parents-detect-sexting-and-cyberbullying/</link>
					<comments>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/07/pocketguardian-new-app-to-help-parents-detect-sexting-and-cyberbullying/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Jennifer Weeks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2015 14:22:09 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting, Teens & Digital Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sexting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/?p=226</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>As a clinician who is very interested in prevention, I always have my eye out for new strategies or ways to help parents be aware of what their children are doing online and on their smartphones. We all see enough news stories to know that, though not all children are sexting, a large enough number [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/07/pocketguardian-new-app-to-help-parents-detect-sexting-and-cyberbullying/">PocketGuardian: New App to Help Parents Detect Sexting and Cyberbullying</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="bsf_rt_marker"></div><p align="LEFT">As a clinician who is very interested in prevention, I always have my eye out for new strategies or ways to help parents be aware of what their children are doing online and on their smartphones. We all see enough news stories to know that, though not all children are sexting, a large enough number of kids are sexting, bullying and being bullied that we all need to be aware.</p>
<p align="LEFT">This morning I heard about a new app developed by two dads from Maryland who both happen to be software developers. According to an interview on<a href="http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/04/06/pocketguardian-app-developed-by-2-maryland-dads-helps-parents-know-when-its-time-for-a-talk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> CBS DC</a>, the dad&#8217;s were inspired to create this app after hearing about and discussing a news story about a student who committed suicide. The teens suicide was due to cyberbullying and the fall out of a nude photo being passed around. The dads developed a new app called <a href="https://twitter.com/PocketGuardian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PocketGuardian</a>.</p>
<p align="LEFT">Like myself, these two dads came to understand that most parents do not know what their children are doing and find out too late if they are sexting. The app they have developed is different from traditional monitoring apps or software. Traditional monitoring or filtering block a user from accessing inappropriate apps or websites. Some apps allow the parent to be privy to every single text the users sends and receives.<a href="https://twitter.com/PocketGuardian" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> PocketGuardian</a> is different. The app states that is NOT for spying.</p>
<p align="LEFT">PocketGuardian sends an alert to the parent if the app detects sexually explicit messages, nude photographs or text messages that could be seen as bullying. The app does not send the parent the full content of the message. This way, the parent can be alerted to what the child is doing but the child can maintain some sense of privacy. The parent can then initiate a discussion with their child about their behavior. I really like this model of monitoring. By the parents not seeing the exact message and being alerted only to the fact that there is an inappropriate message, the shame of being caught in this act might be lessened for the child. Also, the parent&#8217;s embarrassment might also be lessened, as they don&#8217;t know exactly what was said. Lessening the embarrassment of the parent increases the chances of them having a difficult discussion as we know from research that one of the main things that keeps parents from talking to their children about sex is embarrassment.</p>
<p align="LEFT">PocketGuardian has not yet launched but will be available for iOS and Android platforms. You can sign up on the website for information about the launch dates.</p>
<p align="LEFT">This is smart technology for smart and informed parents.</p><p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/07/pocketguardian-new-app-to-help-parents-detect-sexting-and-cyberbullying/">PocketGuardian: New App to Help Parents Detect Sexting and Cyberbullying</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<title>Burnbook:  Latest Anonymous App for teens</title>
		<link>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/01/burnbook-latest-anonymous-app-for-teens/</link>
					<comments>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/01/burnbook-latest-anonymous-app-for-teens/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Jennifer Weeks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2015 00:46:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting, Teens & Digital Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online safety]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/?p=219</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Anyone who has seen the movie Mean Girls instantly knows what this new app is all about. It is the latest in a series of apps that are designed for teens or young adults and offers a platform for anonymous posting. This app is new, published only about two months ago. It is specifically targeted [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/01/burnbook-latest-anonymous-app-for-teens/">Burnbook:  Latest Anonymous App for teens</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="bsf_rt_marker"></div><p><a href="https://mitigationaide.com/drjensrecoveryreadings/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/04/istock_000025093863_small.jpg"><img src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%27http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%27%20width='300'%20height='200'%20viewBox=%270%200%20300%20200%27%3E%3C/svg%3E" loading="lazy" data-lazy="1" decoding="async" class="tf_svg_lazy alignnone size-medium wp-image-80" data-tf-src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock_000025093863_small-300x200.jpg" alt="Friends Using Smart Phone While Leaning Against Wall" width="300" height="200" /><noscript><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-80" data-tf-not-load src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock_000025093863_small-300x200.jpg" alt="Friends Using Smart Phone While Leaning Against Wall" width="300" height="200" /></noscript></a></p>
<p>Anyone who has seen the movie Mean Girls instantly knows what this new app is all about. It is the latest in a series of apps that are designed for teens or young adults and offers a platform for anonymous posting.</p>
<p>This app is new, published only about two months ago. It is specifically targeted at high schoolers and allows them to engage in anonymous posting that is organized by their school. As with any of the app&#8217;s predecessors, there are already issues with its use among teens. The only rules seem to be these three: 1. a user is responsible for their content. 2. no nudity or violence and 3. don&#8217;t harass other people.</p>
<p>There have already been issues in schools in Oregon, Texas and California with issues of cyberbullying to bomb threats. Already, petitions have been created to remove the app from availability. The owner and creator of the app, Jonathan Lucas has had an interesting response. News sources have reported that the creator is turning the blame around. The app has a 17+ rating. He questions why children under 17 are using the app. Lucas stated that if a parent sets restrictions on the phone of their child, the child won&#8217;t be able to use it</p>
<p>In theory, these types of apps are great. Give teens a place to share thoughts and secrets anonymously. It is kind of like “dear diary” but with no worries about your sibling or mom or dad finding the diary and reading it. The problem is that the reality of these apps does not match their theoretical purpose. Perhaps it is human nature or at least adolescent nature to use these apps to share nasty comments, to bully, threaten or exclude others.</p>
<p>Though I am not a fan of these types of apps, I do feel that the founder, Mr. Lucas, has a very valid point. Is it not the duty of the parents to know what their children are doing on their phones? Wouldn&#8217;t it be better if parents understood what their children were doing online and paid closer attention? We live in a capitalist-driven technological world. Though a petition may shut down one app, another is sure to pop up in it&#8217;s stead.</p>
<p>The common denominator with all of these apps is: parents need to be more involved with their children&#8217;s digital lives. They need to know what is going on and to talk to their children about the apps they use and how they use them.</p>
<p>For more information on tech savvy parenting see our new book:  <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-new-age-of-sex-education/x/9442630" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New Age of Sex Education: How to talk to your teen about cybersex and pornography.  </a></p><p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/04/01/burnbook-latest-anonymous-app-for-teens/">Burnbook:  Latest Anonymous App for teens</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<title>SnapChat Safety Center</title>
		<link>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/02/13/snapchat-safety-center/</link>
					<comments>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/02/13/snapchat-safety-center/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Jennifer Weeks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2015 15:01:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting, Teens & Digital Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sexting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/?p=192</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>(Image from Snapchat website) News across the tech blogs yesterday informed us that Snap Chat has partnered with three non-profit safety organizations to help raise awareness of the safe use of its app. They also launched a safety center (www.snapchat.com/safety) which has sections for users as well as parents. The page is a great resource [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/02/13/snapchat-safety-center/">SnapChat Safety Center</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="bsf_rt_marker"></div><p><a href="https://mitigationaide.com/drjensrecoveryreadings/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/02/parents.png"><img src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%27http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%27%20width='300'%20height='76'%20viewBox=%270%200%20300%2076%27%3E%3C/svg%3E" loading="lazy" data-lazy="1" decoding="async" class="tf_svg_lazy alignnone size-medium wp-image-193" data-tf-src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/parents-300x76.png" alt="parents" width="300" height="76" /><noscript><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-193" data-tf-not-load src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/parents-300x76.png" alt="parents" width="300" height="76" /></noscript></a></p>
<p>(Image from Snapchat website)</p>
<p>News across the tech blogs yesterday informed us that Snap Chat has partnered with three non-profit safety organizations to help raise awareness of the safe use of its app. They also launched a safety center (<span style="color:#000080"><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration:underline"><a class="western" href="http://www.snapchat.com/safety">www.snapchat.com/safety</a></span></span></span>) which has sections for users as well as parents.</p>
<p>The page is a great resource for adult users. I imagine that the teens are not going to go to the safety site to check things out. There are separate resource pages for community rules, safety and for parents and teachers.</p>
<p>The safety section is limited. It does provide a link for setting up privacy settings and a link to report cyberbullying. The section does link to ConnectSafely.org’s page for cyberbullying. Connect Safely&#8217;s page on Cyberbullying is quite a wonderful resource. It provides information for kids on how to deal with bullies and it also clearly tells them it is not their fault. There is also a very nice section for parents that provides help and advice on how to deal with situations in which their child may be the recipient of cyberbullying.</p>
<p>The section for parents and children sends them to the ConnectSafely&#8217;s Parent&#8217;s Guide to Snapchat (<span style="color:#000080"><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration:underline"><a class="western" href="http://www.connectsafely.org/wp-content/uploads/snapchat_parents_guide.pdf">http://www.connectsafely.org/wp-content/uploads/snapchat_parents_guide.pdf</a></span></span></span>). As wonderful a job as ConnectSafely does in their guide for bullying, they drop the ball when it comes to sexting. The comments in the guide about sexting fall short. The guide states that news coverage calls Snapchat the sexting app (which is true) but most teens don&#8217;t share racy pictures on Snapchat. “But most people – including most teens &#8212; don’t use Snapchat that way. They use it because it’s fun.” In a later section on sexting the document repeats the statement that sexting is not as common as the media reports suggest. They do refer users to yet another page about sexting.</p>
<p>The advice on this page, Tips for Dealing with Sexting, tells parents to delete the pictures so they don&#8217;t risk having child pornography on their phone. Then parents are directed to have a conversation with the child about the pictures as well as the possible psychological and legal impacts. The rest of the advice is about whether or not to involve the school or call the police.</p>
<p>.Their advice on sexting falls woefully short of adequate. Parents should talk to their children about more than the legal aspects of possibly being charged with possessing child pornography. Shouldn&#8217;t parents also then talk to their children about sexting itself? Why do some teens engage in the practice? What does it mean in their social circle? What role does it play in their adolescent culture? What is the child&#8217;s own beliefs on sexuality and the practice?</p>
<p>I might sound nit picky, because Snapchat is at least doing something. This is definitely a step in the right direction. ConnectSafely is doing great work and trying to get the message out there. I simply wish that even among organizations that talk about sexting and sexuality on the internet, there was more of a discussion of actual sexuality and sex education as opposed to legal consequences.</p><p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2015/02/13/snapchat-safety-center/">SnapChat Safety Center</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<title>UPDATE:  After School App</title>
		<link>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2014/12/11/update-after-school-app/</link>
					<comments>https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2014/12/11/update-after-school-app/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Jennifer Weeks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:51:07 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Parenting, Teens & Digital Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online safety]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://drjensrecoveryreadings.wordpress.com/?p=169</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>According to the Techcrunch blog (http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/11/after-school-app-again-pulled-by-apple-after-more-school-shooting-threats/) the controversial app, After School was taken off of the app store sometime yesterday. It is unknown at this time if the app will return to the marketplace. This second removal comes after yet another round of issues including several youth using the app to make anonymous threats of [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2014/12/11/update-after-school-app/">UPDATE:  After School App</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="bsf_rt_marker"></div><p align="LEFT"><a href="https://mitigationaide.com/drjensrecoveryreadings/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/04/istock_000025093863_small.jpg"><img src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%27http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%27%20width='300'%20height='200'%20viewBox=%270%200%20300%20200%27%3E%3C/svg%3E" loading="lazy" data-lazy="1" decoding="async" class="tf_svg_lazy alignnone size-medium wp-image-80" data-tf-src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock_000025093863_small-300x200.jpg" alt="Friends Using Smart Phone While Leaning Against Wall" width="300" height="200" /><noscript><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-80" data-tf-not-load src="https://nrmedia.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dr-jens-recovery-readings/2023/10/istock_000025093863_small-300x200.jpg" alt="Friends Using Smart Phone While Leaning Against Wall" width="300" height="200" /></noscript></a></p>
<p align="LEFT">According to the Techcrunch blog (<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/11/after-school-app-again-pulled-by-apple-after-more-school-shooting-threats/">http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/11/after-school-app-again-pulled-by-apple-after-more-school-shooting-threats/</a>) the controversial app, After School was taken off of the app store sometime yesterday. It is unknown at this time if the app will return to the marketplace.</p>
<p align="LEFT">This second removal comes after yet another round of issues including several youth using the app to make anonymous threats of violence and shooting. Earlier this week it was reported that a student was arrested in Detroit based on threats.</p>
<p align="LEFT">What is becoming more clear is that teens (as well as adults) love an anonymous site. These sites can be used in the way they were intended, to post anonymous thoughts or feelings. However, with enough frequency to cause problems, they are used to bully or tease other teens on the app. They are also being used to threaten violence. It is unclear as if any of the teens arrested for violent threats had the intent or means to go through with the threats, but the posts are taken very seriously.</p>
<p align="LEFT">Though the apps are “anonymous” perhaps the teens are unaware that nothing on the internet is truly anonymous. There is always a way to locate the origin of a post. Additionally, these latest developments further the cause of parental involvement.</p>
<p align="LEFT">Parents, I continue to urge that you talk to your children about their technology. Are they on this app? Do they know friends who use it? Have they ever seen any bullying on the apps they use (this or others like it). Teach your children how to report bullying and violence on the apps they use and encourage them to talk to you about things they see that make them uncomfortable. Encourage your children to use such apps in a way that reflects well upon them. As Connectsafely.org says, “share thoughtfully.”</p><p>The post <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/2014/12/11/update-after-school-app/">UPDATE:  After School App</a> first appeared on <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com">Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
					
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