Digital Citizenship

Misinformation in the form of fake or misleading news is on everyone’s mind these days. What are some questions you should be asking when you or your children analyze a news story for validity? Take a look at this chart from Project Look Sharp at Ithaca College, and think about printing it off for you and your children to use as a guide. Browse the site for other useful quick check guides such as Separating Fact from Fiction, and workshops that your school or parent–teacher groups might be interested in.

If you are using an Internet filter to block your children’s online contact with the negative elements of the online world such as bullies, predators, pornography and other inappropriate material, you might want to rethink your approach. A new study casts doubt on the effectiveness of these kinds of tools, finding that children with filtering software on their home computers were almost just as likely to encounter inappropriate material online as those without filtering software. They also found that those children who “got around” the filter were much less likely to report negative online experiences to their parents or other adults - a problem because it means that parents and kids are not talking about what to do when they encounter bad things online. As one US expert in the field said, “It’s really important to talk to your kids about how to keep their information safe online. If you would prefer your child not look at pornography, talk to them about what that means to you.”

If you are a parent, you probably have hundreds (if not thousands) of photos of your kids stored on your phone. If you have issues with storage space on your device, you know that photos are one of biggest storage hogs. While you can always transfer your pictures to your computer, there are other solutions to save your photos without ever having to plug in. USA Today featured a recent article on various apps that can help you store you pictures safely and for free, or very inexpensively. Some of the best options are Google Photos (free) and Amazon Prime (free if you are a subscriber) for both iPhone and Android users.

After all the speculation about “microwaves that turn into cameras”, the truth is that parents do need to be aware of the privacy and other safety issues of Internet-connected toys that are stuffed with more than just fluff. Last month, Motherboard reported that a company that sold internet-connected stuffed animals left more than 800,000 customer credentials and two million message recordings of children and parents on an exposed database. None of the data was protected behind a password or firewall. Additionally, a security researcher said anyone within range of a CloudPet could pair it with the Bluetooth connection, making it possible for anyone within distance to send and receive audio messages. That means strangers could connect to the toy and use it to communicate with your children.

While Internet connected toys are not necessarily bad, there are no regulations concerning privacy and security, so finding out what data a device collects and how it is being transmitted is something parents need to look up before setting a toy loose on the household. Before buying a smart toy, parents should research what data the device collects, how it is being stored, who has access to it, and if there is an option to opt out. This information usually isn't found on the box. That means a look at reviews, websites and news about the product is often necessary. Buyers might even want to contact the toy company directly or search their website for more details and updates.

Have your kids been talking about Uptime? YouTube is experimenting with the idea of social viewing of videos – whether all at the same time or asynchronously – and Uptime is the platform (app) they have launched. The app allows users to react with comments or emojis while watching videos, and those reactions are then seen by anyone else who watches the same video—even if they’re watching at a later time. Although YouTubeSocial, WeMesh, LiveLead, and AirTime have taken similar approaches to co-watching, Uptime has captured the teenage market with the capability to see reactions to the videos after posting. As with any new app, parents should be diligent in watching out for the potential for it to be used as a tool for cyberbullying as well.

Recent research shows fewer teenagers are using illicit drugs and alcohol, and Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, suspects that this trend directly correlates to the rise of digital devices. Volkow's upcoming research study will consider the possible role interactive media such as smartphones and computers play in the trend. Dr. Volkow describes interactive media as “an alternative reinforcer” to drugs, adding that “teens can get literally high when playing these games.”

Poor computer habits can affect productivity, increase stress, and compromise important data, writes Jessica Carrell of AnySoftwareTools. In a recent blog post, Carrell offers four tech habits ­that everyone should practice, including specific “how-to” instructions for each. While the post was written for teachers, but is applicable to anyone with a home computer.

According to a new report released recently by Common Sense Media, about half of the almost 900 children surveyed (ages 10 to 18) said that following the news is important to them, and 70 percent said that consuming news makes them feel “smart and knowledgeable”. Social media and family members are among the top news sources used by young people. That all sounds good, but there is a hitch that should alarm parents: kids in the survey readily admitted that they are fooled by fake news. That makes them distrustful of the news media, which is the very thing that can teach them about their world. Less than half of the children interviewed (44 percent) said that they can discern fake news stories from real ones, and of the kids who shared a news story online in the past six months, 31 percent said they posted a story that turned out to be inaccurate or wrong.

If you are debating whether or not to get your child a Smartphone, you may want to take a look at a list recently published by Time magazine. These 5 Smartphones Under $300 Are Perfect for Kids and Teens is a list of fully capable, durable smartphones that are on the low end of the price range. Each of them are unlocked, contract free and do not require any kind of commitment of service to purchase, making them a great choice for kids.

WikiLeaks recently published a trove of documents that appears to detail how the Central Intelligence Agency successfully hacked a wide variety of tech products, including iPhones, Android devices, WiFi routers and Samsung televisions. That’s just about every major category of consumer electronics. So what does that mean for you if you own one — or several — of these gadgets?

For many people, it may mean nothing at all. The thousands of pages of documents refer to programs that attacked outdated versions of the software systems running on devices, and many security vulnerabilities have since been patched. On the other hand, many people may still use outdated software on their devices. And although the C.I.A. designed these tools to spy on terrorists in the interest of national security, the hacking tools may have ended up in the hands of a whole range of entities. So even if you aren’t worried about what WikiLeaks revealed about the C.I.A. right now for yourself, this article from USA Today entitled 9 cybersecurity tips for the mildly paranoid (plus 4 for the truly anxious) with tips for protecting your cellphones and other digital tools is a good thing to look at just to remind yourself to be more careful. Bottom line: Remember to update, update, update!