Digital Citizenship

Watchdog groups continue to be worried about the growing popularity of “smart” Internet-connected toys that pose significant privacy, security, and other risks to children. If you have any concerns about new toys your children may have received for the holidays, you should check out the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use to figure out what information is actually collected from children, how it is used, or where it ends up. Two toys that have been flagged that are of particular concern to experts are the Genesis Toys’ My Friend Cayla and i-QUE Intelligent Robot, both of which can record and collect private conversations and offer no limitations on the collection and use of personal information.

As the battle against fake news continues, several websites have been created that allow you to verify sources of news articles. One article you may want to check out that includes an extensive list of fake news sites is Snopes' Field Guide to Fake News Sites and Hoax Purveyors. A great source to bookmark is RealorSatire.com, which allows you to post the URL of any article and it will quickly tell you if the article comes from a fake or biased news website. Also helpful are FactCheck.org and FirstDraftNews.com. Following them on Twitter and Facebook will yield a steady stream of informative posts. Teachers are also trying to deal with the problem of fake news, so it is a good idea for parents to discuss with their children who may be using the Internet for research on current events.

Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook have all announced that they will be sharing databases to prevent terrorist groups from using the sites to post content and recruit. "There is no place for content that promotes terrorism on our hosted consumer services," the companies said in a joint statement.

Given the recent discussions about the spread of fake news on social media, critics hope this new collaboration could potentially pave a path for the companies to work together on other initiatives going forward. The problem of false news raises questions about the potential role these companies should play in battling that content. Some feel these companies have no business being arbitrators of the news or what’s right and wrong — and it would be easy for the companies to keep themselves removed and escape all responsibility in the matter. However, because of their outsized influence on today’s web, these companies are beginning to wake up to the fact that they will be held accountable for the content shared on their platforms considering that content has the ability to influence everything from terrorist acts to how people perceive the world on a global scale.

With the stress of preparing for the holidays, having some of the best and latest apps on your digital device can help entertain kids when you need to do a few more minutes of shopping, wait in line at the post office or are delayed in traffic during holiday travels. For some new and seasonal apps, take a look at the Tech with Kids list of Holiday Apps, or the recently updated Best Apps for Toddlers list. Pretend Doctoring is another good resource as well.

A new analysis from Web analytics firm Jumpshot found that Facebook users are two-and-a-half times more likely to read fake news on the platform than news from reputable publishers. However, Millennial users were 16% less likely than the general population to click on a fake news story, with only 27% of 13-33 year-olds saying they always trust news on social media. With 79% of its traffic generated from Facebook, “Occupy Democrats” was the No. 1 fake news publisher in terms of referrals from the social network, followed closely by “American News” (78%), and “Addicting Info” (73%). By comparison, Huffington Post ranked highest among the actual news sites measured, with 29% of its traffic emanating from Facebook, followed by The New York Times (20%) and CNN (11%).

Whether it’s a custom keyboard or email subject line, brands are using emojis more than ever, but according to consumers they’re still getting it wrong. A YouGov survey done recently in the United Kingdom found that 58 percent of Millennials (ages 18 to 34) say brands using emojis in their messaging are “trying too hard.” The rest of the age spectrum feels about the same, although 53% of young people think mixing emojis with text does help people understand each other better. Emojis can be used to indicate sarcasm, imply inside jokes, and communicate other levels of meaning that don’t come across in quick texts. Need a guide to what those emojis mean? Try Emojipedia.

A report published recently by researchers at Data & Society has found that nearly half of the Internet users in the United States have been targeted by some form of online harassment. While men and women experienced harassment at the same rates, women were more likely to face “more serious violations,” according to the report. For instance, 1 in 10 female Internet users said they have faced sexual harassment online vs. 1 in 20 male Internet users, according to the survey on which the report is based. Women were also more likely to be harassed over long periods of time and subjected to damaging rumors.

Have you seen a pop-up alert saying your computer has been blocked and you need to call an 800 number to unlock it? What can you do to avoid this kind of scam? First, to get rid of the immediate problem, either close the pop-up window or if that doesn’t work, force-quit the browser: Hit the Command, Option and Esc keys on a Mac or the Ctrl, Shift and Esc keys in Windows, select the browser, and click “Force Quit” on a Mac or “End task” in Windows. Then read “Don't let sketchy pop-up ads scare you” on the USA Today site to understand more about where these scams come from and how to minimize your risk .

The Cyberbullying Research Center is a great cyberbullying resource for parents. The site goes way beyond facts and figures and has materials on cell phone safety, sexting, password safety tips for teens and a whole range of handouts, lists, scripts and more for discussing, reacting to and preventing cyberbullying.

Club Penguin, a Walt Disney Co. affiliate that is a virtual world designed for young kids, has become a venue for protests following the presidential election. Both supporters and protestors of President-Elect Donald Trump have been voicing their opinions about him on the app. This kind of protest may crop up on other kid oriented sites and apps as well, so even if your kids are not Club Penguin users, it is probably still a good idea to discuss keeping comments positive and to avoid getting into a war of words with others on sites like these that seem so innocuous to most adults.