Digital Smarts Blog

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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.

In keeping with that oft-repeated phrase “there’s an app for that,” now comes Oyoty. Oyoty is a chatbot is designed for children aged up to 12 who are active on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). It acts as a personal assistant of sorts via a smartphone or tablet, and automatically scans what kids are posting publicly. It will intervene by flagging problem posts to children themselves to help them understand why it’s not a good idea to share - whether it be an overly provocative selfie or posting personal information. The interventions are also structured so the child is guided to edit or delete the content themselves, keeping them involved in the process of their own moderation – again with the aim of helping them understand what is and is not appropriate to share online. If the child refuses to moderate their own content, the bot can and will escalate issues directly to parents via an alert — the default setting being three days after no action has been taken by the child to resolve a problem. The hope is clearly that kids will agree to rethink any problems before the bot has to get parents directly involved. This app is so new that there is no feedback yet on how well it works, but this use of Artificial Intelligence is an interesting new tool for parents who are trying to “trust but monitor”.

In keeping with that oft-repeated phrase “there’s an app for that,” now comes Oyoty. Oyoty is a chatbot is designed for children aged up to 12 who are active on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). It acts as a personal assistant of sorts via a smartphone or tablet, and automatically scans what kids are posting publicly. It will intervene by flagging problem posts to children themselves to help them understand why it’s not a good idea to share - whether it be an overly provocative selfie or posting personal information. The interventions are also structured so the child is guided to edit or delete the content themselves, keeping them involved in the process of their own moderation – again with the aim of helping them understand what is and is not appropriate to share online. If the child refuses to moderate their own content, the bot can and will escalate issues directly to parents via an alert — the default setting being three days after no action has been taken by the child to resolve a problem. The hope is clearly that kids will agree to rethink any problems before the bot has to get parents directly involved. This app is so new that there is no feedback yet on how well it works, but this use of Artificial Intelligence is an interesting new tool for parents who are trying to “trust but monitor”.

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.

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.

Experts from the American Council on Exercise say games and apps, even those that may not be fitness-focused, can be incorporated in long-term workout regimens. A recent article titled How to Gamify Your Fitness Routine on the US News and World Report Wellness site proposes that apps make fitness more fun, provide incentives to be active, and make exercising more social. They recommend using games or apps that gradually increase the intensity of your workout and urge users to look for variety to keep the physical activity enjoyable.

Experts from the American Council on Exercise say games and apps, even those that may not be fitness-focused, can be incorporated in long-term workout regimens. A recent article titled How to Gamify Your Fitness Routine on the US News and World Report Wellness site proposes that apps make fitness more fun, provide incentives to be active, and make exercising more social. They recommend using games or apps that gradually increase the intensity of your workout and urge users to look for variety to keep the physical activity enjoyable.

It seems like just yesterday that the only concern parents had about their children using the Internet was talking to strangers. While that worry is certainly still valid, the evolution of the Internet has brought about even more concerns. Fake news and sources, disguised as valid and vetted information, has been a big issue lately for both kids and adults. Facebook, which many Americans use as their only news source, is making plans to crack down on fake news stories after being criticized as a source of misinformation during the election. What can you do as a parent about helping your kids (and yourself) be more careful about detecting misinformation in news stories on Facebook and elsewhere? Take a look at the article  Here's how to outsmart fake news in your Facebook feed and read over Snopes’ Field Guide to Fake Sites. Then sit down and talk to your kids about misinformation and how to help fight its spread.

It seems like just yesterday that the only concern parents had about their children using the Internet was talking to strangers. While that worry is certainly still valid, the evolution of the Internet has brought about even more concerns. Fake news and sources, disguised as valid and vetted information, has been a big issue lately for both kids and adults. Facebook, which many Americans use as their only news source, is making plans to crack down on fake news stories after being criticized as a source of misinformation during the election. What can you do as a parent about helping your kids (and yourself) be more careful about detecting misinformation in news stories on Facebook and elsewhere? Take a look at the article  Here's how to outsmart fake news in your Facebook feed and read over Snopes’ Field Guide to Fake Sites. Then sit down and talk to your kids about misinformation and how to help fight its spread.

A study in the Journal of Medicine and Pediatrics found that children who used mobile media devices such as smartphones and tablets at bedtime were more likely to have sleeping difficulties, inadequate sleep time and poor daytime function than those who didn't use such devices. The findings were based on pooled data from 20 studies involving 125,198 children ages 6 to 18, and found that among those who had access to a screen device at bedtime at least three times a week, there was an 88 percent increased risk for not getting enough sleep (defined as at least 10 hours a night for children and nine for adolescents), and a 53 percent increased risk of poor sleep quality. Even having an unused device in the bedroom increased the risk for sleep problems. Although this may all sound alarming, the authors acknowledged the studies had limits. All the data was observational and depended on self-reports, which can be unreliable. Also to be kept in mind is that poor sleep habits in and of themselves can lead to increasing use of devices.

A study in the Journal of Medicine and Pediatrics found that children who used mobile media devices such as smartphones and tablets at bedtime were more likely to have sleeping difficulties, inadequate sleep time and poor daytime function than those who didn't use such devices. The findings were based on pooled data from 20 studies involving 125,198 children ages 6 to 18, and found that among those who had access to a screen device at bedtime at least three times a week, there was an 88 percent increased risk for not getting enough sleep (defined as at least 10 hours a night for children and nine for adolescents), and a 53 percent increased risk of poor sleep quality. Even having an unused device in the bedroom increased the risk for sleep problems. Although this may all sound alarming, the authors acknowledged the studies had limits. All the data was observational and depended on self-reports, which can be unreliable. Also to be kept in mind is that poor sleep habits in and of themselves can lead to increasing use of devices.

Would your child do better working with a stylus to communicate with their computer or tablet? Peter West, director of e-learning at Saint Stephen's College in Australia writes that research on the subject may point to that notion. For example, recent studies found that students who took hand written notes performed significantly better than those who typed lecture notes. Other research has shown that student performance solving science and math problems improved when using a pen or stylus rather than a keyboard, as well as all around creativity and problem solving. Looking at a stylus ready device is perhaps something to think about when purchasing a new tech device or computer for your children.

Would your child do better working with a stylus to communicate with their computer or tablet? Peter West, director of e-learning at Saint Stephen's College in Australia writes that research on the subject may point to that notion. For example, recent studies found that students who took hand written notes performed significantly better than those who typed lecture notes. Other research has shown that student performance solving science and math problems improved when using a pen or stylus rather than a keyboard, as well as all around creativity and problem solving. Looking at a stylus ready device is perhaps something to think about when purchasing a new tech device or computer for your children.