This is interesting in light of criticism by state attorneys general of the peer-reviewed research in the Internet Safety Technical Task Force report this month: a just-released study from the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use (CSRIU). The attorneys general have said the research is outdated (it's actually not, but see the Wall Street Journal) and not enough about predators in … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania case study: Social-networking risk in context
Search Results for: Safety by design
New sites & services for kids, tweens, teens
I haven't done this in a while - written about products and services - so here's the caveat up front: These are not product reviews or tests; they're meant to spotlight options for parents to consider and trends in youth tech. 1. Safe playgrounds for kidsIt's like there's a "walled garden" trend afoot! Four of these services - three new ones and one tried and true - immediately come to mind. The … [Read more...] about New sites & services for kids, tweens, teens
Virtual Worlds field trip
One of the most interesting comments made at the second-annual Virtual Worlds Conference I attended in L.A. this week was from Jon Landau, producer of Titanic and of a project-in-progress called Avatar. Landau said, "I grew up being taught to worry about 'big brother'; with the Internet we have to worry about little brother." I don't think anybody else heard that quite as acutely as an advocate of … [Read more...] about Virtual Worlds field trip
Top 8 workarounds of kid virtual-world users
It stands to reason that bullying happens in kids' virtual worlds (e.g., Club Penguin, Webkinz, Neopets, Nicktropolis, etc.), because, well, it happens in school, instant messaging, and social-networking sites. But I hadn't learned how it happened until Sharon Duke Estroff called me about it. The Atlanta-based parenting columnist, former elementary school teacher, kids' pop culture expert, author, … [Read more...] about Top 8 workarounds of kid virtual-world users
Phone-based ‘icebreaker’
A new "real-space social networking" product for iPhones, iPod Touch devices, and laptops called iFob is a sign of the way social networking is going. It's marketed as being "simple, fun, and gamelike," and it probably is in the right hands. "Instead of logging onto a social networking site and searching through lists of far away strangers who may be living in virtual fantasy lands, iFob finds … [Read more...] about Phone-based ‘icebreaker’