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#Being13 Study Reveals Teens Check Social Media Up to 100 Times Per Day

In a new CNN study, “#Being13: Inside the Secret World of Teens,” child development experts studied the habits of over 200 eighth graders from around the country. Experts watched how teens used Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook in order to understand how and why teens use social media.

The study revealed just how connected teens are to social media and how disconnected they are with the world around them. It found that teens check social media accounts up to 100 times per day to see if anyone liked their posts or left comments (61%), see what their friends were up to (36%), and make sure no one was saying negative things about them (21%).

Teens are becoming addicted to social media because they love the affirmation they receive when their posts are well received, and because they are worried about how they are being seen in the social world. To teens, their social media world is as important as the real world, and they are struggling more and more with seeing the difference.

To learn more about how social media may be impacting your teen’s life and how you can help them disconnect, read the full #BeingThirteen article on CNN, “Why some 13-year-olds check social media 100 times a day.”

Image Source: CNN

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How to Have a Safe and Fun Halloween With Kids of All Ages

Halloween safety tips for kids

From costume advice to trick-and-treating rules, use these tips to make sure you have a fun and safe Halloween with your kids of all ages.

Tips for Kids Ages 0-5

Even small children and toddlers can be a part of Halloween festivities with the right planning.

Costumes

Make sure store-bought costumes have no choking hazards or loose buttons or accessories.

Toddlers love to be on their feet even though they are still a little wobbly. To ensure that can safely move around, hem long costumes and capes so children have no loose fabric to step on.

Before you put any makeup on your child’s skin (even if it is just a few dots on their cheeks), test the makeup in a small spot to make sure the product doesn’t irritate your child’s skin.

Events and Activities

Look around for events that specifically state that they are for younger children. Halloween is supposed to be spooky, but you don’t want it to be scary for your kids. Make sure that the events you are attending have specified that the event is friendly for small children.

Trick and Treating

Toddlers will likely want to walk during some of their trick-or-treat experience. But don’t let them walk on their own in dark or crowded areas.

Smaller kids may be unable to eat the candy they collect. Let them enjoy the fun of putting candy in their bag, but don’t let them put anything in their mouth until you have inspected and approved it.

Tips for Kids Ages 6-11

At this age, kids are a little more independent and will want to experience more Halloween activities. But you should still put rules in place to make sure they have a safe Halloween.

Costumes

On Halloween, kids may come in close contact with decorative candles and flames. So it’s important that their costumes are flame-resistant. Check the labels before you buy any costume or accessory to ensure it is resistant to fire.

Events and Activities

Kids at this age may still be a little too young to carve their own pumpkins, but they can get involved with the activity another way. Let them scoop out the insides of the pumpkin, and instead of carving designs, let them draw faces on pumpkins with markers.

Trick and Treating

Set candy rules early on. Kids should not eat any of the candy that makes it into their bag until their parents have inspected it.

Tips for Kids Ages 12-17

Preteens and teens are still old enough to want to enjoy Halloween, but often want to do it on their own. If your kids are going to celebrate Halloween on their own, make sure they are equipped with tools and knowledge to keep them safe.

Costumes

When kids are trick-or-treating on their own, you want to be extra careful about the visibility of their costume. If your child is in a dark costume, add LED lights or glow stick jewelry to make sure they stand out in the dark.

Trick and Treating

Before your kids walk out the door, lay out a map of their intended trick-or-treat route.

Kids this age probably won’t wait to get home to eat a few pieces of candy. So teach them how to inspect their candy on their own. They should only eat candy in commercially-wrapped packages from neighbors that they know. Everything else should wait until you can inspect it.

Set check-in times when kids need to update you on their status and location.

Halloween Safety App

If your kids are trick-or-treating on their own for the first time, it can be a little nerve-racking to let them go on their own. But with the MamaBear, The Ultimate Parenting App™, you can have added peace of mind.

The app, which is free for both iPhones and Androids, can send you an automatic update when your child meets a certain destination. MamaBear doesn’t rely on your child remembering to check in with you, it automatically shows their location on the family map so long as they have it running properly on their phone. With MamaBear  you can enjoy a more relaxed evening while your kids have a fun and safe Halloween.  

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Wait to Update to iOS 9

We’re loving the new iOS 9 features but you may want to wait a while before you update. Since the original release of the new operating system from Apple on September 16, an update to fix “minor bugs” was released on September 23 with iOS 9.0.1.  Yet, Forbes is reporting there are still some vulnerabilities. Perhaps Apple will release another “bug fix” update or we may have to wait until iOS 9.1 which may be weeks away.

MamaBear customers may also be experiencing an app crash if already updated to iOS 9.  We’ll have an app update available in the next couple of weeks to patch up any issues regardless of your operating system version.

If you’ve already updated  or plan to soon, be careful with the Wi-Fi Assist feature.  It automatically allows your phone to download data via your cellular plan when Wi-Fi coverage isn’t great.  This feature is rather helpful, particularly for apps like MamaBear needing the connectivity to provide you reliable information, but it could eat up your data.  Read more at USA Today.

Our recommendation for now is to wait to update.

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Table Talk: How to Stop Kids from Oversharing on Social Media

How to Stop Kids from Oversharing on Social Media

 

Anneli-Marie R. was a normal 17-year-old walking her dog one evening in the countryside of Eastern Germany.

When Anneli-Marie didn’t return  that night, her father went to look for her. He spotted her dog, but she was nowhere to be found. Then, her parents received a distributing call.

Kidnappers, claiming to have Anneli-Marie, called her parents and requested a ransom of over $1 million in exchange for her safe return.

anneli-marie-r

A Tragic Loss for One Teen’s Family

The parents obliged and promised to do whatever they could to get their daughter back. But the exchange never took place as the kidnappers panicked and cut contact with the parents. They later killed Anneli-Marie and left her body on a farm near her home.

Two men —  Markus B., 39, and Norbert K., 61 — were arrested in the murder that took place in mid-August. The men were familiar with both Anneli-Marie and her father, a local businessman, when they abutted the girl from the street.

One of the men lived near the victim, and police believed that before the kidnapping, the man scouted the location and researched Anneli-Marie on Facebook.

The Scary Truth About Social Media Sharing

It hasn’t been said exactly what information the men found by researching Anneli-Marie on Facebook. But knowing that the girl’s kidnappers studied her Facebook page highlights some of the scary realities of social media profiles.

Through social media, strangers can begin to identify a person by sight and even learn about their habits and activities.

Public social media profiles send out more information than we realize, and that danger is amplified when users overshare through social media.

Related Post Table Talk: Viral Video Shows the Reality of Online Stranger Danger

How to Talk to Your Kids About Oversharing on Social Media

Oversharing on social media is common among kids and teens as they don’t realize the full reach of their posts. As parents, you need to explain to your kids why oversharing is dangerous for them and everyone in the family and arm your kids with best practices that will protect them.

Here are a few of our recommended best practices:

Set Profiles to Private. There are multiple privacy settings on each social media site. Before your child joins any social site, review the privacy options and decide on the safest settings together.

Never Accept Requests from Strangers. When you approve a friend or follower, they often get additional access to your information and updates. Never accept a friend request unless you have met the person in real life and you know them well. Don’t accept someone just because you have many mutual friends online.

Don’t Overshare Personal Information. Certain information should never be shared on social media including photos that might indicate information such as:

  • address
  • phone number
  • school name
  • social security number
  • passwords

Don’t Share Your Life in Real Time. While it is common for teens to share their life on social media as it is happening, it is better to share after an event or experience. If your family is going on vacation, tell your teen not to mention it on social media as it can signal to followers that nobody is home at your house. It is also unsafe to share your location as it makes it easy for stalkers to know where you are at the exact time.

As you teach your children best practices for managing their social media accounts, it is a good idea to follow up and ensure they are doing what you taught them.

You can use the MamaBear app, Peace of Mind Parenting™ app to easily monitor your child’s social media sites all in one place. The free app, available for iPhones and Androids, connects your account with your child’s so you can keep an eye on their activity in real time, further protecting them in the often scary world of social media.