Blog

It’s a difficult subject to come to terms with, but the statistics are all too clear. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among those aged 10-24. More than 5,000 American kids from grades 7-12 attempt suicide each day. Surviving one’s teenage years can be a challenge in the best of circumstances. Social pressures, the physical and emotional transformation into adulthood - it’s an intense phase of one’s life and often fraught with inner turmoil. And although many kids…

Cyberbullying on the Rise We’ve all heard about online bullying, but what exactly can parents do to prevent or stop it from happening to their own kids? It’s a real concern and from what I’ve seen lately, it appears that incidents of online bullying are on the increase. A few years ago, it was estimated that around one in five kids were victims of cyberbullying - the latest figures I’ve seen revealed that more than 40 percent of young people…

We hear a lot these days about teenagers and their smartphone usage. It’s generally known and accepted that teens have a tendency to become addicted to their mobile phones and tablets, and that there are all sorts of potential dangers to be found online. But what about preteens? Children are using smartphones and going online at earlier ages than ever and they deserve monitoring and protection just as much as older kids. In fact, in some ways, younger children need…

The phenomenon known as 'sexting' is becoming increasingly common among children and teens, and it's causing serious concern among parents and authorities. It's not just a question of what's morally acceptable or appropriate for a certain age group, the practice of sending nude photos of minors over the internet is illegal – even if they are only being shared among two minors. What is sexting? Sexting involves the sharing of sexually suggestive or explicit content over the internet – strictly…

Along with the rise and now-nearly universal usage of smartphones and mobile devices, there has also been a huge increase in the popularity of Instant Messaging (IM) platforms, especially among young people. The strict definition of an IM is a platform designed to allow users to send and receive text messages instantly, but over the years the lines have become blurred between instant messaging apps and social media platforms, and the functionality of IM apps has also expanded to include…