Parents can prevent a generation of pornography addictions...if they know what to do!
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Controlling what apps your child uses is an important part of modern parenting. For those families where both parents and kids are using Apple mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, & iPod) Apple has provided a feature called “Ask to Buy”!
Let us take a look at this very useful feature!
Remember:
An Apple ID is required for each person you wish to add to “Apple Family” and they must be signed into iCloud and iTunes
Have an iOS device with iOS 8 or later, or a Mac computer running YOSEMITE or later.
Android or Windows Phone users cannot be part or an Apple family
In late 2018 TUMBLR made the news by saying that it was going to remove all adult content, including images/videos with nudity or explicit sex, from the entire site. It seems that a significant number of the micro-blogs that TUMBLR facilitated contained adult material and there were no practical methods to restrict access.
Many parents and others who work to keep their children from inappropriate material cheered this announcement although others maintained a “wait-and-see” attitude. Fans of pornography were devastated and/or outraged.
NETGEAR + CIRCLE WITH DISNEY is an outstanding suite of parental control tools for parents who want to protect their children online, at home, or on the go! Previously, Knights’ Quest has primarily recommended using OpenDNS and built-in parental controls like Apple’s SCREEN TIME feature.
The problems were:
Not all devices had adequate, or even marginal, built-in parental controls.
OpenDNS only worked in your home.
There were other solutions, but they either were cumbersome, not widely deployed, or required violating a device’s security (i.e. Jailbreaking & Rooting).
Let’s take a quick look at NETGEAR + Circle With Disney (referred to as Circle from here on out) and see what all parents can do!
NOTE: (Oct 2019) While there are many NETGEAR + Circle With Disney products on the market, Circle has stopped supporting the apps and has launched CIRCLE HOME PLUS. Current users of the NETGEAR systems still have functionality, but the NETGEAR and original CIRCLE WITH DISNEY no longer allow new subscriptions. You can read my review of this new system HERE.
Well, soon Santa will be delivering hundreds of thousands of shiny new PLAYSTATION 4, XBOX ONE, Nintendo SWITCH consoles, as well as handheld systems! And this doesn’t include all the games that will be in stockings!
Unfortunately, as with all technologies, game consoles deliver content designed for people of many ages and beliefs. This requires parents to determine what is and isn’t appropriate for their family members based upon family beliefs, children’s ages, and children’s maturity levels & behaviors.
So, whether it’s your family’s first console, or 15th, let’s look at Game Ratings before getting the chimney ready for Santa to arrive!
I came across this video on Facebook this morning and wanted to share it with all of my blog readers.
It is NOT a “bash the Millennials” video. If anything, it serves as a reproach to the generation that raised them. Instead it is a discussion of how several factors, including technology (especially cell phones and social media) have impacted the Millennial generation in terms of happiness, relationships, and job satisfaction.
Watch it, now, and then read on.
The impact of technology on mental health is becoming more and more apparent. Consider the impact that this gentleman was discussing in terms depression and happiness. Then, look at the new reports that reveal that suicide rates since 1999 have increased by 30% in America.
30%!!!!
Not surprisingly, this time period also saw the rise in personal technology and communications, from the early days of AOL Instant Messenger to today’s numerous social media apps. In fact, studies are linking the rise in teen depression and suicide to the rise of smart phone use, as discussed here.
One of the most important points that this gentleman makes is that we do not have age limits on technologies that are doing the exact same things to our brains that alcohol, nicotine, and drugs do.
This is why my guidelines for phones and persona tech are:
If children MUST have a phone (and there are valid reasons why they may) then only give them a phone, not a mobile computer. There are still flip-phones for sale. If a child does have have a smart phone parents should disable/delete social media and web access. No, the child won’t like it, but that’s parenting….
It is crucial to set strong boundaries as to when and where phones/tablets may be used by children and youth! Consider these rules in the home:
For elementary age children, only allow them access to the phone/tablet WHEN THEY NEED IT, such as when they are away from home/family. This age group should not carry a phone around like a wallet, 24/7. Nothing should be distracting them from typical non-electronic play and activities (This applies to game systems as well.)
For middle school age children, set specific time limits and other controls on the phones, forcing them to have to interact in person, rather than through social media and chat.
High school students should have broader time limits, but should still have controls that limit access to social media and inappropriate content.
All phones (including Mom’s and Dad’s) should be charged in a central location, not in bedrooms.
If you feel that you need a phone in your bedroom for emergencies, get a “regular” phone. Such service may be part of your cable bundle, anyway.
Sit down to discuss why these rules are important with your spouse/co-parent, and with your children.
We’ll talk more about this in 2019, but keep this in mind as you plan your Christmas giving to your children.
Over the past couple of weeks there has been increasing coverage in the media concerning a potential new “suicide game” on the Internet: MOMO. As with most viral threats online, there are a lot of things being reported, including MOMO popping up in YouTube videos and even in the MINECRAFT Game. Momo is even being compared to 2017’s BLUE WHALE Suicide Game.
A friend of mine “video called” their daughter, who was at college, via the computer recently. She was surprised when her daughter’s web cam came on without the daughter taking any action! In fact, her daughter didn’t even appear to be home!
Scary!
Now, consider the 2010 scandal in the Lower Merion School District, near Philadelphia, in which built-in webcams on school-issued laptops could be, and were, remotely activated. This allowed District personnel to observe students even when they were at home, in the privacy of their own rooms! (Read about that here.)
Scarier!
Finally, there have been stories like this this that tell us that the FBI and NSA (among others) have long had the capability to remotely access phones, webcams, and computers. It’s a sure bet that more nefarious folk have those capabilities, too
All of this new technology is creating serious privacy concerns!
DISCLAIMER: I am not one of those who see a conspiracy or BIG BROTHER behind every tree. But, these situations exists and we need to know what can be done with OUR technologies, on OUR devices, in OUR homes so we can protect ourselves and our families.
There has been multiple reporting over the weekend that the VPNFilter Router malware issue is worse than originally thought. Whereas the original assessment was that VPNFilter enabled the hackers to use infected hardware to launch attacks elsewhere on the Internet, new analyses show that it can also target the end user’s data, even weakening security protocols (such as HTTPS, used when you visit your bank, email, and other “secure” accounts) and sending “payloads” in data streams in your network. Furthermore, they have seen evidence that the malware can be enhanced through “plug-ins” that can give it additional capabilities.
ALL users of consumer/small-office routers need to perform a firmware update followed immediately by a factory reset.
Here are a couple of the articles that have been released that have more details and instructions.:
The 3rd article lists those routers currently known to be at risk as well as links to various manufacturers’ pages with instructions on how to do the reset. Make sure that you follow the preparatory steps listed before doing the reset!
This is also a good opportunity to:
Change the WIFI Keys to a more secure key (12 characters minimum). (Tell the kids they have to finish chores to get the new key!) Keep in mind you will have to update the WIFI key on all WIFI devices in the house.
Create a new password for the router, itself.
If you change the WIFI keys make sure that you make a list of all devices that use your network such as:
WIFI printers
Laptops
Tablets
Phones
Smart TVs
Game consoles/systems
Streaming TV Boxes (ROKU, Apple TV, etc.)
Digital Assistants (Amazon ECHO, Google HOME, etc.)
etc.
Due to the danger posed by VPNFilter it is STRONGLY recommended that you perform the firmware update and factory reset as soon as possible.
You may want to share links to this and the previous article with friends and family members.
This past weekend the FBI issued a warning about a new malware (MALicious softWARE) called VPNFilterthat is infecting routers and which creates the VPNFilter botnet. Here is a link to the FBI news release:
The FBI’s recommendation was for everyone to “reboot” their routers to temporarily disrupt this threat. Well, since this started blowing up the Internet last Friday I have been researching it. Here’s Knights’ Quest’s take on it! Continue reading VPNFilter Malware: What Parents Need To Know
Face it! Some of us were born TOO SOON!
IT’S ALMOST HERE!!!!!!
Over the past couple of weeks there has been increasing coverage in the media concerning a potential new “suicide game” on the Internet: MOMO. As with most viral threats online, there are a lot of things being reported, including MOMO popping up in YouTube videos and even in the 
A friend of mine “video called” their daughter, who was at college, via the computer recently. She was surprised when her daughter’s web cam came on without the daughter taking any action! In fact, her daughter didn’t even appear to be home!
There has been multiple reporting over the weekend that the VPNFilter Router malware issue is worse than originally thought. Whereas the original assessment was that VPNFilter enabled the hackers to use infected hardware to launch attacks elsewhere on the Internet, new analyses show that it can also target the end user’s data, even weakening security protocols (such as HTTPS, used when you visit your bank, email, and other “secure” accounts) and sending “payloads” in data streams in your network. Furthermore, they have seen evidence that the malware can be enhanced through “plug-ins” that can give it additional capabilities.
This past weekend the FBI issued a warning about a new 