Many of you may have heard already, but we're excited to announce that SocialShield is now part of Avira, the leading provider of computer protection software to over 100 million customers worldwide. To welcome all of our current (and future) SocialShield users to the Avira family, SocialShield will now be a free service! ….read more

Check out the infographic that the team from Help for Depression recently shared with us. While there are many positive aspects of social networks when used safely, the statistics and findings below show how people use Facebook to share thoughts, feelings and personal interests.   How do your kids choose….read more

Technology has opened up so many doors for both us and our children to better communicate, research, learn and socialize. But does technology also make our kids grow up faster? The internet certainly has given us great access to information, but of course not all of that information is suitable for children. There was a time before Google and social….read more

It's that time of year again when kids start having more time off from school (Thanksgiving, snow days, winter break) and more time to spend online. Add to the mix the frenzied holiday schedules that parents are busy coordinating, and it may seem impossible to be able to effectively monitor what our kids are doing online during this busy time.….read more

We are quickly approaching the holidays and many parents may be thinking about giving their child their first cell phone or smartphone. I often get asked: "What is the right age to buy my child a cell phone?" The bottom line is that no one knows your child more than you do so you have to consider a….read more

National Bullying Prevention Month came to a close yesterday, but that doesn't mean the fight against cyberbullying is over. While school administrations, law enforcement officials and national organizations all focused their attention on bullying all throughout October, initiatives still need to be made that focus on bullying and cyberbullying and the consequences certain instances can have. One organization, ….read more

There are many different opinions out there about what schools' responsibilities are in educating students about topics related to social media and online citizenship. There has been criticism that schools don't adequately prepare kids for the ever-growing and evolving digital world, as well as stories about teachers themselves displaying inappropriate online behaviors in cases of oversharing….read more

A popular request I often get from parents is: "how do I talk to my kids about online safety?" When it comes to kids and teens navigating the web, inevitable mistakes will be made. Kids lack the impulse control for good judgment, meaning we have to be vigilant in our efforts to keep our children safe. Parents who get involved….read more

Last week we proudly accepted an award for "Internet Safety Company of the Year" at the 2011 IMA Awards, hosted by the Internet Marketing Association. Our CEO, George Garrick, traveled to Las Vegas to accept the award and briefly address specific social networking dangers and what we are doing to try and help parents better protect their kids….read more

Earlier this month, news broke that the Federal Trade Commission had proposed changes to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA. This act applies to online safety and protection for kids, currently ruling that companies and websites have to obtain parental consent before collecting any personal information from or about children under 13 years of age. However,….read more