Tag Archives: Family

AVG

What is the right age to learn about online safety?

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When our kids are just about knee high to a grasshopper we start the process of teaching them things to keep them safe, whether it’s that the cooker is hot or that crossing the road could be dangerous.

The process of crossing the road starts at a young age, we hold their hands and stand near the edge of the sidewalk and talk to them about looking both ways and listening, then under our guidance we walk them across the road. As time progresses we ask them to do the looking and listening, we do it too and then we cross the road on their instruction but with us close by having checked that its safe to do so.

The final stage of this is their first outing to the shop, whether for candy or a newspaper we send them off on the big adventure of being grown up enough to step out on their own.

I often get asked at what age should we be talking to our kids about internet safety, my answer is simple, as soon as you let them start using it. Their experience online should be similar to the way we teach them to cross the road, first we do things with them and then with time and experience they step out to do things on their own.

Our recent survey of 2200 parents in the UK shows that 40% of parents with children aged 4-6 have not yet educated their children on the possible dangers and a quarter of them have no plans to give any guidance to their kids. I am certain that if I asked the same question about crossing the road the percentage would be much lower.

More than 40% believed that their kids are sensible enough not to need it, does this mean that parents don’t know the challenges themselves or that they just feel uncomfortable in having what can be an awkward conversation.

The Internet offers our kids a learning and communication experience that we only thought possible in science fiction movies when we were kids, flat screens, voice activation, video on demand and an endless supply of data and information to keep our lives enriched with content.

With the world very much at their finger tips our kids need our wisdom, maturity and knowledge to guide them in accessing the wealth of information and entertainment available to them. As with anything in life there are risks, but they become very minimized if we are equipped to deal with them.

AVG

Screen Time: Adults need to lead by example

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I think it reveals some pretty interesting insights about the digital family. Among them, the nagging worry about our kids’ screen time and, likewise, their worry about their moms’ and dads’ obsession with mobile devices – and the impact it’s having on the quality of our parent/child interactions.

As AVG senior evangelist Tony Anscombe points out ,, it’s really important that we set good habits within the home.

Unfortunately, almost a third of parents in our survey conceded that they actually aren’t setting very good examples.

As a case in point, on Father’s Day, I sat in a fine-dining restaurant and watched the dynamics of some digital families play out during the holiday Sunday brunch.

Across the room from my table, a father and son sat. Dad was on his smartphone.  Junior, a grade schooler, was on his iPad…Not a word was being exchanged between the pair during the entire meal. They sat isolated from each other, with either of them barely looking away from their device, except to give and receive their food orders.

The sight of the non-communicating father and son saddened me. It not only illustrated a failure to lead by example, but one of the worst digital lifestyle habits – using mobile devices during a meal, and a time when we should be paying attention to each other. (The latter was also called out as a key issue in the Digital Diaries study).

Closer by, at the table directly next to me on Sunday, was another digital family –this one definitely more engaged with each other and animated. Mom, Dad and teen daughter were merrily talking. Their digital devices only came out when Mom and the teen daughter posed the family for a few selfies. After attempting to do it themselves –and keep the self in Selfie—several times and not getting the desired shot, the Mom handed the smartphone to the waiter and arranged the family for a better angle. Snap. Photo taken and immediately posted on social media.

We often hear stories about children having an unhealthy relationship with technology, but it’s important to remember that it’s our role as parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts to set a good example. It’s up to us to engage them beyond the screen and perhaps examine our own device usage.

The latest Digital Diaries research has spurred me on to spend more time in person with my family and to indulge in the occasional digital detox. I hope you do too.

AVG

Kids Competing with Mobile Phones for Parents’ Attention

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AMSTERDAM – June 24, 2015 – Mobile phones are gaining an increasing share in the battle for parental attention, with a third of children, surveyed for a recent study, saying their parents spent equal or less time with them, than on their devices. The research, conducted by AVG® Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG), the online security company™ for more than 200 million monthly active users, examined children’s perceptions of their parents’ mobile device use, and uncovered some worrying trends.

Hinting at ongoing digital intrusion upon family life, over 50 percent of the children questioned, felt that their parents checked their devices too often (54 percent); and their biggest grievance, when given a list of possible, bad device habits, was that their parents allowed themselves to be distracted by their device during conversations (36 percent) – something that made a third of the complainants feel unimportant (32 percent).

When asked about their device use, half of all parents agreed that it was too frequent (52 percent), and many also worried about how this looked to the younger generation. Almost a third (28 percent) felt that they didn’t set a good example for their children with their device use.

“With our kids picking up mobile devices at an increasingly younger age, it is really important that we set good habits within the home, early on,” said Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist at AVG Technologies. “Children take their cues from us for everything else, so it is only natural that they should do the same with device use. It can be hard to step away from your device at home; but with a quarter of parents telling us that they wished their child used their device less (25 percent), they need to lead by example and consider how their behavior might be making their child feel.”

In a country by country comparison, Brazilian parents topped the survey for device use, with 87 percent of children stating their parents used mobile devices too much. More worryingly, 59 percent of Brazilian parents admitted to using the phone while driving – interestingly, 56 percent of children in Brazil also said they would confiscate a parent’s device, if they could.

Digital Diaries Infographic

 

Methodology:

AVG commissioned an online survey, interviewing parents and their children, between the ages of 8-13, to identify perceptions and realities of parental device use in the following markets: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. A total of 6,117 completed the survey during June 2015. The market research company, Research Now, carried out the fieldwork using their proprietary panels.

AVG

A $1,600 fine for children spending too much time online?

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Taiwan have legislated on ‘screen time’ for children under 18, making it illegal for them to use electronic devices for excessive periods of time. The fine for breaching this law is around $1,600, which I am sure you will agree would be a little painful on the family finances.

While most of us can appreciate the idea of this law, I am sure like me you read it and realize this is a non-enforceable and probably not practical.

Think about the devices that our young people use, smartphones, tablets, laptops, games consoles, MP3 players, TV’s and more… The list is seemingly endless and many of them are used for very different purposes.

Does revising on a laptop ahead of exams at school break this law? One could argue that a fine on excessive “gaming” could be justified but this law doesn’t go nearly far enough on the details. Computers and connected devices are used for so much more than wasting time and they can have real constructive educational merit.

I don’t think any government can or should legislate on something that is difficult to enforce and should be the decision of a responsible parent or guardian.

It is important that we balance the screen or connected time of our children with offline activities like swimming, cycling or other pastimes. Interestingly, when writing this I considered where reading belonged. Is it screen time or non-screen time? I remember my childhood and being told to go and read rather than watching TV, of course with today’s e-readers, it maybe just be additional screen time.

The other consideration here is that we, as an older generation, look on screen time as different, or even negative. Our children are growing up with screen time just being a regular part of life. Their perception of screen time, and tech in general will be very different to ours. Our own Digital Diaries research pointed at this several years ago when we saw that children were learning digital skills before life skills.

I wonder how many adults would admit to spending too much time attached to screens and are setting a bad example to their children? After all, they follow our lead…

You can follow me on Twitter @TonyatAVG

 

 

AVG

Switch to flight-mode on Mother’s Day

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Perhaps Mother’s Day is your opportunity, for one day at least, to bring back the tradition of enjoying a meal surrounded by great conversation and the people you love.

Technology has definitely changed the dinner table dynamic, sometimes for good, and sometimes for bad.  And depending on your age, your family values, and how you use your mobile devices, the experience is often different for many of us.

For some, dinner times used to be a place where debate over controversial urban myths often surfaced.  In the days before “Mythbusters” existed, it was at the dinner table where hypotheses’ and logic were tested and rigorously explored.

And while stronger family personalities often won arguments based on false pretences – mobile devices and Internet now mean that the real facts are just a Google or Wikipedia search away.  In my view, the lessons of learning to “agree to disagree”, along with the ability to resolve conflict using conversation alone, are sadly lacking in today’s world.

Busy family schedules used to be communicated across the dinner table too, but even this has been replaced by Calendar invites and Facebook events.  For technologically savvy families there’s virtually no need to discuss such things during mealtime.

It’s no wonder with all the technology at our disposal, and with the humdrum of daily living taken care of by apps of every kind, that Mother’s are missing out on the attention and conversation they deserve.

So, for this Mother’s Day, switch to flight-mode during dinner time and pretend you’ve taken off to a world of wonder and beauty – one where loving connections are fostered, arguments are settled the old fashioned way, and where stories are shared and enjoyed.

Happy Mother’s Day, and stay safe out there.

AVG

Traditional and Tech Gifts for Mother’s Day 2015

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My personal favorites –and the gifts that many busy moms I know say they value most— have more to do with personal/family time, family memories, and personalized reminders of how much our moms means to us.

Here are some of my picks of intriguing tech and non-tech products, apps and services for this Mother’s Day.

 

Traditional gifts:

If you want to do flowers for Mom, by all means go ahead! But how about adding a twist this year? You can order an eco-friendly bouquet from The Bouqs Flowers, which ships directly from eco-friendly farms (certified by third-party agencies such as The Rainforest Alliance) to anywhere in the U.S.

Make a spa day experience for Mom everyday. What to give the busy Moms – those who are working, managing families, networking, volunteering, doing it all? Ease the stress on her back with a massage seat cushion from HoMedics. This is a great idea for moms who must be at their desk all day, either at the office or while working from home. Products range from $99 to $199.

Gifts of Time:

For new moms – even Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge welcoming Charlotte Elizabeth Diana–Baby Tracker journals make a perfect gift to reduce stress, and help parents and child care providers stay on top of baby’s ever-changing world. Baby Tracker is available online at timetoo.com and through Amazon. The TimeToo website also offers parents additional resources, free checklists and printable templates to help organize family travel, school communication and baby records and a parenting blog.

Time Too

A robot vacuum is one of my favorite ideas to give busy moms more family time and “me” time. This one is especially good for moms of/with pets! Neato Robotics, the maker of the popular Neato robot vacuums, recently surveyed American mothers to find out first hand whether any vacuum, specifically a robot vacuum, is ever a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift. Prices vary, from approximately $200 to $500.

 

Keeping Memories

Memory books have long been a popular gift for Mother’s Day. They have also been a labor of love to collect and assemble. Now the digital equivalents such as the ScrapPad app for iPad makes organizing these a breeze. ScrapPad is an easy photo journal creator that offers pre-set designs and customized options. And of course, you can print hard copies of the scrapbooks. (Available on the iOS platform only. $4.99)

 

Give-Back Gift Ideas

Mother’s Day can also be a great day to give back to moms who are struggling. Here are a few ideas:

Moms Helping Moms Foundation offers a network of partnerships with local service organizations that distribute donated baby supplies and essentials to local families in need of assistance. You can donate money, items, or, find out how you can volunteer in your local area.

 

Another organization, Helping Hands for Single Moms, is a community-based nonprofit assists impoverished single mom families while the moms are pursuing a college education and financial independence. This year, they’ve come up with a unique way to celebrate your mom and donate to their program, called MomApplause. Create a 30 – 60 second video of your Mother’s Day tribute, post it on social media using #MOMMApplause, and ask your friends to like and share your tribute. In the video, announce that you are donating $5 at MOMMApplause.com (about the price of buying a card and mailing it). And if you have a business, Helping Hands says you are free to add your company name to the end of the #. You can find our more here.

 

Bonus idea:

Finally, moms obviously care about the security of their family.  Increasingly, this extends to the digital world.

Give your mom the gift of AVG’s Zen on her devices. It can help mom keep her laptop running virus-free, and protect the whole family from viruses and malware…and this includes mobile devices. With AVG Zen, you can add unlimited PC, Mac and Android devices—in any combination—and easily keep tabs on them all from a single screen. Learn more about AVG Zen here.

 

I hope these provide some original, fun and inspiring ideas to help you celebrate the special mom in your life.

AVG

Facebook introduce Scrapbook for baby photos

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On March 31st, Facebook began rolling out its new “Scrapbook” feature which loving parents can fill with pictures of their children without fear of flooding their friends’ Facebook feed.

While this is great news for those of us who loathe oversharing, it also makes it easier for parents to manage their privacy. By placing all their images in a Scrapbook, parents can easily control who can and cannot view them.

Scrapbook

Scrapbook addresses the very clear demand for parents to document, store and share precious memories and highlights the trends that we highlighted in Digital Diaries research.

In fact, as many as 30% of parents have shared a pre-natal scan via social media, creating a Digital Footprint for their child long before they are even born.

And it doesn’t stop there; later stages of Digital Diaries highlight the sharenting phenomenon where parents don’t consider the long term consequences of sharing every detail of their child’s life.

Video

Do Parents Share Too Much?

 

Scrapbook may help parents keep a handle on the visibility of their baby photos but as such is exacerbating the sharenting issue.

Today’s children are growing up in digital world that doesn’t forget and a world where their every moment is being captured and stored on line. Before we share anything, it’s important to remember that.

AVG

Do your kids spend too much time online?

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Each country has its own initiatives for protecting kids online. In the UK, for example, we have “Active Choice” which makes adult content opt-in rather than opt out. But I believe, that around the world, parents should be the first line of defense and guidance for our kids.

When we talk about children spending time online, it’s important to remember that our children do not have what we term ‘digital lives’. Technology is normal to them and part of growing up in today’s world.

I often hear parents raise concerns about how much time their children spend online and on devices. Generally I observe that they are equally guilty of this digital overindulgence. As ever, children mimic their parents’ behavior.

AVG Digital Diaries research last year examined how the Internet is having an impact on how quickly kids grow up. Our findings showed that children are increasingly interacting with digital devices,and 42% of the parents polled by AVG said that they are concerned that their child spends too much time on devices, and a similar number (43%) said they were worried their child didn’t spend enough time outside.

So who is responsible for the time our kids spend online? I believe that parents are, yet 42% of them say they are concerned about it.

As Safer Internet Day has just passed, I challenge the 42% in our survey last year to take charge of the technology in their homes and to correct the balance.

You might not be popular today but introducing other life skills is a good thing to do. Remember, technology is not a babysitter!

We’ve put together more statistics from the AVG Digital Diaries research in this infographic below.

Is the web forcing kids to grow up too soon?

AVG

Tony Anscombe and Maddie Moate discuss Internet Safety

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It’s also united me with Maddie Moate, a presenter and YouTube Educator who I had the pleasure of working with last year during the NSPCC / Child Helpline International Youth Shadow Conference.

To mark Safer Internet Internet Day, Maddie and I thought it would be great to discuss and raise awareness of some of the key issues – and potential solutions – to ensure everyone can enjoy a safer Internet experience at home, or when out and about.

In this short video below you’ll hear us discuss how parents can make sure the family is protected online, safer practices when using social media, ways to broach the subject of online safety with your children and much more.

You can find us both on Twitter too – @tonyatavg & @maddiemoate

Video

Internet Safety for Children with Maddie Moate