Our Blog

Does your child’s school allow cellphones? You may be surprised that policies can vary even within districts and that those policies may contradict your own rules for cellphone use during school.

What’s the difference between cyberspying and monitoring? Cyberspying means to secretly collect information, and it will likely backfire for your children because it doesn’t foster a relationship based on trust. Monitoring your child’s location or media use with their knowledge, on the other hand, is fair game because you’re their parent.

Art therapy is a relatively new field in which the interface between art and human psychological well-being is explored. One area seeing a lot of interest concerns bullying, children, and art, and a study published by Frontiers in Psychiatry found that art can help children to effectively reduce their vulnerability to bullying. Like many forms of creativity, art is a way of escape, and a window into emotions and candidness between individuals.

Digital technology has been a transformative tool for parents. Screen time, when properly managed, can be used to help educate, inspire, and provide relief from the stresses of life. Video games can provide even more than that, with some scientific studies even suggesting that video games could be a valid form of psychotherapy, engaging with the need for escapism and new perspectives.

How many hours in a day is too long to use a digital device? The short answer is whenever, as a parent, you think is too long, but experts generally agree on a few conclusions. Screens should be off limits to children under 2. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics says “entertainment” screen time should be limited to just two hours a day, Common Sense Media quashes fears of zombie children: “The reality is that most families will go through periods of heavy and light media use, but so long as there’s a balance, kids should be just fine.”

One out of every five students reports being bullied, reports the National Center for Educational Statistics, with a slightly higher percentage of females being bullied at school than males. Addressing the effects of bullying through a multifaceted approach is key because bullying can have long-term consequences – including a higher risk of anxiety and depression. Working harder to create a bully-free culture is also important since it can help curb tensions in the bud and prevent situations that can harm others in the short- and long-term. Music therapy is one approach that has proven successful as a preventive strategy.

The growth of the digital age, technology, online learning, and gaming has exposed children and teens to the internet. With cybercrimes on the rise, parents should be aware of the threats, risks, and vulnerabilities their children are exposed to. 

Artificial intelligence is fast becoming an important tool in cybersecurity, report cybersecurity experts Balbix, owing to its ability to speedily analyze millions of events and identify many different types of threats – from malware right through to grooming behavior against children. Today, many efforts are being made to harness the strengths of this technology to keep children safe.

Did you know that at least 20 percent of children experience bullying by their peers? It’s a tough statistic to stomach, but what’s worse is that many children also experience bullying at home. Whether it’s parents, other caregivers, or siblings, bullies can have a significant impact on a child’s growth and development. 

31% of Americans have been bullied as an adult, and many (43%) say that the behavior has become more accepted within the past year, according to one survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association. While many are familiar with children bullying one another and the concept of adults bullying within settings like the workplace, many may not think that an adult is even capable of bullying someone significantly younger.