social media
Tips to manage your child’s Smartphone activity – a review of the Family Link app
Tips for setting safe limits for young teenagers
Parenting: Why Teenage isn’t a number
“She’s SUCH a Teenager!!” I’m betting every parent knows where that came from, even if their oldest child is only three. There’s even a term for it – threenager. Every exasperated mother who’s ever manhandled an obstinate toddler into a pushchair, or been struck speechless by her seven-year-old’s ability to hit a raw nerve understands the fear of what might come next. If she’s like this now, how bad is it going to be when she’s a teenager..? What exactly is a teenager? The thing is, teenaged isn’t really an age – it’s a process. Parenting society has come to use the word …
Why I Couldn’t Care Less About the Blue Tick
The Blue Tick. I’ve given it a name, because it is an actual thing, with a mind of its own, and deep, mysterious power over those in its thrall. Like one of those eighties horror films, the blue tick has taken on a significance disproportionate to its actual merit, turning ballsy social media account holders into needy, insecure individuals, uncertain of their worth. I’m speaking for myself here. I’m referring, of course, to the official badge of recognition gifted by the main social media platform gods – Instagram Idol, Twitter Tycoon, and Mark Zuckerberg, to name the three biggest …
Safer Internet Day: Should children have social media accounts?
The average age of a cyber criminal is 17 One in ten 16-19 year olds know someone who has engaged in a criminal activity online A third would be impressed if a friend hacked a bank website and replaced the logo with a cartoon One in ten would be impressed if a friend hacked an air traffic control system. (Research findings from internet security software provider Kapersky Lab). I once had an argument with a secondary school teacher about children and social media. She was unequivocal: children of any age have no place in social media. It’s too dangerous, they’re …
No Likes Needed
Yesterday I spent the entire day on social media. It wasn’t intentional – at least, it was, kind of, but I wasn’t supposed to be on it all the time – it just kind of took over my day. I had been commissioned by the Dove Self-Esteem Project to experience social media as a teenaged girl. They had some research about how the average girl spends her time online, and they wanted me to experience it for myself, and report back on how it felt. I went to bed early, with a headache, craving wine that we didn’t have in …
Shoulda Woulda Could Of
If you’re anything like me, the title of this post makes your blood boil. It doesn’t? Read on… As my children get older, I am increasingly concerned about social media. Ah! my family (and that teacher I met once) exclaim. At last, she’s seen the light! All that grooming and online bullying, not to mention the the dangers of accidentally clicking on something no young eyes should ever see. Thank goodness. But it’s not that. I still firmly maintain that the earlier a child gains supervised access to social media, the more likely it is that he will learn …
You know your partner is a social media addict when…
When I started blogging, my husband didn’t really know much about social media. He had an impressive LinkedIn profile, but didn’t really see the need for Twitter, and Facebook was just a place he went to virtually wave at old girlfriends occasionally. He is now a fully-fledged digital marketing expert, but in the beginning I was ahead of the game. A couple of months into my blogging career, I sent my first tweet. For a while, he lost me to a glass of wine in the kitchen every evening, as I chattered to my new friends. Then one day, he noticed …
Better Photo Project 365 #07
It’s not the best photo this week, snapped at dusk as we climbed to the top of the car park at Hatfield Galleria after seeing the new LEGO movie. (And for those of you wondering, yes, it is worth seeing – very cool indeed). I’ve doctored it in picmonkey as best I can, but it’s still grainy – an iPhone in the dark is not the photographer’s best friend. But I took it because it impressed me with its drama on a stormy evening. And there is a story. My children are fans of the top levels. Apparently I am quite …
How to Blog – Video Tutorial: Wot So Funee?
I am thrilled to welcome back an old favourite. This type of post, showcasing the funny things our children say and write, was the very reason I began this blog, and what better way to bring back the #funee than with a video tutorial on how to blog and use social media. Ladies and Gents, I give you – GG, all her own work: Do your kids make you laugh? Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list… <a href=”http://staging.actuallymummy.co.uk/wot-so-funee” title=”Wot So Funee?” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://staging.actuallymummy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/WotSoFuneeBadge.gif” alt=”Wot So Funee?” style=”border:none;” /></a> I am trilled and elated to …
The Perfect Mother’s Day
Yesterday was Mother’s Day. You forgot, didn’t you? *Panic sets in across the parenting nation with thousands of Dads causing mass internet chaos as they rush to check online calendars.* Ok, it wasn’t really; but Daddy figured out that next weekend is Mother’s day, and that he is going to be in the USA at South By South West (SXSW) for a huge digital marketing conference. Guilt-stricken, he geared us up for the perfect Mother’s Day and calmly informed Mummy that her day off would be occurring one week early. So she got Apple and Gingerbread Muffins in bed with …