Child safety topics

Responsible Online Behavior: How to Raise Cyber-Savvy Kids

Most children can’t imagine their lives without online communication. They game online together, share membership on fanpages and chat with their friends. As in the real world and also online, your kids may encounter inappropriate behavior as well as initiate it. How can you guide them to make the right choices and avoid making and affiliating with wrong choices? Child psychologist Jarmila Tomkova shared her thoughts.

Navigating the digital playground. How to prevent cyberbullying in online gaming

The appeal of online gaming has captivated global audiences, transforming the way we play, interact and connect. As this form of entertainment continues to flourish, it brings about many benefits – from enhancing cognitive abilities to fostering social bonds. However, the virtual world is not without challenges. Is cyberbullying and hate speech casting a shadow over the digital playground?

Don’t ignore it, report it: Teach your kids how to react to hate speech and cyberhate

The internet offers a lot of space for inspiration and quality discussion. Still, you or your kids might at times come across behavior that simply isn’t right, such as cyberhate – an online version of hate speech. In international law, both these forms of offensive behavior are defined as a crime. When your children witness hate speech or cyberhate, or when they fall victim to it, how should they respond? Here’s what the child psychologist Jarmila Tomkova recommends.

How to react to trolling and cyberbullying on social media

Hurtful comments and unnecessary slurs, trolling and cyberbullying have been a real issue for many years. They appear in many unsettling forms, but are mostly linked to social media. Most of the social networks are trying to fight this problem. For example, TikTok, the most popular platform among teenagers, commented strongly on the topic and tried to find new ways to stop cyberbullies. And there are also many things parents can do to prevent cyberbullying – but first, let’s dive a bit deeper into the topic.

Your body is not a trend: How to navigate your children through the world of online influence

Social media has been the place to find the latest trends, the hippest restaurants or the next in fashion clothing style. And as with places and things, bodies and lifestyles can also be trends.

Beyond likes and filters: Nurturing healthy a body image in the digital world

Have you ever scrolled through social media and felt like you just don't measure up? Most of us have experienced this feeling. And when you're just a kid in a body that's constantly changing, it can be even harder to maintain a positive outlook on yourself. How does social media affect users' body image? And what can you do to improve your children's self-esteem?

Principles to follow when commenting on others’ posts

Do you know what to teach your kids about netiquette and commenting online?

Clicks that build self-esteem. How technologies affect confidence.

Does social media technology increase or decrease your child’s confidence? Both are possible. Luckily, the effect that technology has on children can be controlled. How can you use technology in a beneficial way? And how can you support your child’s self-esteem? We discussed the topic with child psychologist Jarmila Tomkova.

Is my child being groomed? And what to do next

It is a horrible situation to find yourself in as a parent, finding out that your child has been attacked by an online predator, manipulated, and taken advantage of.

How an online predator contacts your child

Social media, chat rooms, instant messaging, and online games: all of these offer amazing opportunities for your kids. They can talk to their friends and have fun sharing videos and playing games. At the same time, though, they make it very easy for anyone to contact your child, be it through a message, a comment under a video, or through a game.

Back to school for kids, back to work for cybercriminals

Throughout the year, cybercriminal activity has its highs and lows. Cybercriminals often benefit from events that enable them to reach more potential victims, and turn their malicious intentions into profit. The start of a new schoolyear is one such occasion. What types of cyberthreats can you expect to encounter as your child returns to school? And how do you respond to them?

Friendly to scary: The progression of online predatory behaviour

For children nowadays, the internet is a place where they can relax, play games, educate themselves and meet new friends. Unfortunately, the online space can also become a zone of danger when seemingly friendly individuals target children with malicious intent – online predators are a real threat. How do you recognize when the person behind the other screen wants to harm your child?

What can you do to help your children avoid the pitfalls of downloading?

On the surface, the internet seems to offer anything and everything you might need – on demand and free. Children and teens especially enjoy the benefits of being able to download any song, film, book, computer program or app they want. However, even the internet has its limitations.

Safe downloading

ANIMALIA – Illegal downloading

Elias Between Two Worlds - Ep. 2 - Downloading

PlayStation: How to make it a safe virtual playground for your kid

What is one of the most popular gifts for kids? Definitely the PlayStation game console. Gaming can be beneficial to your child’s development, they improve their creativity as well as teach them how to solve problems and make decisions. To enjoy the valuable assets of gaming to the fullest, learn how to set up the system so that it’s secure and runs smoothly.

Brawl Stars. All you should know about your kid’s favourite game

If your kids liked the Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, they might have fallen in love with another blockbuster from the Supercell game company: the Brawl Stars. The free-to-play real-time strategy for mobile devices has been on the market since 2018, and is still very popular among young players, especially the 9-year-olds to 11-year-olds. Here’s what you should know about the game.

Learning by playing. What skills can your children develop through video games?

Risk-taking, problem-solving, and decision-making: these are just a few of the benefits video games can have for your children. While there are unquestionable downsides, you would be surprised what skills can be enhanced on virtual playgrounds. So why are video games so often labelled as a time-wasting activity? Let’s focus on the bright side.

Both beneficial and risky. Learn to know augmented reality

Instagram filters, games like Pokemon GO or learning apps. Augmented reality (AR) is increasingly entering the fields of entertainment and education. This technology offers a number of interactive elements that develop children’s creativity and imagination, but it also has its negatives. What should you know before downloading an app for your little one?