At a minimum, COVID-19 has clearly upended our normal day-to-day functioning. However, for many this pandemic has had a devastating impact.

It’s reported that one-third of the entire global population has been in lockdown mode with school closures impacting an estimated 1.5 billion children worldwide. There are many things to worry about right now when it comes to keeping our families safe and healthy.

Now, we must also worry about the very serious risks associated with your child’s increased online activity.

One of those risks is cyberbullying, and unfortunately 87% of our children and teens have seen cyberbullying online, either as a victim or observer.

With that high rate of occurrence during normal times, there’s legitimate concern for increased risk of children experiencing cyberbullying. After all, most kids have increased time on devices, free time, and frustration.

To further complicate this issue, children and teens may end up suffering silently because they do not have the normal outlets accessible to them to seek help, specifically school counselors, teachers, coaches and peers.

Furthermore, the visual cues that are evident with some types of bullying are not observed, thus bullying incidents go unnoticed and not investigated.

It is critical for parents to be armed with information to help increase their awareness, know what behaviors to look for, how to talk to their child and/or teen and how to help.

Where Cyberbullying Occurs

According to Ditch the Label students identified the social media platforms they experienced cyberbullying on the most:

1. Instagram (42%)
2. Facebook (37%)
3. Snapchat (31%)
4. WhatsApp (12%)
5. YouTube (10%)
6. Twitter (9%)

The Impact of Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying has shown to have a significant negative impact on children and teens including a negative impact on learning, an increase in somatic complaints (i.e., headaches, stomach aches, sleep disturbance), an increase in depression and social anxiety, lowered self-esteem, negative impact on relationships and possible behavior problems.

Thus, it is critical that parents be aware of potential bullying/cyberbullying in order to help their child/teen cope effectively and empower them.

Certain populations are targeted more than others:

• Girls (35%) are more likely to be a victim than boys (26%), according to the Pew Research Center.
• More than half of all children and teens who identify as LGBTQ experienced cyberbullying, according to StopBullying.

What to look for: The signs a child/teen may be a victim of cyberbullying

• Avoiding the use of computers/devices, especially those that have internet access – this is the biggest flag.
• Exhibit anxiety when receiving a text, some type of message or an email.
• Withdrawing from family and friends.
• Isolation.
• Increased agitation, irritability and moodiness.
• Increased anxiety and feelings of being stressed out.
• Exhibits signs of depression, fear or low self-esteem.
• Increased somatic complaints such as headaches and stomach aches or they stop eating.
• Changes in sleep patterns, possibly an increase in nightmares.
• Declining grades.
• Resist attending school and social events, possibly a change in friend group.
• Skipping school and/or getting into trouble at school.
• Increased behavior problems or getting in trouble at school.
• In serious case attempting self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts.

Behaviors to look for that might suggest your child/teen is the cyberbully:

• Stop using their computer/device when someone comes near them.
• Secretive about what they are doing online.
• Spend an excessive amount of time on their computer/device.
• Look nervous or jumpy when they are online.
• Become aggressive and angry when their online activity is limited or removed.

What can parents do to help?

Parents beginning from a young age need to have and encourage open and frequent dialogue in general about bullying and cyberbullying, especially as they gain more access to computers and technology. The reality is bullying is not limited to children and teens, unfortunately it is common among adults as well, so it is important to teach and model healthy social and emotional functioning from an early age. Be sure to talk about what bully/cyberbullying is and how to know when it is happening.

Directly ask your child/teen if they have been or are being bullied/cyberbullied, be willing to share either personal experiences or those of close friends and family so they realize they are not alone. Many children/teens won’t tell their parents that they are being cyberbullied because they are afraid they will lose their computer/device and Internet privileges so it is imperative that you communicate they will not lose their privileges if they are being cyberbullied. Encourage them to unplug from technology or certain apps but do not threaten to take away access.

Teach your child/teen tips on how to stay safe with technology including never sharing their Internet passwords with anyone except parents, never send messages when they are upset or angry, always be polite online – never say something to someone else that would hurt them personally, never put anything online that they would not want their parents to know, never post their own or others’ personal information, refuse to pass along any cyberbully messages and teach them how to be a good bystander – stand up for others and tell others to stop engaging in cyberbully behavior.

Parents need to keep themselves current on technology, apps and acronyms. They should also use parental control apps on your child/teen’s computer and devices. In addition, parents should limit data access and turn off access during certain hours, make it mandatory that you know your child/teen’s passwords and know who your child/teen communicates with online.

If your child/teen does report to you they are being cyberbullied these are guidelines to help you and your child/teen:

• NEVER respond to any message, text or post, regardless of how untrue or hurtful it is
• NEVER seek revenge
• SAVE all the evidence
• Report any issue to the Internet Service Provider (ISP), or social media websites such as Facebook, YouTube
• Report any threats of harm or sexual messages to police
• Report all information to school authorities
• Block all communication with the cyberbully

Resources (with links):

• STOMP Out Bullying
• Cyberbullying.org
• Nobully.org
• Safekids.com
• connectsafely.org
• Staysafeonline.org
• Education.com website
• National Crime Prevention Council
• Stopcyberbullying.org
• Stopbullying.gov
• Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
• Cyberbullying Research Center
• DoSomething.org
• WiredSafety.com
• Texas Attorney General’s Office
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

With more kids at home and without a lot to do, it’s not surprising most of us have eased up on our screen-time restrictions during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

However, statistics show it’s now more important than ever to be aware of what our children are doing online.

Tragically, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) report a significant increase in online child sexual exploitation.

Specifically, CyberTipline reports a 106% increase of suspected child sexual exploitation in March 2020 (2,027,520 reports) as compared to March 2019 (983,734 reports).

The greater amount of time a child/teen is online, along with the amount of free time now available to them, increases the risk that individuals may attempt to coerce kids into providing sexually explicit images or videos.

Perpetrators attempt to make casual contact in hopes of gaining a child’s trust and developing an online sexual relationship. Often these criminals threaten the child/teen in some manner to maintain compliance.

Unfortunately, children/teens are often so embarrassed that they were naïve and enticed or coerced to engage in these behaviors that it prevents them from coming forward. So it is imperative that they understand this was not their fault, they are not in trouble and by reporting they are actually helping others.

It is critical to keep in mind that reporting suspected sexual exploitation could help minimize or stop further victimization. If you suspect or know someone is a victim of child sexual exploitation you can:

• Contact your local law enforcement agency.
• Contact your local FBI field office.
• File a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or online at www.cybertipline.org.

And, I’m pretty sure my freshly minted 10 year old will soon be asking about his own Twitter, Instagram or YouTube account soon. I realize this is a tricky situation. Especially since I’m the medical advisor for Digital Health at Cook Children’s and I’m active on social media.

Trust me I see the irony … or maybe the hypocrisy.

But Right now I’m planning to hold off AS.LONG.AS.I.CAN.

Why?

Because I’m a parent. I worry about my kids like everyone else and I want them to be safe and protected

I’m also a pediatrician and I talk to too many kids in my office who are dealing with the negative fall-out of social media. I also see way too many studies addressing how social media has caused harm.

Social media can lead to:

• A fear of missing out. I wasn’t cool in high school (this may shock you and if it doesn’t just stay quiet) but I really didn’t know what I was missing out on. Everyone partied on the weekend but didn’t say much to me about it on Monday. If there had been pictures and posts from the weekends, I would’ve understood how left out I probably was.
• Inappropriate expectations of appearance. We don’t look like the celebrities we follow on social media and we probably never will. Sometimes though it’s important to remember the celebrities don’t look like the celebrities when they are on social media either. They are photoshopped and edited many times. But still, our kids are left to compare themselves to people who taking professional photos or using editing software to make everything look perfect. It’s their job after all. Unfortunately, that doesn’t keep many of us from feeling jealous or feeling like we’ve fallen short when we don’t.
• Bullying. Anonymous or even semi-anonymous (or “behind the screen”) empowered bullying can cause isolation and fear. And it doesn’t stop when you go home from school like it did when I was a kid/teen.
• A lack of ability to process our feelings. The constant ding of dopamine we get from the amount of likes on our posts enables us to continue posting to get our fix rather than process and dive into our sadness.
• Oversharing and shame. Teenagers and preteens don’t understand the significance of oversharing and what can happen later when those details (or pictures) get shared to a wider audience.

So what should we do as parents?

Here’s what I recommend:

• Keep your child off social media as long as possible. I know. I hear it too with my three kids. But the longer you can keep them away from it, the more time you have to talk to your kids about this issue and let them mature to handle what will inevitably come their way.
• When they get on, you get copies of their passwords and connect with their accounts. You can have privacy when you are out from under my roof. Oh man, I’m starting to sound more and more like my dad. But until then, sorry kids, I’m doing everything in my power to protect you.
• You reserve the right to delete the account and take their phone at any time. I paid for it and I can take it away.

I hope this helps. Just know I’m dealing with it too and would love to hear your thoughts. Again for irony … on social media.

The safety experts at Cook Children’s say kids can’t afford anything less than 100 percent adult supervision at the pool at all times. That means not taking your eyes off of a child while he or she is in the water.

Forgive the safety experts at Cook Children’s if they are coming across as bossy or even condemning, but they are at their wits’ end trying to find a message that will stop the tragic amounts of drownings over the past few summers. 

But they have come with a response: Lifeguard Your Child. And that starts with putting away perhaps the greatest competion for a grownup's attention - their smartphone.

“We understand the need for a phone at the pool, in case of emergencies, but those phones need to be put away until you leave the swimming area,” said Dana Walraven, Community Health Outreach manager at Cook Children’s and Safe Kids Tarrant County Coordinator. “Parents should only be spending time watching their kids and not on the phone.”

Smartphones have changed the way we look at the world, but it’s also made it much easier to be distracted and not pay attention to what is happening right in front of us.

Nonfatal injuries to children under age 5 rose 12 percent between 2007 and 2010, after injury rates were steadily falling the previous decade. During that same time period, smartphone users increased from 9 million in mid-2007 to 63 million at the end of 2010.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 1,100 people a day are injured in car crashes that involved a distracted driver.

Sharon Evans, Trauma Injury Prevention/Outreach coordinator for Cook Children’s Medical Center says she would like to see similar research into distracted adults and drownings.

But she doesn’t need stats to know that it’s the adult’s responsibility to stay focused on the children, and nothing else, while they are swimming.

“Parents are distracted enough with people around them talking, eating and everything going on in their lives. After a hard day they may even zone out for a little while. But parents can’t afford to be distracted and that includes using their smart phones while their child is in the water,” Evans said. “I don’t think parents understand how quickly and quietly drowning occurs. There is no thrashing, no yelling for help. The drowning child is just trying to push down on the water to get their head above the surface to gasp a breath of air.”

Walraven reminds parents it takes only two seconds for a drowning to occur.

She encourages any adult watching children at the pool, including parents grandparents, family friends or babysitters, to use Water Watcher system if possible where the grownups at the pool take shifts with the sole responsibility of keeping an eye on the children swimming at all times.

They are expected to stay sober and focused during their 15 minute shift or if they are the only one out there, to stay alert the whole time. This isn't a job for kids, even older children. Walraven said this is a job solely for the adults. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of a teen. The younger person may be easily distracted, have trouble pulling the child out of the water and in case of a fatal drowning, the child could be scarred for life.

“This is definitely a job for a grownup, but that means acting like an adult,” Walraven said. “Many drownings occur when a caregiver is present. But being ‘present’ or being ‘there’ is not enough, you have to watch and be involved. Drowning is silent so keep your eyes on the water, not the phone. A text is not worth the risk and it’s certainly not worth your child losing his or her life.”

Other resources:

• Drowning prevention page at Cook Children's
• 9 ways to protect your child from drowning
• Is your baby ready for swim lessons?
• This life-saving tip could prevent your child from drowning
• Life after drowning
• Be a water watcher. Adult supervisions saves lives.
• Drowning tragedy - 'I can't believe this happened to me.'
• The life-saving reason for Water Watchers

I am against giving phones as gifts because a gift signifies ownership. It has been made clear in our household that when he does receive a smartphone, it will be a privilege, not a gift, and the phone will belong to me and his mother, on our plan, paid for by family funds. Before we go further, please understand that my wife has a Juris Doctorate and was a practicing attorney prior to having children. So, my kids are well versed in making sound arguments.

With this in mind, he did come at us with a well thought out argument. He expressed his understanding of certain rules we have shared with him from previous queries, listing would-be imposed limits and other restrictions. He eloquently delivered his argument with style and grace – and then my wife and I used even more eloquence to deny his request with mutual style and grace. Although we have shared our age restriction with him in the past, I suppose he didn’t see any harm in trying. Our agreed upon age for his first phone is 12.

Giving him a bit of credit for his argument, I decided to do a little more research from angles outside of my expertise. I found several articles on the subject. A new report from Influence Central’s 2016 Digital Trends Study titled, “Kids & Tech: The Evolution of Today’s Digital Natives”  found the average now for getting a first phone is 10.3 years old.

With what I do for a living, and as a parent, I found information from the report interesting:

• Twenty-seven percent of parents now use online programs to control and filter sites or platforms, compared to 23 percent four years earlier. Parents, I highly recommend doing this. Click here and see the helpful links to learn more on my thoughts on this topic.
• Not enough parents are using smartphones’ GPS to track down their kids, but parents are catching on – the number increased to 15 percent in 2016, compared to only 7 in 2012.
• Fifty percent of kids have social media accounts by age 12 and 11 percent got a social media account when they were younger than 10. If I’m not ready to let my son have a smartphone at 10, I’m sure not ready for him to dive into social media.

I understand it’s beneficial for some parents to allow access to a mobile phone at a younger age than others – if the phone is limited. In our situation, we really don’t need our boys to have phones. My wife homeschools our kids, we live out in the country and use two-way radios on property. We don’t drop them off at places such as malls or theme parks on their own. Sure, those days will come, but not just yet. Families will differ greatly. Both parents may work, the kids may ride the bus home after school, etc.

Allowing a young child to have full use of a smartphone can lead to trouble. I am a little leery about 12 years old, so I would definitely not recommend it for a child under that age without heavy restrictions. Free apps that can be easily downloaded can allow the child to meet total strangers online. A child that young simply doesn’t have the maturity level to deal with the types of situations they are likely to encounter.

If you do find yourself in a situation where your younger child having a cell phone would bring peace of mind and make your life easier, go basic. Get the cheapest, most basic phone offered, do not allow data usage, and limit the phones ability to call other phone numbers. Once you have the phone, you can log onto your providers website (Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.) and set restrictions on the phone. And, yes, you can limit the phone’s ability to only be able to call you and your spouse’s numbers, grandparents, neighbors, etc.

For my wife and I, we have the luxury of waiting until we are reasonably sure he is mature enough to handle the responsibility. But, if we did have a need for him to have a phone now, it would be very limited.

Rest assured, once that day comes, I will be monitoring his activity closely.

Related links

• To Spy Or Not To Spy?
• Want to protect your kids from online predators? Be a snoop.
• 7 dangerous Apps that parents need to know
• 7 things that make an App dangerous
• Uncovering the risks of cell phones

After all since its release on July 6, Pokémon Go has become a sensation. It’s already on more than 51 percent of all Android phones in the United States, as well as the top free app and top grossing app in the U.S. on the iPhone App store. Oh and parents, users are spending an average of 43 minutes a day playing the game.

So what the heck is all this about?

Pokémon Go is an “augmented-reality game” that allows players to hunt for digital Pokémon on their smartphones. The creators of the game use GPS and an algorithm where players find and capture Pokémon characters at various locations.

So kids are outside exploring looking for the characters. That beats staying on the couch. But there’s also concern that comes with the exploratory nature of the game.

Kim Mangham, M.D., a Cook Children’s pediatrician in Keller, says this game makes it difficult for kids to be aware of their surroundings.

“We know there are benefits to exercise and being in nature,” said Kim Mangham, M.D., a Cook Children’s pediatrician. “I like that kids are getting outside with this game, but kids are at risk because they are looking at their phones and not paying attention to their surroundings. They could trip or fall on a curb, branch or sidewalk. I worry about kids looking at the game near traffic or grownups or teens looking at the game while driving or riding on a bike.”

And then there’s that GPS aspect of the game that is a concern.

In Missouri, the O’Fallon Police Department sent out an alert of multiple armed robberies in the area. The suspects, who were caught, targeted their victims through Pokémon Go. The police believe the robbers used the app to locate people standing around in the middle of a parking lot or other secluded areas.

The Pokémon Company International and Niantic, the app’s makers, released a joint statement:

"We encourage all people playing Pokémon GO to be aware of their surroundings and to play with friends when going to new or unfamiliar places. Please remember to be safe and alert at all times."

Justin Smith, M.D., Cook Children’s medical advisor of digital health, says parents should talk to their kids about playing Pokémon Go and offers these helpful tips:

1. Talk to your kids about stranger-danger and set limits on where your kids can go. Keep them in your neighborhood and walk with your younger children.
2. Don’t play the game while riding your bike, hoverboard or skateboard. Make sure your older teens know they shouldn’t play and drive.
3. Play with friends only.
4. Don’t go into stranger’s yards or homes while trying to catch a Pokémon.
5. Look up while playing the game. Watch where you are going.

“This is a game that seemingly everyone is playing right now. It would be great if parents participate with their own kids if they are going to allow them to play Pokémon Go,” Dr. Smith said. “It can be a fun way to get kids out exercising, but they also need to use caution.”

In 2015, 463 people wre killed in distracted driving crashes in Texas and 3,000 more were seriously hurt

A study by AT&T states that nearly 4-in-10 smartphone users look at social media while driving and about 30 percent surf the net while driving.

The Texas Department of Transportation has begun its annual "Talk, Text, Crash" campaign this month, in hopes of stopping texting while driving and to decrease driving distractions. TxDOT reports that 1 in 5 traffic crashes happen because of "texting, talking and other distractions."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting while driving:

• Impairs driving ability as much as drinking four beers.
• Increases crash risk by 23 times.
• Causes 1.6 million wrecks and 330,000 injuries each year.
• Accounts for 11 teen deaths every day.

Teens may even be aware of the danger, but in the teenage mind, the need to stay in touch often outweighs the need to stay safe.

"Kids who are learning to drive right now have grown up with smartphones and cell phones, so it seems natural to stay connected to their friends all the time," said Sam McCage, Ph.D., LMFT, LPC, manager of Behavioral Health Services at Cook Children's. "When teenagers don't respond immediately to texts, they might feel that they're being rude or will miss out on something important."

McCage said parents should talk to their kids about the dangers of being distracted on the road, but they should also be a good example for their children. Studies show that:

• 48 percent of young drivers have seen their parents drive while talking on the phone.
• 15 percent of young drivers have seen their parents text while driving.
• 48 percent of children ages 12-17 have been in a car while the driver was texting.

And for that extra measure of safety, mobile apps can block messages from being sent while your child is driving and there are devices which can stop all phone use while the vehicle is in motion.

At best, the mom is rolling her eyes and pulling her phone out to hand to her screaming child.

“Children under 2 years of age should have no screen time and after 2 years, we should limit screen time to 2 hours per day.”

There is the common summary statement that can be taken out of the AAP Policy Statement on Children, Adolescents and the Media.

Is this realistic?

Is this practical?

Is anyone listening to anything we say?

In May, a meeting of the best minds in the use of media in pediatrics set out to answer these questions as well as look at recent research on the use of screens in children and teenagers.

In order to get information about the meeting out quickly, AAP News released a summary of some of the thoughts that came out of the meeting.

If you read the headlines that were generated as a result of the statement, you might have heard:

“Pediatricians think all screen time is OK. Go for it!”

“Pediatricians finally admit that they were dead wrong and outdated when they said toddlers shouldn’t use screens.”

“Pediatric guidelines now changed to allow for more screen time, at earlier ages.”

Unfortunately, we don’t always get the time to fully explain our message and the media doesn’t always get it right.

Here are my takeaways from the statement that I hope better reflect the intent of the authors:

1. What you might have heard: “Pediatricians think all screen time is OK. Go for it!”

What it should have said: “We need to continue to be careful about the amount of time children are on screens. Guiding them toward quality apps and games that are more than just watching a video is important. Watching and playing alongside your children helps to enrich the experience for the family as a whole.”

2. What you might have heard: “Pediatricians finally admit that they were dead wrong and outdated when they said toddlers shouldn’t use screens.”

What it should have said: “The benefit of screen time for toddlers is an ongoing topic of research but it is clear that children continue to learn best from interacting with and talking to other humans. One of the major risk of screen time is the time take away from rich interaction with parents and other caregivers.”

3. What you might have heard: “Pediatric guidelines now changed to allow for more screen time, at earlier ages.”

What it should have said: “While this statement is not a new guideline, it does highlight the AAP commitment to following new research in regards to screen use and helping to relay that information to parents as soon as possible. As more information comes available, we will update our guidelines to reflect current studies in the context of practical media use for children.

Do continue to follow this debate because the guidelines are likely to change over time. (P.S. That’s what guidelines should do in a new and heavily researched field.)

Don’t go out and buy your 1 year old her own iPad.

And now the next time you see a mom looking at her smartwatch, she may be monitoring her child’s blood sugar levels.

Progress in diabetes care has mostly come from the medical community and medical industry. However, this changed recently when a new innovation came from a people on the very front line of diabetes care – parents.

Who better to understand the pitfalls in diabetes care and be the best advocates for kids with type 1 diabetes?

I think that most people not affected directly by type 1 diabetes would probably guess that the multiple daily insulin shots is the hardest part in diabetes care.

But, I think (and perhaps many others touched by type 1 diabetes would agree) that the complete uncertainty about blood sugars is the true hard part of diabetes.

There are an infinite number of questions or worries surrounding the blood sugar:

• How does my child feel when his or her blood sugar is high or low?
• How will illness affect my child’s blood sugar?
• How will activity impact my child’s blood sugars?

Right now, most parents and children are flying blind in between blood sugar checks, not knowing for certain which way blood sugars are heading – up or down.

But they don’t have to any longer because glucose monitoring now lives in the cloud.

Continuous glucose monitoring

Anyone can see that the daily constant attention and mental energy needed for good diabetes care is immense. Any progress in diabetes care that reduces this strain right now is worth it.

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a technology useful in diabetes care. I wrote about the technology several years ago. The technology uses an IV-like catheter placed under the skin which constantly samples the blood sugar (glucose) level in minute amounts of body tissue fluid in the area between skin and muscle. A larger sensor attached to the catheter sits on the skin and beams the blood sugar reading to a receiver device. It allows families and children to see blood sugar trends in between finger pokes. Below is an illustration of the technology:

A number of barriers in the past such as size of the unit, wear comfort, sensor/receiver communication problems, and insurance coverage made wider use of this promising technology in children with type 1 diabetes a challenge. Fortunately, there has been progress and today there is wider use of the CGM use in children.

The proximity problem…..

Previously, a child wearing a CGM must be in receiver range (a max of 20 feet) to see blood sugar readings, and factors such as walls may further affect the ability of the receiver to detect the blood sugar readings.

Why can’t there be remote diabetes monitoring?

Today’s mobile technology makes it possible to shop or surf the web virtually anywhere in the world.So the thought process was, “Why couldn’t this same technology be used to make remote diabetes monitoring possible?”

Starting roughly 18 months ago, that’s exactly the problem that parents of children with type 1 diabetes solved.

Two tech-savvy dads who had children with type 1 diabetes pieced together a CGM receiver with a cell phone and they were able to transmit the CGM data into a cloud-based database. A basic set-up is shown below:

.#wearenotwaiting

The twitter hashtag speaks to the commitment of the group and other advocates for improvement in type 1 diabetes care to strive for innovation and progress right now in type 1 diabetes care.

The movement has evolved from a core of interested parents sharing with other parents to a Facebook group to now a nonprofit called the Nightscout Project.

The group continues to look at ways to move diabetes care forward with support of innovation, FDA device discussions and collaboration with other non-profits.

“People focus on the cure, but we want to focus on tomorrow. The cure is the future.”said James Wedding, Nightscout Project.

CGM in the cloud.

Once in the cloud, the blood sugar information could be accessed by any Internet enabled device (smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, etc.).

Families and children now have access to real-time blood sugar info whether their child is right beside them or half a world away.

The help and peace of mind has probably been immense as parents have access to blood sugar at field trips and sleepovers.

Parents can have date nights again and not worry about their babysitter monitoring their child’s blood sugar. They can now do it at the dinner table.

Quick blood sugar info is available with a glance at the smartwatch, and children never miss a bit of fun at the beach.

* Photo from beach, courtesy of Jasmine Cruz-Bohren.

About the author

Joel Steelman, M.D., is an endocrinologist at the Cook Children's Endocrine and Diabetes program, which treats infants, children and teens with conditions that are caused by or affect the hormonal balance of the body. We understand the importance of working together and that's how we approach the care of our children.

I love to watch them play and have fun, but I’m not watching them every single second. I’m usually reading something on my laptop and I glance up here and there to see what they’re up to. More often than not, they’re pausing to get the rules straight before they conquer that which would destroy us all. However, I have found myself jumping from my seat and running to the back patio door to tell them to stop! Why? Because I notice them doing something with their sticks that has a high potential to hurt one or both of them.

In and of itself a stick is not dangerous. A stick is a stick. You can poke in the mud with it, you can use it to imagine slaying dragons, or you could run with it out in front of you (the tip only inches above the ground, bobbing with every stride) and potentially impale yourself with said stick. Or, you could witness your 4-year-old swinging his stick wildly as the 8 year old, backing up to prevent being struck, stumbles over a toy wheelbarrow while the 4-year-old continues his assault. That’s what got my attention.

So, let’s talk about sticks … I mean apps. It’s the same conversation. Sticks come in all shapes and sizes. Some may be too big for my 4-year-old to handle; however, being a bit older, my 8-year-old may not have a problem with a slightly larger stick. Comparing this to apps on the tablets, my 4-year old does not understand some of the games my 8-year-old might play; but, he loves Reading Eggs®! But, since my 8-year-old is reading chapter books, Reading Eggs® (which helped him at one time) is now a “boring baby game.” For one, the stick is too small. For the other, the stick is just right.

As they grow older, they will want to delve into apps that challenge their maturity level and hold their attention. In the tween years, they will become more and more enthralled with social apps. On into the teen years, connecting with friends will more than likely become far more important than playing Cut the Rope® or Where’s My Water?®. It’s during these transitional periods that we’ll want to glance up from the kitchen table to take a quick peek into the virtual backyard. Knowing how to do this is half the battle.

Any app – even ones designed specifically for the facilitation of risky behavior – can be used in a way that is benign. All children are different and most are going to push the boundaries at some point or another. It’s our job as parents to guide them. In order to guide them, we need to be able to “glance up” to see what they are doing. Are they using social media apps? Are they playing games? What apps do they have loaded on the device? Are they chatting with strangers? What information are they giving out? I could keep adding questions. First, let’s talk about the most dangerous app of all.

Depending on their temperament, maturity level, risk taking, decision making skills, and overall attitude, the most dangerous app could be between your child’s ears. On the flip-side, it could also be the best security app available. Apps are not dangerous. Impaling yourself with apps is dangerous. Teaching your child good decision making skills and helping them to keep their compass as north as possible is the number one best way to prevent harm, period. In order to do that, you have to be able to “glance up” to ensure the compass needle is not falling.

There are two ways to secure a mobile device. One way is preventative security. Net Nanny® is a great app for enforcing parental controls for younger children. It prevents the errant Youtube video from introducing your child to inappropriate content as they follow the rabbit hole after searching for Spiderman. As they get older (and a bit wiser), preventative security measures lose their potency and can lead to a false sense of security for the parent. That’s why I recommend monitoring software.

There are several monitoring software packages available and, as with apps in the app stores, they are a moving target. iSpyoo® for iOS and Android (and other mobile phones) has received an “outstanding” editor’s rating on CNET.com. The review (which can be found on the CNET.com site and a search for iSpyoo) is for Android specifically; however, iSpyoo’s website boasts that “iSpyoo works on all mobile phones and networks from around the world.” Whichever monitoring software you choose, ensure it (1) cannot be detected by your child and (2) can send periodic alerts to your email address. A quick scan of the activity could either set your mind at ease or raise red flags. However, in order for this to work, you must maintain ownership of the device.

As a security professional with over 20 years of experience, I am 100 percent against giving smartphones, tablets, and other devices as gifts unless the rules are laid out appropriately. My rule is that, until you are on your own, you are borrowing MY device. I am the administrator and you are my child. That phone is on MY data plan and, while I did name it as your phone on the carrier’s website, I still pay the bills and I can cancel at any time. If you lay these rules out from the beginning, you could potentially run into far fewer problems down the road.

The bottom line is, yes, there are apps on the markets that give us concern. Some apps can be used for setting up a rendezvous with a stranger in a dark alley. If I were to tell you about specific apps today, I would miss the ones that will be coming out next week, month, or year. In all of my research and expertise, I still have not figured out how to definitively foretell the future. I can predict with a high degree of certainty, however, that there will be more apps coming. Keeping track of what your child does on their phones, tablets or computers will always be the best way to protect them. Just remember to bring your own stick to the game.

About the author

Jody S. Hawkins, Information Systems Security Officer, has been in technology for medical facilities since early 2000 and has been practicing for more than 20 years with his start in the United States Air Force. He is a part of Cook Children's Experts on Call Speakers Bureau. Hawkins specializes in privacy and technology safety and is a regular speaker at the National HIT/HIPAA Conference. He has been quoted and published in several national publications, including Health Information Management Magazine.

Hawkins' can speak on a variety of security topics facing our children & parents today, including:

• Social media
• Cyber bullying
• Sexting
• Safety online (Parents & Child)
• General home networking security
• Virtual Child (Parents)
• Internet Safety (Parents & Child)