A survey released in December by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found that 4% of teens ages 12-17 who own a cell phone say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via text messaging, a practice also known as “sexting”; 15% say they have received such images of someone they know via text message.

“Teens explained to us how sexually suggestive images have become a form of relationship currency,” said Amanda Lenhart,

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A recent survey by Common Sense Media shows that 35 percent of students use their cell phones to cheat on tests. Here’s how they do it:

Happily, teachers…

A simple thought/question as we approach the weekend: Should cell phones be banned from the bedroom during sleepovers? This hadn’t occurred to me until another parent brought it up, but as I thought about it, it made good sense. Even the best kid can lose good judgment in a group. Especially a group behind closed doors. Especially when holding a way to reach way beyond those doors.

What kind of trouble can kids get into as a group, holed up in a bedroom with a phone, that they wouldn’t on…

I’ve decided not to read my children’s emails, unless I have a reason to be concerned. Sometimes, invading the privacy of kids can have parents squirming.

I have never given much consideration to children’s screen names and safety (except when my tween requested IM privileges with “CandyMan” — who, luckily, turned out to be a female fifth-grade friend and not the predator I’d conjured). So, I was all ears when a local Internet expert offered three great guidelines for safe screen names for kids:
1. Never use a name that indicates whether the child is a boy or girl. Obviously, this includes the child’s actual name.
2. Never use numbers in a screen name…

photo credit: Tanya Ryno

I recently had to send this email message to my normally well-behaved 12-year-old:

Hey, Cheechooguy (or whatever your screen name is these days),

You seem to be circumventing (that means “going around”) parental controls lately by asking permission to add people to your instant messaging list, then signing into my email and giving yourself permission. This is NOT how parental controls are supposed to work. Please don’t do this anymore,

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 The New York Times reported yesterday that cyberspace may not be as threatening to children and teens as we’re led to believe:

A task force created by 49 state attorneys general to look into the problem of sexual solicitation of children online has concluded that there really is not a significant problem.

The findings ran counter to popular perceptions of online dangers as reinforced by depictions in the news media like NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” series. One attorney general was quick to criticize the group’s report.

The panel, the

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