Teen Safety Online

As if being young isn’t tough enough, the whole issue of body image is ever present.  Girls face enormous pressure from many of the people they admire in pop culture that do not set realistic (or even healthy, for that matter) body image measuring sticks.  And as old as this issue may seem, it only appears to get worse…with even the wholesome Disney kids now adding to the mix.

Does Disney Promote Unrealistic Images for Girls?

More and more, Disney finds itself the but of a lot of criticism…

The Great Fitness Experiment: Kids and Body Image: Does this …

And the first-grade girls apparently preferred an icon who would torture and demoralize them later in life with her unrealistic and unattainable standard of beauty. It starts young folks, it starts young. …

News of Abraham Biggs, the 19-year old who took his own life in front of his webcam, in front of 1,500 on the Justin.tv, live streaming video site, has rocked the online world.  I have no commentary on this, as it is tragic and hard to comprehend at this point, but the disgusting reports of peer pressure and indifference to the situation is sickening.

I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the life of Abraham Biggs.

Here’s more:

Sad: Abraham Biggs’s webcam suicide note

On Wednesday a -year-old young man in Florida killed himself live on the Internet broadcasting the event by connecting a.

Suicide – R.I.P. – Abraham Biggs

Zac Sunderland, the teen sailing around the world, has been keeping followers up on his journey via his blog.  The fascinating story of this incredible young man has sparked much interest in him and his fantastic voyage

Zac Sunderland, solo teen sailor, discovers perils of the high seas

Nearly halfway around the world, the Thousand Oaks resident has encountered many dangers since setting off in June. His next stop is Mauritius. Zac Sunderland is alone on a sailboat off Indonesia, five months into a journey around the …

Half way around the world already – Zac Sunderland

Zac Sunderland Youngest around the world 2008. This was Zac’s entry on Saturday in Rodrigues’ visitor’s book of James Waterstone, our local long-time passionate concerning the yachties coming to our island…As James can not come every …

Light & Heat: ZAC SUNDERLAND: Proof that Teenagers Can “Do Hard …

I recently learned (HT: MB) of a guy named Zac Sunderland. Zac is a sixteen year-old from Marina del Ray, CA. Guess what he’s doing these days? Not much really, just CIRCUMNAVIGATING THE WORLD! That’s right, he’s alone in a 36-foot …

Between the madness of the day-to-day and all the technological developments, it can be difficult keeping tabs what’s the latest with your teen, as well as what you need to know for your teen.  I came across a few interesting posts, all dealing with teen safety, that I wanted to share here.  From stats looking at what parents are concerned about, to some incredible new technological tools that can allow you stick to your kid like glue (use some common sense and discretion), it’s nevertheless pretty fascinating.

How Do You Rate Teen Safety Stats?

When it comes to teens, there are a number of issues that keep pundits, parents and police on high alert. Whether we are talking about, drinking, driving, drugs, the Internet, sex, or just general foolhardiness, there is plenty to keep you awake at night where your teens are concerned. But what really bothers you?

Watching Teenage Drivers with Webcams

And at first glance, the specter of Mom or Pop looking over the teen driver’s shoulder, so to speak, seems like a good idea. A similar study done in 2006 showed that drivers who started out triggering the webcam a lot with their jerky, …

For Teens: Shut Up And Drive Technology Disables Cell Phones

But studies show that teens frequently ignore the bans, creating an opportunity for technology to take the place where free will doesn’t. Once you are behind the wheel, DriveAssist determines motion and sends signals to the Aegis …

With teens being so savvy online, it should come as no surprise that a number have learned how to turn the web into a money maker. I mean, it’s the modern day lemonade stand, and you’ll always have that one kid in the neighborhood who’s out there on a hot day, just when you’re feeling thristy.

I came across some inspiring stories of such entrepreneurial teens online. May they inspire us adults who see opportunity, but haven’t seized the day just yet.

Teen-Run Businesses Set New Standards | Teen Checkup | Internet Safety

Teen-run businesses are taking off. Some as young as 12-years-old own e-commerce sites and retail stores.

Teen Entrepreneur Business Ideas

I’m proud to have guest authored an article for kid-in-biz: is a direct sales party plan business a good choice for a teen?. other recent topics include how to sell crafts, helping small businesses with technology, and fundraising. …

video Interview: Teen Entrepreneur Daniel Brusilovsky

He is an entrepreneur, blogger, vblogger and podcaster. His show is called the Apple Universe. He also works part-time at qik, the real-time video streaming startup. Daniel recently launched his startup teensintech and is in talks with …

As noted in the blog post Cyberbullying, Porn, and Drugs – Oh My! at TeenCheckUp.com, the Internet can unfortunately be a dangerous place for teens.

I found the post below that supports this line of thinking, where parents are recognizing the potential dangers that can be found online…Cyber Safety as an issue at magnitude of Drunk Driving.

To Moms: Cyber Safety = Drunk Driving

Giving out too much personal information is the primary worry of 58 percent of mothers, while 44 percent worry about what their teens do when using the Internet in their rooms alone, and 24 percent worry about their Internet use when …