07Mar 2024 by nrcmmc
Hoop – Teens Connecting with Strangers

Hoop – Teens Connecting with Strangers

Guidelines, Hazards
Hoop describes the user experience as being able to make new friends locally or all over the world. What exactly is Hoop? When creating an account for Hoop, you only need your age, gender, country, Snapchat username, and a profile picture (up to 5 pictures). Then, Hoop provides you with endless profiles to view. If you find a profile you like, you can request to exchange Snapchat usernames and begin chatting on Snapchat. If you do not like a profile, you pass. Requesting a user’s Snapchat username requires you to use “diamonds.” You can either earn diamonds by performing certain tasks, such as gaining a certain number of friends on Snapchat that were initiated through the Hoop app, or you can purchase more diamonds. Hoop has no chat capabilities -…
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08Jan 2024 by nrcmmc
Media and the Mind: Pediatricians guide to screen time.

Media and the Mind: Pediatricians guide to screen time.

Devices, Guidelines, Hazards, Resources, Reviews
Like the snowflakes that fall from the sky, no two people are exactly alike. Psalm 139 tells us of God’s craftsmanship and knowledge of each individual He created. The psalmist praises,”I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Each person's needs vary from one another. And our children are no exception. In fact, a child's brain needs guidance and instruction from caring adults at all ages. Screen time and media usage is an area of attentiveness adults must be aware of when raising children.  In an article covering this major topic, Mayo Clinic guides parents and caretakers on digital literacy, problems, developing rules, and teaching good behaviors with screens.  https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/screen-time/art-20047952 In a general Q & A article, the American Academy of Pediatricians reiterates the previously mentioned topics. They have also included a…
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11Dec 2023 by nrcmmc
Saturn Time Together App

Saturn Time Together App

Apps, Guidelines, Hazards, Privacy
Saturn is a scheduling app which targets high school students as their users and markets itself as a way to “control the chaos and live in the now.” After creating an account, students select their school and can take a picture of their schedule or manually enter their schedule into the app to get a personalized calendar. The app helps students to feel connected by sharing their schedules with each other and being able to make comments on the school bulletin board. Saturn also has a feature that allows students to privately message each other. When Saturn originally launched, there were limited safety features. Recently, more safety features have been added, such as needing a verified school email address to privately message other students and access other features of the…
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12Sep 2022 by Martin Van't Foort
Bark App Review 

Bark App Review 

Apps, Cell Phones, Devices, Filters, Hazards
Get details about your child’s digital activities. Bark is able to monitor content 24/7, limit access to inappropriate and distracting material, set healthy boundaries with custom screen time limits and location updates.  Learn more about this filter by clicking on this link:   https://www.safewise.com/blog/bark-parental-control-app-review/ *Please note, that although we have found valuable information from an external web page for our blog post, we do not endorse all information, religious views and opinions posted on these third-party websites.
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11Sep 2021 by Martin Van't Foort
Telegram

Telegram

Apps
Telegram is a free messaging app that was launched in 2013 by brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, who previously founded VKontakte. VKontakte is best described as the Russian version of Facebook. Currently, the company behind Telegram is based in Dubai. Telegram currently claims to have 500 million active users each month. According to SEO blog Backlinko, "25 million new users joined Telegram during a 72-hour peak in January 2021. That equates to about 8.33 million new registrations per day. And over 100 million new users started using Telegram in January alone.”  The rush to Telegram was prompted by GAFAM’s (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft) attempted censorship of popular conservative voices such as Donald Trump. Telegram functions like a classic instant messaging app. You can send messages to other users, create…
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09Nov 2020 by nrcmmc
Cyberbullying Surpasses Bullying

Cyberbullying Surpasses Bullying

Hazards
Cyberbullying Surpasses Bullying as Most Common Type of Harassment For much of the 2020 school year, most children in America were  schooled from their homes.  During this time, one would think that bullying (which typically happens at school, on the school yard, or on the school busses) would have decreased. Unfortunately, 2020 was the first year that cyberbullying surpassed all other methods and became the most common type of harassment.  Teens don’t have to physically be at school - they can just use their smartphones to continue to harass their peers.  A recent article posted by Very Well Family explains the facts.  https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-common-is-cyberbullying-4570942 Cyberbullying isn’t new.  October 10, 2020 marked 8 years since Amanda Todd, a Canadian teenager, took her own life after suffering both bullying and cyberbullying for a…
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06May 2020 by nrcmmc
How Much is TOO MUCH Sharing?

How Much is TOO MUCH Sharing?

Apps, Guidelines, Hazards
OVERSHARING?Anna updated her status:“Looking for ideas on what to do this weekend while my parents are out of town, input?”Sam shared a picture:“Her curls bounce all over as she’s walking! She is just so cute taking her first steps, we’re so proud!”Anita checked in at ‘Trampoline Park Craze’“This is one 7 year old birthday party my daughter and I will never forget! Let’s JUMP!”Sharing our activities, families, and looking for advice are just a few things that we naturally do as a society these days. It’s our way of connecting with the world and being social with each other. Physically being with our family members and friends isn’t always possible, so it is nice to have the resource of technology to share these updates and receive quick feedback.Until the sharing…
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06Apr 2020 by nrcmmc
Social Media Time Limits

Social Media Time Limits

Apps, Hazards, Tutorials
"I can't believe how much time I waste on Facebook," a friend told me. "I really should just get rid of it." My friend isn't alone. Plenty of people feel they get little value out of social media, and yet they continue to use it more than they would like, often to the detriment of their productivity and their mental and spiritual well-being. Facebook isn't the only offender. People throw their hands up at Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and other apps and websites all the time. Still, not everyone wants to quit social media for good. If you're not willing to quit cold turkey, you can limit the amount of time you spend on social media per day. For example: "I'll spend no more than 10 minutes per day on Facebook," or…
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