FamilySignal helps protect children by monitoring Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for conversations involving bullying, sex, drugs, alcohol, violence, profanity, racism and hate. Parents are notified within minutes – with a simple text message on their cell phones – when potential danger is detected so they can take immediate action. The service costs $4.99 per month and can be canceled at any time. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, 43 percent of teenagers nationwide reported being targets of cyber-bullying in the last year. Only 11 percent talked to their parents about instances of cyber-bullying.

“Every alert related to bullying will now include a link to PACER.org/Bullying to lead parents directly to their helpful resources for families and their children,” said FamilySignal co-founder Brian Eisenberg, a father of four. “PACER will in turn make people aware of the online monitoring service we provide for families. Working together, hand-in-hand, we can broaden our reach and help young people who experience bullying.”

To learn more about PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center go to PACER.org/Bullying

For a live demonstration of FamilySignal’s software, and to learn more about how this new technology is protecting children, contact Brian Eisenberg at (313) 931-7552 or email brian(at)familysignal(dot)com

With the release of Bully, more eyes than ever are on the growing issue of bullying and the impact it can have on teens around the world. Here are a few choice reviews representing various critical opinions on Bully, now playing in limited theatres near you.

Bully is less a checklist plan for eliminating abusive behavior than an emotionally powerful wake-up call for a society too long in denial.
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/147203345.html

Hirsch seldom gets face time with any bullies or their parents, and he tends to ignore the complicated social and psychological patterns that feed the problem.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/bully/Film?oid=5945325

The best Hirsch’s film can do, in the end, is remind us that bullying means more than we admit, and its effects aren’t always immediately clear, even to loved ones.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/sc-mov-0410-bully-20120412,0,7801039.column

We feel sympathy for the victims, and their parents or friends, but the film helplessly seems to treat bullying as a problem without a solution.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/sc-mov-0410-bully-20120412,0,7801039.column

Bully is definitely worth the watch, but it may not provide a clear outlook to alleviating the growing problem of bullying, instead showing the state of the victims of bullying and the impact it can have on them socially and psychologically.

Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act

On the same day President Obama screened Bully he also announced his full support for the Safe Schools Improvement Act as well as the Student Non-Discrimination Act with the hope of providing federal support to the ongoing bullying issue.  An official White House statement for the support of the bills was given as well:

 “He [President Obama] is proud to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act, introduced by Senator [Al] Franken and Congressman [Jared] Polis, and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, introduced by Senator [Bob] Casey and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez. These bills will help ensure that all students are safe and healthy and can learn in environments free from discrimination, bullying, and harassment.”
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-04-22/news/bs-md-ho-cyber-reader-20120422_1_cyber-bullying-anti-bullying-laws-rutgers-university-freshman
http://www.washingtonblade.com/2012/04/20/education-secy-ducks-on-anti-bullying-bill-endorsement/

If you would like to take a look at the proposed bills, they will be linked below.  Here are a few snippets of the findings from Congress as to why these bills are important, if you’d like to read them all, please take a look at the full text of the bills themselves.

Safe Schools Improvement Act – http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.1648.IH:

• Bullying fosters a climate of fear and disrespect that can seriously impair the physical and psychological health of its victims and create conditions that negatively affect learning, thereby undermining the ability of students to achieve their full potential.
• Bullying and harassment contribute to high dropout rates, increased absenteeism, and academic underachievement.
• According to a recent poll, 85 percent of Americans strongly support or somewhat support a Federal law to require schools to enforce specific rules to prevent bullying.

Student Non-Discrimination Act – http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.555:

• Public school students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (referred to in this Act as `LGBT’), or are perceived to be LGBT, or who associate with LGBT people, have been and are subjected to pervasive discrimination, including harassment, bullying, intimidation, and violence, and have been deprived of equal educational opportunities, in schools in every part of the Nation.
• When left unchecked, discrimination, including harassment, bullying, intimidation, and violence, in schools based on sexual orientation or gender identity can lead, and has led, to life-threatening violence and to suicide.

FamilySignal will continue to keep you updated on the status of these bills and ongoing important bullying-related items in the media.

There are many privacy risks associated with social networking (profile security settings, sharing contact info, being tagged in inappropriate content, etc), but today we would like to draw your attention to one risk in particular: location sharing. While many users know not to post sensitive information like a phone number on their profiles or in status updates, many more wouldn’t think twice about disclosing their locations. In fact networks like Foursquare, the mobile-based “check-in” program, even encourage it!

Let’s look at a few facts:

• In 2010, location-based social network Foursquare grew by 3400% in terms of “check-ins” and has now reached over 7 million users.
• Teenage smartphone use has tripled since 2009. According to the research firm ComScore, in April of 2009 1.7 million teens had smartphones. Two years later in April of 2011, this number totaled 4.8 million. Many smartphone apps, including networks like Foursquare, have access to the user’s location and share it with other users or businesses.
• According to Facebook’s latest round of updates, users can add a location to any post – regardless of whether they’re using a computer or a mobile device.

What does all this mean from a security standpoint?
One of the main concerns associated with location sharing is the ability for non-friends to know where you were, where you are, and where you plan to be. If someone intended to cause harm to your child, it is easy to see how this geographic information could be dangerous. PleaseRobMe.com sheds more light on how status updates like “Vacationing in Florida for two weeks!” could be seen as a security risk. When your check-in’s and updates say where you are, they are also communicating where you aren’t. PleaseRobMe raises “awareness of over-sharing” by listing check-ins and Tweets for “all the empty homes out there.” Though the site is more of a stunt than anything else, its point rings true.

So, should you and your teen stop using Foursquare? Not necessarily. As with social networking in general, as long as you educate yourself and take the necessary precautions, there is no need to miss out on the fun. When you talk with your family about social networking security issues, make sure to include a lesson on location. Perhaps you will decide to add location information to the “do not post” list along with phone numbers, addresses, and the like. Specific location services like Foursquare can be great for meeting up with friends, getting groups of people together, and earning discounts at your favorite businesses. However, use extra caution when signing up for such a service, and consider restricting their use to older teens only.

Additional information on Foursquare privacy:

• Foursquare Privacy 101: https://foursquare.com/privacy/
• Foursquare & other networks FAQ: http://support.foursquare.com/forums/191152-privacy
• Foursquare Privacy Loopholes: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/feeds/foursquares-privacy-loopholes/2607

Let’s start with a definition. Cyberbullying is “a communication or posting by one or more people using cybertechnology or digital media designed to hurt, threaten, embarrass, annoy, blackmail or otherwise target another person.”

Most people have experienced some form of bullying in their lives. However, cyberbullying is much more than the online equivalent of someone taking your lunch money. Many people assume that face-to-face bullying carries greater risk, but given the sensitive personal information often found online, the anonymity of screen names or handles, and the ease with which fake accounts can be created, cyberbullying has the potential to cause trauma that is as serious, if not more so than in-person bullying. Cyberbullying is often hard to detect (i.e. private messages, comments, or photos that are not visible to outsiders) and frequently goes unreported. What’s more, cyberbullying can, and frequently does happen in tandem with face-to-face bullying. If there is adult acting as the aggressor, the situation is elevated to cyberharassment or cyberstalking. For some great examples of the impact cyberbullying can have, check out the link to the “Cyberbullying Scenarios” at the bottom of this page.

So, what should you do about it?

EDUCATE. Just as different parents react differently when their children are bullied on the playground, each parent should broach the subject of cyberbullying in a way that best suits his or her child’s needs. However, the nuances of internet communication can make cyberbullying much more complicated than anything that happens on the playground. For this reason it is critical that you and your child know the warning signs and that you both take basic precautions to protect yourselves. Below is a bank of resources to help, including a link to state cyberbullying laws, education materials, and parent forums.

COMMUNICATE. One of the more important steps to dealing with a bullying situation, online or off, is establishing an open line of communication between you and your child. Talk with your kids regularly and make sure they know what to do if they or someone they know becomes a victim of cyberbullying.

STAY TUNED. Cyberbullying is a hot topic, and new research and resources are published every day. Keep your eye out for the latest alerts on social network privacy controls and check the FamilySignal Blog frequently for news and advice regarding your family’s online safety!

Cyberbullying Resources:

• States with Cyberbullying Laws
• http://www.cyberbullying.us/Bullying_and_Cyberbullying_Laws.pdf
• (Courtesy of the Megan Meier Foundation and the Cyberbullying Research Center)
• Beyond Bullies
• http://beyondbullies.org/
• Great compilation of resources and information about both bullying and cyberbullying
• Connects kids with “ETeen Leaders” who can answer questions and give advice on bullying and cyberbullying. Teens can also apply to be mentors and ETeen Leaders.
• Bullying Parent’s Forum
• http://www.overcomebullying.org/parents-bullying-stories.html
• Read other parents’ stories and share your own. Also provides helpful links to literature and support groups that deal with bullying and cyberbullying.
• Academic Research on Bullying and Cyberbullying
• The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is home to the Bullying Research Network, which compiles research on issues relating to bullying.
• Cyberbullying Scenarios
• http://www.cyberbullying.us/Cyberbullying_Scenarios.pdf
• If you’re not sure what cyberbullying looks like, these scenarios give you a good idea of the lengths to which some bullies will go. Discuss them with your children and decide how you would react if they happened to you.
• (Courtesy of the Cyberbullying Research Center)

An average day on Facebook:

• 15% of Facebook users update their own status.
• 22% comment on another’s post or status.
• 20% comment on another user’s photos.
• 26% “Like” another user’s content.
• 10% send another user a private message.

And though Facebook is an online behemoth, these statistics cover only one day, on one social network site! It’s no wonder today’s kids are called the “Net Generation” and the “iGeneration”!

Keeping our kids safe as they explore all those wonderful online opportunities is no easy task, and for those of us who are not as tech-savvy as our children (or even those who are), talking to our kids about online safety can seem daunting. But there is good news! Though it might take some research to familiarize yourself with the online dangers facing your child, addressing online safety is similar to handling other important parenting issues like sex and drugs – education and communication are key.

To help add a bit more context, let’s look at an acronym from Dr. Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University and author of two books on the iGeneration (“Me, Myspace, and I” and “Rewired”).

T.A.L.K.

Trust: It is important to maintain a certain level of trust between parent and child. As parents we are often so concerned about our children’s safety that trust goes out the window, and a lack of trust can lead to unnecessarily intrusive behaviors. Dr. Rosen uses the example of “snooping in your daughter’s room and reading her locked diary.” While it’s important to keep your eye out for genuine threats, completely stripping your children of all their privacy will often only make them more determined to hide things from you. Instead, try to establish freedom and privacy within limits, such as allowing your child to have a Facebook account, but using a monitoring service that alerts you to red flags. In this way, you’re not spying on every comment your child makes online, but you still have a level of involvement – should it be necessary.

Assess: If your family is already using the Internet regularly, take the time to talk to your children about how they use social networks and where they spend their time online. Rather than trying to view your child’s Facebook page behind his/her back, ask your child to sit at the computer with you. This is a great opportunity to get an idea of each other’s expectations when it comes to online time, and discuss best practices when it comes to protecting privacy and behaving responsibly.

Learn: As we mentioned, a little research is always a good idea. Spend some time learning about the various social networks your children use and what, if any, privacy controls are available. The more you know about dangers like cyberbullying and identity theft, the better equipped you will be to handle them. Check out sites like ConnectSafely.org and StaySafeOnline.org.

“K”ommunicate: Two-way communication!!! Nothing can beat it! If your child is willing to talk with you about what is going on in his/her life at school, then you will have a leg up talking about what’s happening with them online. Help them understand why it’s important to practice good “netiquette,” and teach them what risks to watch out for. The more open and honest you are with each other, the more your child will feel comfortable telling you when something goes wrong. For some kids, a big, sit-down, “talk” is the best way to go. Others respond better to more subtle messages on a frequent basis. The bottom line is, you know your child, so talk to him or her in the same way you would about other important topics.
One final tip: many of us, adults and children alike, seem to be glued to our laptops and mobile devices, and if time spent at home together is also spent online, it can be difficult to create space for the important conversations mentioned above. Back before household computers, my family had a “no T.V. between 6pm and 8pm” rule, and the same principle applies here. Consider setting up a “media-free” hour when everyone agrees to put aside their various electronic devices and spend time without their eyes on a screen. So, while the Facebook pages, iPhones, and constant interpersonal communication of the iGeneration may seem overwhelming to us as parents, remember that many of the same old rules apply – you just need upgrade to the latest version of them!

Picture a child learning to ride a bike. As parents we want to do everything in our power to make sure our children have a safe environment in which they can grow and learn. We baby-proof the house, we inspect daycares and schools, and we put training wheels on their bikes. The world can be a scary place, and we want to give them a taste of what to expect before we send them zooming down the street on their own. We want to cushion the bumps and falls along the way, but when does protection become coddling? This is a familiar dilemma – by now most of us have heard the terms “over-parenting” or “helicopter parenting” used to describe the moms and dads who take protection too far (for more on over-parenting, check out this TIME magazine article). However, for many of us the conversation begins to feel very unfamiliar when it comes to our children and social networking.

Research shows that 93% percent of teens are online, and of those, 73% are using social networks. Like most things in the world, there are definite benefits and risks associated with social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Rather than hashing out the details of that debate, let’s just acknowledge that each side has its facts and instead focus on what to DO about it!

Option 1: Know your child’s social network passwords. This route certainly has its perks for protective parents: you have full access to everything about your child’s profile, including privacy settings and message history. However, think about what this level of involvement means for your children. You knowing their password gives them zero privacy, and as such takes away much of the opportunity to learn responsibility and build trust. While this setup certainly helps ensure safety, it is incredibly restrictive. Instead of installing training wheels you are effectively chaining the bike to the garage!

Option 2: “Friend” your child on Facebook. This is a popular option and, along with education and awareness, many parents feel being a “friend” strikes a good balance between safety and restriction. Yet, as your child’s Facebook friend there are many aspects that you can’t monitor. You won’t necessarily be able to see what your child is posting, and his or her messages and chats will be private. This is good for the ‘freedom and responsibility’ side of the debate, but you may be leaving your child open to more risks than you realize. Education and awareness of proper social network etiquette (aka social “netiquette”) are a must, but as common sense and a recent Pew Internet study tell us, most of us have “good intentions when it comes to safe social networking behavior but don’t always act on them.” What’s more, there are many less-than-obvious risks that even the most vigilant network users often overlook. While we don’t want to restrict or coddle our children, but given the very real dangers of social networking, simply being a “friend” is akin to giving a kid with a loose wheel and faulty brakes but telling him to wear a helmet.

Option 3: Use a social media monitoring service. Depending on which one you use, a monitoring service can offer the best of both worlds when deciding your involvement in your child’s social networking habits. Rather than lording over the your son or daughter’s profile or constantly “facebook stalking” them for hints of trouble, consider using a monitoring service that will do the scanning for you. You don’t need to know that Katie thinks the boy in 2nd period is cute or Sam’s extended thoughts on Justin Bieber’s haircut. So what’s the answer? Rather than invading your child’s privacy unnecessarily or devoting your precious time to sorting through harmless posts, use a service that alerts you when your child is in danger. Of course, education and awareness are still important, but a monitoring service can give added peace of mind where simple “friending” can’t. In our bike metaphor, a monitoring service is like a safe, working bike AND a good helmet. It’s gives kids a dose of freedom and personal responsibility, while giving parents the tools to keep their kids safe from very real dangers.

In the push and pull between protection and over-parenting, which option will you choose when you kids get online?

To some extent, telling kids to beware of online “stranger danger” has worked: according to a Pew Internet study, “most teenagers are taking steps online to protect themselves from the most obvious areas of risk.” However, the key phrase here should be “the most obvious areas.” Facebook and other social networks push their users to share as much information as possible with little warning of the consequences. While most social networks have access controls designed to keep your children’s information private to only their friends, these features do not form a reliable privacy wall. These built-in restrictions can’t be counted on to hold outsiders and predators at bay.

Consider the following: 88% of adolescents share their birthdays, 64.1% share their emails, 54.2% share their hometowns, 41% share their mobile phone numbers, and 27% share their addresses. On Facebook, the default settings for status updates and posts are public, which means anything your child posts can be seen by the world and saved on sites like youropenbook.org. Even with the most diligent security settings, in most cases* once your child accepts someone as a friend he or she removes any privacy wall that existed. This is especially risky if your kids are friends with people they don’t actually know offline.

So, just don’t put your phone number or address on your profile – seems simple, right? Wrong. As mentioned above, it is the less obvious security gaps that pose the greatest risk. Research has shown that while adolescents understand not to share information on their own profiles, they often divulge personal information when commenting on other’s Facebook pages. Sometimes just your child’s username and picture is all a stranger needs to find out more sensitive info, especially if your child’s email address matches his or her name. It’s always a good idea to Google your family’s email addresses every few months and find out if it has been saved anywhere.

When faced with all these concerns, the most obvious answer might be to stay off social networking sites all together. But with all the positive experiences that social networking provides, there’s no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Research shows that the benefits of social networking include a decrease in “feelings of loneliness,” and as most social network users know, it’s just plain fun!

Like many things in life, awareness and education are the keys to having a positive social networking experience. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the security gaps in today’s social networking sites and talk with your family about “best practices” for online privacy, and/or sign up for a free trial of an online social monitoring solution like FamilySignal. By going a step beyond the “obvious” threats and solutions, you can enjoy the benefits of being online while minimizing the dangers.

FamilySignal co-founders Brian Eisenberg and Matthew Fanto with comedian Jimmie Walker

FamilySignal was a proud sponsor of Joe Nipote’s ComedySLAM at West Bloomfield High School, benefiting the West Bloomfield Educational Foundation.

This wonderful community event featured hilarious appearances by celebrity comedians like Jimmie Walker from Good Times and Heywood Banks.

Everyone had a wonderful time. It’s always a pleasure spending time with so many parents who share our enthusiasm for protecting children. Can’t wait for next year!

On stage with Joe Nipote

As part of the evening, we gave a presentation on how FamilySignal can help protect your children online. The audience was fantastic and asked some really insightful questions.

We heavily rely on web services and new technologies to run as efficiently as possible. This allows us to keep our overhead small and make sure our service is affordable for as many parents as possible.

-

Microsoft BizSpark
None of our development efforts would have been possible without BizSpark, an incredible program from Microsoft. BizSpark gives early stage startups access to their complete catalog of software, as well as tremendous technical support and exposure. It has been an invaluable program, and something we would recommend all startups check out.

Check out our BizSpark profile: http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/ConnectDetail.aspx?Startup=94350

Communication & Organization: 37Signals
We rely heavily on 37Signal’s suite of projects, including Campfire, a group chat service that allows our team to stay in sync regardless of when and where we work.

Hosting: Windows Azure
FamilySignal utilizes Microsoft’s Azure cloud services for our hosting and service management. Azure allows us to focus on new features and improving the user experience, instead of worrying about servers and scalability.

Billing: Chargify
Chargify has been invaluable in making the user subscription experience easier for you and our development team at FamilySignal. Their easy-to-manage recurring subscription system and coupon codes allow us to focus on our core technology, while providing secure payments through their automated billing system.

Customer Support: Zendesk
After evaluating many customer support options, Zendesk was the best available for FamilySignal’s customers. With solid integration into our website, every time a support issue is submitted it is categorized and assigned to the correct FamilySignal employee to ensure a quick and accurate response. Don’t like using forms to submit support issues? Feel free to email us at support@familysignal.com and we’ll take care of it there too!

Alert & Email Services: Twilio for Text Messages & Postmark for Email
As our site says, parents are instantly alerted to any suspected dangerous activity with a text message and an email. Twilio Cloud Communications allows FamilySignal to never slow down or queue text messages when sending your alerts out. In the future, we’ll be moving to a shortcode, which will allow us to send from a universal number in the US, but, for now, add 248-850-1351 to your address book as FamilySignal and you’ll immediately recognize when you have an alert! Postmark on the other hand, is a great email service that handles ours of our mail delivery needs. As FamilySignal grows, so does the services we use, ensuring there is never a missed email or text.

Social media icons by:

and also:

We highly recommend any of the services and techniques above.

We hope you found this useful, good luck in your own businesses!