Geotagging! Obviously, this has nothing to do with my regular topic of bullying or cyberbullying but it has everything to do with online safety.
It’s something we have to be aware of when we give children cell phones. To be honest, I worry that we, as parents, don’t know enough about the technology in our hands and/or in the hands of our kids. Sometimes when I talk to parents about online safety, I get that deer in the headlights look as if to say “this is too much to figure out. When it comes to cell phones, computers and social networking, I just have to hope for the best.”
I must admit that I’ve been one of those parents. Even when I read about geotagging in the NY Times, I thought, “Oh no, not ONE more thing to worry about. Do I really have to worry about this today?”
It’s Friday, so I promised myself that sometime over the weekend — maybe over pancakes — I’m going to make a game out of figuring out how to turn off the app. If there isn’t a way, then the carrier has to be called or visited. This is only slightly better than getting a root canal but it’s somehow going to be better in the end. At the very least, it will make me feel like less of a chump for having some big wig tech exec take away one more aspect of our privacy. (By the way, have you ever noticed how tv producers and tech people make decisions like there are no children on the planet?)
Pass the syrup and the phone.
