1607.07 BASIC CHILD SAFETY ONLINE

I was prompted to write this post after seeing a friend's child cropping up all over social media and in my opinion started putting themselves in potential danger.

I've always been strict about my children's use of the internet. This lead to quite a bit of friction with my eldest back in the difficult period (which we won't go into now). My rules, hopefully, have kept my kids as safe as can be whilst letting them access to the internet. I supervise as much as I can, online devices must remain downstairs at all times and a parent must have access to all online accounts. Now I know this isn't foolproof but it's also about teaching responsible use of online services. It a frightening world out there and young people are exposed to it too soon these days.

It concerns me when I see other parents not giving a damn about what their kids do online. They hand over a smartphone and don't give a second thought to what they're doing or who they may be chatting to (or worse?).

There's loads of advice online for kids and parents and I think it's a good idea to sit down with a child and discuss it. I have with both my kids. For more info check out CEOP.

In my work I've visited schools and spoken to children about internet safely and hopefully my words have made an impression to some of those kids. At the end of the day it's not up to me, every parent needs to take responsibility for their child's activity online. 

1606.16 EBOOKS AND PAPERBACKS

I enjoy reading, however I struggle to get time to read. By the time I stop at the end of the day I tend to start dropping off to sleep. I read when I can which usually means grabbing an odd few minutes here and there, especially the meal break at work. To this end it's not really convenient for me to carry a physical book around with me. I am thankful for the chance to be able to carry a book around with me wherever I go. Smartphones mean I have all the books I ever need in my hand.

I have 2 apps on my phone for books, the Kindle app and I have an app that allows me to borrow and read books from my local library (Overdrive).

The Kindle Bookshelf

Some people I find get really snooty about ebooks stating the look, feel and even smell of 'real books' as the reason to snub them. Surely the point of reading is the words on the page? The story? I think the act of reading is the most important and the medium is only secondary. I usually find many of those people that cite this argument are sometimes the ones that rarely read. But let's look at the advantages;

• You can read wherever you are, you always have a book with you.
• You can buy/try a new book anywhere.
• All the popular reading apps sync between devices.

Yes there is certain books, especially if you are a collector or there is a specific book you just need to 'have' to physically keep. I get that. But reading is reading and I use the format that suits me the best.