What We’re Reading: Online Safety Starts Offline, Google+ Email Invasion, Bigger Target Data Breach, Where The Teens Are

By Lynette Owens Week of January 13, 2014

To help you keep up with what’s going on with kids, families, schools, and technology, we’ve compiled a list of stories, tips, and insights, we’ve found most useful over the past week.  What have you been reading? Tell us below or Tweet @TrendISKF.

ONLINE SAFETY STARTS OFFLINE: In light of the recent Snapchat breach, our friend and colleague, Anne Collier, provides suggestions on the Modern Parenthood blog on how to help kids handle whatever threats come their way, online or off. She recommends internet safetyguards, including monitoring and filtering, along with empowerment and general respect for who we come in contact with on a daily basis.

NEW GOOGLE+ FEATURE OPENS DOOR TO YOUR INBOX: Last week, Google decided to allow by default anyone on Google+ to email you on Gmail without having your email address.  This has serious privacy implications and is 100% annoying (although it’s pitched as a way to connect easily with others.)  Here’s how you can turn off this feature, or at least modify it so the whole world can’t get to you uninvited.

BIGGER TARGET DATA BREACH: Recently reported data breaches among U.S. retailers appear to be further-reaching than we thought.  Target upped the number of potentially impacted accounts from 40 million to 70 million, and Neiman-Marcus is now reporting they have been hacked, too.  If you shop at Target and are worried or have been impacted, here are some great tips on what to do.  

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