Toxic Apps: a Guide for Parents

By Barry Crutchfield

Toxic Apps, a Guide for Parents is designed to bring parents of minor children into the loop. Over the past few years, we have all been hit with a smartphone tsunami, and sometimes it can seem impossible to keep up with everything. It is easy to get overwhelmed when attempting to implement an effective cyber safety plan for your child. Fortunately, once you understand the basic formula that most app developers follow, the task of managing cyber risks becomes less intimidating and more manageable. This guide will provide a good starting point for parents by identifying the most toxic apps and behaviors trending today. Your job as a parent must include staying on top of current cyber risks and making decisions based on those risks. I have seen too many parents who are completely oblivious to the dangers of allowing their 11-year-old child to have their own Facebook or Instagram accounts. I'm frequently asked by parents: "What is my son/daughter doing on Snapchat all the time?" Parents should already know how some kids are using today's most popular social media apps and websites long before they notice their child's excessive use. I plan to update this guide each summer as part of my "back to school" routine. I encourage you to also follow other websites and Facebook pages and read current articles about social media trends among teens. The best cyber parent stays informed and is always learning about the risks associated with the most popular apps, websites and trends.The 3 main takeaways from the Toxic Apps guide:Increased Awareness - parents should know every app and social media site their child uses. You may be thinking, there is no way I can keep up with all that. To which I would say, you better. Your child's safety and well-being could be at stake. Later, I will show you really how simple this is if you have a plan and follow that plan.Action Plan - this guide will give you step-by-step action plans that any parent capable of putting gasoline in a car can execute. It does not take an expert to perform basic safety routines - most of which are built right into the device. But it does take discipline and time.Resource - this guide, along with its accompanying website www.toxicapps.com, is a great starting point and resource center for parents. I do not pretend to have all of the answers; however, having a seat on the inside (see below) gives me a distinct advantage over most parents. I encourage you to challenge me via comments on my website or Facebook page, @toxicapps, and seek other opinions if you happen to disagree or just want to fact check my work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1521783934
• ISBN13: 9781521783931
• Release Date: July 2017
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 157 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.4" x 6.0"