Category: Safety | Internet Security

Parents once imagined a future where they’d be begging their children to put their phones down. That future arrived, but it’s taken an unexpected twist: many kids are doing it themselves.

Without stern lectures or confiscated devices, young people are choosing to unplug, limit screen time, and even challenge each other to go offline. The shift is subtle but powerful, signaling a generational rethinking of digital life. Why are kids rewriting the rules of phone use, and what does it mean for the rest of us?

From Fear of Missing Out to Fear of Burnout

For years, the dominant force driving phone use among kids was FOMO—the fear of missing out. Social media made every moment look like a party, every notification like an urgent call. Now the pendulum has swung. Instead of fearing disconnection, many teens fear the consequences of constant connection. Burnout, anxiety, sleepless nights, and endless comparison cycles have turned the phone from a shiny toy into a mental health hazard.

What’s striking is that this realization isn’t coming from adult warnings or public service announcements. Kids are noticing it in their own lives and they’re acting as the flagger for their own digital activities. They feel the brain fog after hours of TikTok, the drained energy after scrolling Instagram feeds, the pressure of maintaining streaks in messaging apps.

They’re connecting those dots themselves. Once FOMO dominated, now JOMO, the joy of missing out, is quietly spreading. Choosing to silence notifications or delete apps feels less like deprivation and more like relief. The fear of burnout is replacing the fear of exclusion, and it’s giving kids the motivation to regulate their own habits.

Peer Status and the Rise of Digital Boundaries

Peer culture has always been the strongest regulator of youth behavior. Smoking, fashion, music, slang—each wave of teen identity has been shaped by what their friends endorsed or rejected.

Phones are no different, except this time the trend is shifting towards reducing use. It’s increasingly a marker of status to not be chained to your device. Being the one at the table who can ignore pings or leave their phone face down earns respect. Ironically, independence from technology has become a kind of social capital.

Kids encourage each other to take “phone-free hours” during study sessions or dinners. They swap stories about deleting certain apps, experimenting with minimalist phones, or using flip phones for a week. Far from being mocked, these choices are admired.

The culture of bragging about screen time used to mean showing how much you were online. Now it’s flipped, with activities like comparing who stayed off of Instagram the longest being the new contest. That shift in peer validation is critical because it ensures self-regulation isn’t just an individual choice but a socially supported movement.

Tech Tools Turned Into Weapons of Control

Irony runs deep in this story: the very devices that once hooked kids are now offering them ways to resist. Screen time dashboards, focus modes, app timers, and sleep schedules weren’t necessarily designed for teenagers, but they’re being co-opted by them.

Instead of parents forcing restrictions and parental controls, kids are experimenting with these tools themselves, almost like gamers testing hacks. They check daily usage stats and challenge friends to cut them down. They set “downtime” to auto-lock apps at night, so temptation is out of reach.

This use of tech tools reveals something important: self-regulation isn’t about abandoning devices but mastering them. Rather than passively accepting whatever a phone serves up, kids are flipping the script.

They’re treating the phone as a system to be hacked, optimized, and controlled. The phone becomes less a master and more a tool again—something that serves their priorities rather than consuming them. That reversal might be one of the most hopeful signs that this generation could redefine digital habits, even more effectively than conventional phone bans.

Mental Health as the Core Motivator

The strongest current beneath this shift is mental health. Today’s kids are growing up in a culture where anxiety, stress, and depression are openly discussed. Social media and endless phone use are often framed as contributing factors, and kids themselves see the evidence.

They talk about how they sleep better when they put phones away, how their concentration sharpens when TikTok is deleted, how their moods improve when they stop chasing likes. It’s not abstract—it’s felt in their daily lives.

Many of them discover through trial and error that life feels calmer without constant digital noise. What begins as a one-day detox often becomes a habit because the benefits are immediate.

Less scrolling before bed leads to better rest; fewer notifications means more presence with friends; ditching comparison-heavy feeds reduces pressure. Self-regulation becomes less about discipline and more about self-preservation. Protecting their mental health is not something they need adults to nag them about—it’s a lived truth they can’t ignore.

Parents’ Role in Supporting, Not Policing

While it’s tempting for parents to celebrate this trend and back away, guidance still matters. Self-regulation doesn’t grow in a vacuum. Kids are more likely to succeed when families support the effort, not with punishment but with partnership.

Parents modeling balanced use—putting phones down at dinner, resisting the urge to check work emails constantly—reinforces what kids are already trying to do. Conversations shift from “Put that down” to “How did it feel when you unplugged last night?” This collaborative approach makes digital balance a shared family value.

Still, not all kids will embrace self-regulation naturally. Some will continue to struggle with social pressures that make it harder to disconnect.

Here, gentle nudges can help, encouraging them to notice the benefits, helping them set up focus modes, or even co-creating phone-free times as a household.

The line between support and control matters. Kids thrive when they feel autonomy, not surveillance. Parents can amplify the positive trend by respecting children’s choices while offering the scaffolding that keeps the balance sustainable.

Conclusion

Nobody predicted kids would take the lead in unplugging. Yet here we are, watching teenagers explain to each other—and to their parents—why it feels good to disconnect. This isn’t about rejecting technology outright but redefining its role. Kids are proving that regulation doesn’t need to come from rules; it can come from awareness, peer support, and a desire for healthier minds.

Adults may have spent years worrying about screen addiction, but the younger generation is showing a different path: one of balance, intention, and autonomy. Perhaps the most surprising lesson is that parents don’t just have something to teach their kids about phones. They also have something to learn.

About the Author:
Ryan Harris is a copywriter focused on eLearning and the digital transitions going on in the education realm. Before turning to writing full time, Ryan worked for five years as a teacher in Tulsa and then spent six years overseeing product development at many successful Edtech companies, including 2U, EPAM, and NovoEd.

As a parent, you vigilantly watch your child at the pool. But what happens at the beach, lake, or river? The rules change dramatically outside the controlled pool environment, where currents, waves, and unexpected drop-offs can make the water far more dangerous than it looks.

For children ages 1 to 4, drowning is the leading cause of death in the United States. This risk underscores that the skills learned in a formal setting are a primary defense.

This knowledge is vital.

Professional instruction provides a foundation that protects children everywhere. It’s about more than strokes; it’s about survival competence in unpredictable situations. This preparation supports safe aquatic experiences in any setting.

The Unpredictable World of Open Water

A swimming pool is a controlled, predictable environment. The water is clear, the depth is marked, and the edges are defined. Open water, by contrast, is full of variables that can challenge even a strong swimmer.

Oceans introduce powerful forces like waves, rip currents, and undertows. A child can be knocked off their feet by a wave or pulled rapidly away from shore by a current they cannot see, a danger highlighted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The power of the ocean is relentless.

Lakes and Ponds often have limited visibility, hiding hazards like submerged logs, rocks, or sudden drop-offs. Water temperatures can be deceptively cold, leading to muscle cramps or cold water shock.

Rivers and Streams add the element of moving current, which can sweep a child downstream. They may also have obstacles like branches, rocks, and uneven, slippery bottoms that make entering and exiting the water hazardous.

Understanding these risks is a first step. The next is proactive preparation. This isn’t about instilling fear, but about building competence. The controlled environment of a swimming pool is the right classroom for these lessons.

This is the core philosophy behind professional swim classes, such as those focused on building a fundamental water safety toolkit from the very first lesson. A quality program is built to do more than teach a child how to cross a pool; it’s about establishing competencies that last a lifetime. For instance, at our local swim school, certified instructors focus on real-world applications—practicing floating to conserve energy, learning to navigate without a clear line on the bottom, and knowing how to stay calm if a situation feels unfamiliar. As outlined by the American Red Cross, comprehensive lessons include these critical skills for various environments. This training provides the muscle memory and mental confidence that translates from the pool to any body of water.

For parents, enrolling in structured instruction is a strong strategy for ensuring your child doesn’t just know how to swim, but knows how to be safe. This foundational knowledge is a powerful layer of protection for a lifetime of aquatic enjoyment.

Infographic:

Skills Learned in Class That Apply Everywhere

So, what specific competencies from professional lessons become important tools in open water?

1. Breath Control and Recovery
   A sudden wave at the beach or an unexpected submersion in a lake can be alarming. Professional lessons teach children how to hold their breath, control their exhalation, and recover to the surface without panicking. This skill is a first defense against inhaling water.

2. Floating and Treading Water
   Exhaustion is a major cause of drowning in open water. The ability to roll onto their back and float or efficiently tread water allows a child to rest, conserve energy, call for help, and formulate a plan to get to safety. This is one of the most important skills for drowning prevention.

3. Swimming in a Straight Line
   In a pool, a black line on the bottom provides guidance. In open water, there are no such markers. Lessons teach children to lift their heads to sight a landmark (like the shore) while maintaining an efficient stroke. This prevents them from swimming in circles and wasting energy when trying to return to safety.

4. Safe Entries and Exits
   Jumping into a pool from the side is straightforward. Entering a lake from a slippery dock or a rocky beach is not. Quality instruction includes practicing cautious entries and exits, teaching children to always check depth and look for obstacles before getting in or out of any body of water.

5. Recognizing and Responding to Hazards
   A core component of water safety is education. Good instructors teach students to identify potential dangers, such as avoiding areas where waves are breaking. They learn to understand what different currents might look like and know to get out of the water at the first sign of changing weather.

Confidence: The Invisible Life Jacket

A valuable gift from formal lessons is confidence. Panic is the enemy in any emergency. A child who has been trained to handle unexpected situations in a controlled setting is far less likely to panic in a real-world scenario. This practiced calm allows them to recall their training and use the skills that will keep them safe.

Addressing Common Parental Concerns

• “My child is a good pool swimmer. Isn’t that enough?”
  Pool swimming is a strong foundation, but it’s not complete preparation. Open water requires additional skills like environmental awareness, energy conservation, and dealing with currents. Professional lessons bridge this gap.

• “We always use life jackets on the boat.”
  Life jackets are absolutely necessary for boating. However, accidents can happen in the moments a jacket isn’t on. In these scenarios, innate water safety skills are what protect your child.

• “I’m always right there watching them.”
  Parental supervision is a critical safety layer. A moment of distraction is all it takes. A child who is equipped with skills and confidence has a layer of protection from within.

Building a Foundation for Safety

The goal is not to avoid water, but to empower your child to enjoy it respectfully and safely. The ocean, lakes, and rivers offer family fun and connection with nature. By investing in professional instruction, you are providing them with an important life skill. This is a core part of drowning prevention strategies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which underscores the value of formal swimming lessons as a protective measure.

You are building their confidence from the inside out, ensuring that wherever their adventures take them, they carry the knowledge and ability to assess risks, respect the water, and protect themselves. This peace of mind is a significant reward for any parent.

With the new school year less than a month away, parents are preparing to send their children off on a fresh adventure of learning, growth, and new friendships. Kids are undoubtedly excited, but parents can’t help but worry about their safety both on and off campus.

Schools remain among the safest places for children. Teachers are trained for multiple situations, and regular drills equip students with the knowledge of what to do and how to act in case of an emergency.

One important safety element is often overlooked: school safety signs. These visible signs guide students, staff, and visitors during emergencies. Let’s explore the key types that keep everyone safe while they head to class.

Why Schools Need Safety Signs

There’s an old saying that goes something like “schools are a second home to children.” That saying stems from the fact that children spend almost as much time at school as they do at home, if not more on occasion.

Because of this, schools must make students feel just as safe on campus as they do at home. Trained staff are always present, students and faculty regularly participate in emergency drills, and mandatory safety inspections ensure the facilities are free of hazards.

In addition to the training, drills, and inspections, schools also incorporate safety signs that are crucial for anyone on the premises to find their way to a safe location. These signs may also provide instructions on how to face and control a certain situation.

However, having nothing but safety signs hanging from the ceiling or plastered on walls may be overwhelming and instill a feeling that something is bound. This is why safety signs need to be balanced with festive back-to-school signs that welcome students back to campus in a pleasant manner.

Most Important Safety Signs for Schools

When you think of school safety signs, a few familiar types probably come to mind right away. Fire safety signs, fire escape signs, and emergency exit signs are the most common ones. These are some of the most visible and crucial signs that help ensure everyone knows how to respond in urgent situations. However, schools use a wide variety of other safety signs that play equally important roles in keeping students, staff, and visitors protected every day.

From signs that guide behavior to those that warn of hazards or direct people to medical help, each type contributes to a safer and more secure campus environment. Let’s take a closer look at these different categories and understand how they work together to maintain safety at school.

Mandatory Signs

“Mandatory” school safety signs typically focus on actions students, staff, and visitors must take, rather than things they’re prohibited from doing. They communicate requirements in a positive, directive way. Examples include signs found in chemistry labs like “Safety Goggles Must Be Worn,” as well as others such as “Keep Quiet in the Library” or “Keep the Doors Closed.” The messages are clear and straightforward, reminding everyone to follow the rules to maintain safety and avoid issues.

Prohibition Signs

Prohibition signs are the exact opposite of “mandatory” signs in schools. Instead of telling people what they must do, they make it clear what is strictly forbidden on campus. These range from simple messages like “No Smoking” and “No Running” to more serious rules such as “No Firearms Allowed” or “No Alcohol on Campus.” Each sign marks a firm boundary that no one should cross.

Warning Signs

Pedestrian safety is always at the forefront for both parents and school administrators, but it makes up just one component of school warning signs. Warning signs on or near campus alert students, parents, staff, and visitors to potential hazards in the area. They can appear both inside and outside the school. Common examples include “High Voltage” signs near electrical posts, “Children Crossing” signs at the school entrance, and “Wet Floor” signs in hallways. Each is designed to prevent accidents and keep everyone safe in different parts of the school.

Fire Safety Signs

Fire safety signs guide people on how to a) prevent a fire from starting; and b) respond if one occurs. For example, they may warn against striking a match or using a lighter near flammable materials, or provide step-by-step instructions for operating a fire extinguisher or fire hose. Either way, these signs are crucial and can save lives in an emergency.

Fire Exit Signs

These directional signs work alongside the informative ones mentioned earlier. In the event of a fire, it’s essential for everyone to know how to evacuate the school in an orderly way. Fire exit signs are typically placed above doors leading out of the building, but they can also appear inside classrooms as maps showing the nearest exit. You might also find them near elevators, warning people not to use them during a fire.

First Aid Signs

First aid signs in schools are among the most important safety signs. They can be lifesaving, though their effectiveness greatly increases when paired with proper hands-on training. These signs may direct students and staff to the nearest first aid kit or, in critical situations, to a defibrillator. They can also be instructional graphics on how to perform life-saving procedures such as the Heimlich maneuver or CPR. Others guide people to the school’s medical room if someone needs attention from a nurse or other medical professional.

Conclusion

School safety signs might seem like a small detail in the bigger picture of campus security, but they play a vital role in preventing accidents, guiding people during emergencies, and reinforcing important safety rules. From mandatory and prohibition signs to fire exits, first aid points, and hazard warnings, each sign serves a specific purpose in keeping students, staff, and visitors safe.

As the new school year approaches, it’s worth ensuring these signs are visible, clear, and properly placed throughout the campus. Combined with training, drills, and a welcoming atmosphere, they help create a school environment where safety and learning go hand in hand.

The Internet has given teens incredible opportunities for communication, learning, and self-expression. They can easily connect with friends and explore new ideas. It’s also given fraudsters and cybercrooks new opportunities to exploit teenagers with one of the oldest tricks in the book – impersonation.

Impersonation scams most often begin when the impersonators pretend to be a celebrity, friend, or relative. The individual sends the teenager a message, friend request, or gets the teenager involved somehow that feels comfortable. The teenager relaxes, and soon they may be sharing personal details, sending money, or even clicking on infected website links.

As parents, teachers, and guardians, it’s important to be aware of these risks and educate teens on how to identify them early.

Why Teenagers Are Vulnerable

Teenagers are easy prey for impersonation scams because of the following reasons:

• Social media trust – Teenagers tend to accept a friend request or message from someone they believe they know without verifying if the account is real.

• Emotional involvement and curiosity – Impersonators may make accounts seem intriguing, flattering, or urgent.

• Less experience identifying scams – Adolescents may not yet have the life experience to know red flags like conflicting information, poor grammar, or requests for money.

How Impersonation Scams Work

A scammer will copy a person’s profile picture and name and create an almost identical account. They will then attempt to contact the victim’s friends list or followers. The messages usually:

• Ask for help in an “emergency” (e.g., being stuck somewhere or needing money quickly).
• Offer special deals, contests, or access to premium material.
• Send dodgy-looking links claiming to be images, videos, or documents.

Some sophisticated scams even use AI programs to develop voice clones or create realistic videos of the person they’re impersonating. This makes it even harder to detect the fraud.

Red Flags of a False Profile

Instruct teens to take a moment before they accept new friend invitations or open messages. Common red flags include:

• Duplicate accounts – They are already following the “real” individual, but a second, almost identical account appears.
• Unusual language patterns – Words that don’t match the person’s normal style of communication.
• Urgent or emotional pleas – Sudden requests for money, help, or personal data.
• No common contacts – A sign that the account may not be genuine.
• Suspicious links – URLs that seem off or unexpected.

How Teens Can Protect Themselves

1. Confirm identities before reacting.
    If an unusual message comes from a friend, verify by calling them via another method (phone, video call, or main account).
2. Keep profiles private.
    Limiting posts, pictures, and contact details minimizes the chances of scammers gathering material to hijack accounts.
3. Don’t overshare personal information.
    Birthdates, addresses, school names, and even pet names can be exploited for scams or password guessing.
4. Block and report suspicious accounts.
    Most platforms have easy reporting tools and it’s better to report than regret.

The Parent and Educator Role

Parents and educators need to keep online safety a regular part of conversations, just like seatbelt use or healthy eating. This means:

• Talking to teens about their latest online interactions.
• Encouraging them to share suspicious messages without fear of punishment.
• Showing real-life examples of scams.
• Making it clear that anyone, even tech-savvy adults can be tricked.

When teens feel supported instead of judged, they’re more likely to come forward when something doesn’t feel right.

Adding a Layer of Technical Protection

While education is the best defense, certain tools can add extra protection.

Two-factor authentication and strong, unique passwords are essential. Teens (and adults) might also choose to browse with privacy tools that hide their IP addresses. In some cases, parents who want to create a safer online environment opt to buy http proxy services from reputable providers. For example, Proxy Cheap offers solutions that route internet traffic securely and make it harder for bad actors to track or target users directly.

Of course, proxies are not a cure-all they work best as part of a broader safety plan that includes awareness, good habits, and secure account settings.

Taking Action if a Teen Is a Victim

If a teen becomes the target of an impersonation scam, quick steps can reduce the damage:

1. Stop all communication immediately and block the impersonator.
2. Report the scam to the platform where it occurred.
3. Change passwords for any potentially compromised accounts.
4. Alert friends and contacts to avoid suspicious messages.
5. If money or sensitive data is involved, contact local law enforcement or a cybercrime unit.

Building a Lifelong Skillset

Helping teens spot and avoid impersonation scams isn’t just about protecting them today it’s about preparing them for a lifetime of safer online habits. As technology advances, scams will evolve, but the same skills  critical thinking, verification, and caution will remain vital defenses.

By keeping communication open, teaching practical safety strategies, and combining them with technical safeguards, parents can help teens navigate the digital world with confidence and without falling prey to someone pretending to be someone they’re not.