Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:
😅 Meta is getting rid of fact checkers. What that means for parents and kids: Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, recently announced that it is getting rid of its third-party fact-checking program. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that, as a result, the company will catch less “bad stuff” posted on its platforms — which is a red flag, considering that roughly 60% of kids in the US use Instagram alone. The company is switching to a “Community Notes” model, similar to X. However, the new policy means your child is more likely to see potentially incendiary content, such as hate speech and misinformation, especially if they like or share a post on their feed. If your child uses Insta, here’s what we recommend:
🔒 New social media and children’s device laws officially kick in: Although the Kids Online Safety Act fell flat last year, several major social media bills have taken effect at the state level. In Florida, children under 14 are no longer allowed to use social media, and minors aged 14 and 15 can only use it with parental consent. In Utah, SB 104 prevents children from accessing obscene material via Internet browsers or search engines. And, notably, most of the South can no longer access pornography websites due to pushback from age verification laws (which the Supreme Court will weigh in on this week).
⏳ Let’s talk about the impending TikTok ban: TikTok is on the clock. No, that’s not a Kesha lyric. The popular social media platform will shut down in the U.S. by Sunday, Jan. 19 if the ban is upheld. As a recap, TikTok was put on the chopping block last year due to national security concerns. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has until the 19th to sell the app’s U.S. operations to an American owner or shut down entirely. At that point, TikTok will be removed from App Stores and won’t be available for new downloads. No, your phone won’t self-destruct: the app will likely still work on your phone for a little while, even after the 19th.
The reasons for the ban are controversial; peer-reviewed research suggests that TikTok is being used to shape the West’s public opinion of China. At the same time, TikTok’s many faults can also be applied to other popular social media platforms (have you seen Meta’s terms of service?). Incoming President Trump has signaled that he plans to prevent a full TikTok ban once he takes office next week, so this is still a very much developing story. We’ll keep you posted.
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Did you know that the BrightCanary app includes an AI chatbot designed specifically for parents? It’s called Ask the Canary, and it’s designed to answer your toughest parenting questions 24/7. One of our writers ran some situations by the AI — you can read the full writeup on our blog. And if you want to try Ask the Canary yourself, just download BrightCanary on the App Store!
Question: “I got an alert on BrightCanary that people are sending hurtful texts to my child. What are some conversation starters I can use to talk to them about it?”
Ask the Canary’s response: “I noticed some of your friends have said hurtful things in your text messages. How does that make you feel?”
Question: “My child is posting inappropriate things online. What are some conversation starters I can use to talk to them about it?”
Ask the Canary’s response: “I noticed something that worried me in your posts. What was your intention when you posted this? How do you think these posts align with the values we cherish as a family?”
Question: “I want to know more about a show my child is watching. What are some conversation starters I can use to ask them about it?”
Ask the Canary’s response: “Can you tell me about the show you’re watching? How does this show compare to other shows you like?”
Writer Rebecca will never forget when her 10-year-old niece sent her first text. It was a simple “Hi,” but that word also signaled the start of a new chapter for her — and a whole new set of safety considerations for her parents. This is where a reliable app for parents to monitor text messages is essential.
Apple’s parental controls are impressive, but they don’t give you the ability to actually see what your child is texting. Other parental monitoring apps come up short on iPhone, but BrightCanary was specifically designed for Apple devices — so it actually works. Here’s what parents and family members should know about BrightCanary text monitoring, how to set it up, and tips to get the most of the app.
Ah, oversharing about your personal life online. We’ve all seen it, and most of us have done it a time or two as well. But when it comes to our kids, oversharing on social media can be particularly risky.
Kids may not be aware that they’re oversharing — they may simply want to talk about their experiences with their friends, without realizing that the information is public or can be easily screenshotted and shared. Here’s everything you need to know about the dangers of oversharing online and how to help your child avoid it.
🏛️ In California, a federal court upheld most of SB 976, also known as the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act. The bill prevents social media platforms from knowingly providing an addictive feed to minors without parental consent and takes effect on January 1, 2027. NetChoice, a powerful tech lobbying group, challenged the law on First Amendment grounds, and while the court partially blocked parts of the law, social media companies will still be expected to adjust their feeds for minors by 2027.
🎮 Is your child asking about the video game Marvel Rivals? The game is rated T for teens, but there’s a dearth of information about whether the game is appropriate for kids — so we wrote about it on our blog.
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