Parents Advice Hub

Parenting constantly presents challenges; parenting in an era where children have access to a wide range of digital devices is a new experience for many parents. We regularly receive feedback from parents who attend our seminars and internet safety crash courses, that they are genuinely overwhelmed by the amount of online games, apps and social…

One of the most striking results from our recent Zeeko All Ireland Trend Report was the percentage of children who said that they had spoken to, or played against a stranger online: 54% of 6th class pupils, 46% of 5th class pupils and 42% of 4th class pupils have had contact with a stranger online. These…

Growing up in a digital age poses many challenges; the pressure to communicate via social networks at an earlier and earlier age is certainly one of these. The research from our Zeeko All Ireland Digital Trend Report found that 24% of 5th class pupils and 43% of 6th class pupils are users of Instagram. Snapchat…

Screen time, how much is too much and how to manage it, is a subject that is raised regularly by parents and teachers at our seminars in schools and our parent internet safety crash courses. With the growing number of screens that children now have access to, the time spent on screens can be a…

Online gaming has become somewhat of a phenomenon amongst younger generations, with children constantly discussing their gaming and individuals making careers out of blogging about gaming. Games’ market research agency Newzoo reported that gaming generated $81.5 billion in revenue globally in 2014, which is double the revenue of the international film industry. So what is…

With so many digital devices available to children now, parents are often very concerned about what their children are able to do on such devices. Apps can offer a world of education and exploration to your child but the myriad of Apps currently available can also prove a minefield to navigate for children and their…

You may have noticed a lot more information across the media yesterday about internet safety. This is because the 9th February 2016 marks Safer Internet Day, internationally. It is an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of internet safety. Through our work with children in primary schools, our parent seminars and our internet safety…

As a parent today it is likely that you made your first mark on the internet 15 years ago. When your name is typed into an online search, there is a good chance that a social media profile will pop up; your latest tweets, perhaps your Facebook profile picture and maybe your LinkedIn account. Imagine if your digital footprint had…

Excessive internet use can sound like an intimidating term when you first hear it. It can also seem as if it is a relatively new phenomenon, but excessive internet use is a topic that has been known to psychologists for over 20 years. As we regularly say at Zeeko, the internet is a fantastic resource…

When we speak with parents at our talks to parents associations or at our parent crash courses, exposure to inappropriate content often features in the top three concerns regarding their children spending time online. Yet, when we visit schools, this is often the least explored topic, with many children unsure of what the problem with…

The first week in January 2016 was an exciting one for Zeeko, as we launched our crowdfunding campaign with a target of raising €5,000 to enable us to put a Digital copy of the Zeeko Internet Safety Guide, into every primary school in Ireland. We are absolutely delighted that we reached our target, within three…

Online interactions today may sometimes seem to be a minefield, especially for young people and their parents who are concerned about Internet safety. The temptation might be to prevent children from accessing online technologies entirely, in what may be a well-intentioned but misguided attempt to protect them from the various dangers online. Nevertheless, without the…