Zeeko Advice Hub

  With all the conversations that you need to have with your children in the course of a week it can be a challenge to fit in the topic of staying safe online! During the workshops we deliver in primary and secondary schools throughout the country we regularly hear from children of all ages about…

There used to be a time when keeping kids safe involved looking both ways before crossing the street or avoiding strangers. While those are still much needed life skills, our children are growing up in an increasingly digital and social world. Today’s kids embrace social media and technology as their primary means of communication and…

  The reality is we are surrounded by screens. Even as adults it is a challenge to manage the amount of time we spend looking at a screen throughout the day. If it is a challenge for adults to manage, it’s totally understandable that it is even more difficult for children to deal with. When…

  Not so long ago the main way people communicated was face to face or possibly by text. Now it’s a very different story. Messaging apps are becoming an increasingly popular way of communicating particularly among preteens and teenagers. The speed and immediacy of this type of communication can of course have benefits but it…

Cyber Safe Ireland today released its 2017 Annual Report The Report highlights: 16% of children surveyed spent in excess of 4 hours online a day. 32% of children have either never spoken to their parents/ guardians about online safety or have not done so in the last year. Almost 70% of teachers surveyed reported that they do…

  Digital footprint- it’s a relatively new concept but an increasingly important one. People’s digital footprint can have a significant impact on areas like career progression and general areas of personal privacy. This goes for adults and children alike. The full impact of digital footprint is only now beginning to be researched and it will…

  The interactive workshops that we deliver at Zeeko, in schools throughout Ireland are helping children to develop digital skills that help them stay safe online. We encourage the children and teenagers we meet to reflect on how they currently use the internet to interact with others. We also encourage them to develop the critical…

  It is officially the end of summer, as primary and second level pupils return to school. This can be a good time of the year to revisit a conversation about staying safe online with your child, individually and as a family. The start of school marks a return to routines and a level of…

  As the summer holidays start in earnest, now is a great time to have a conversation with your child about ways that they can continue to stay safe online. Remind your child that staying safe online doesn’t stop just because it is the summer. In fact, it can be even more important to make…

  The summer holidays are just around the corner for children in primary school and are already in full swing for those at second level. The summer is traditionally a time when the strict routines in place during the academic year are relaxed. It is a time for families to spend some quality time together,…

  YouTube, for many people it can be a means of self-expression, a way of documenting particular elements of their life. However an increasing number of children are using YouTube to upload videos and then share this content with friends. Parents can understandably be concerned about what their children are uploading and sharing, particularly as…

  Cyberbullying it’s undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges faced by children and teenagers in Ireland and indeed worldwide. Before the growth of digital technology bullying was something that could be contained, to some extent. However, the growth of social media and the use of digital technology like smartphones, means that bullying can be both…

  One of the concerns we hear most frequently from parents at our parent seminars in primary and secondary schools, relates to how challenging it can be to keep up with what children are doing when they are online. This concern is totally understandable as parents lead increasingly busy and demanding lives. It can undoubtedly…

  A survey of over one thousand young people aged 14 to 24 has found that Instagram is the worst social media site in terms of its impact on the mental health of young people. The #StatusofMind survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health, found the photo-sharing app negatively impacted on people’s body…

  The World Health Organisation has warned that the increased use of technology by children is leading to increased rates of obesity. The Report: Adolescent Obesity and Related Behaviours, looked at the prevalence of obesity among adolescents between the years 2002 and 2014. Almost two thirds of children were found to be spending more than…

  There has been lots of coverage recently about the proposed legislation by Fine Gael TD Jim Daly, that would see parents fined for not effectively controlling their children’s use of smartphones and could potentially see retailers fined for selling smartphones to children under the age of 14. It is yet to be seen whether…

  Peer pressure has always been a part of childhood and has always been a challenge for parents to deal with. However, now that there is a digital aspect to the way children of all ages communicate, peer pressure has a whole new dimension. Parents can understandably feel very concerned about the pressure that their…

From meeting parents at our parent seminars that take place in primary and secondary schools throughout the country, we regularly hear that the number of apps now available can be overwhelming and it can be a challenge to stay on top of the newest developments. MeowChat is an app that allows users to chat to…

  In an interview earlier this year our Founder Joe Kenny indicated that internet safety needs to be seen as something as important as learning to safely cross the road. With the increasing use of digital devices and wifi being available more widely in public places, children of all ages have access to a digital…

  The term ‘screenager’ is becoming increasingly common and it’s not hard to see why. The amount of screens that young people have access to in their everyday life is huge. With a growing number of schools using technology like iPads and Tablets as part of the educational experience, teens can spend a huge amount…

  Video and photo sharing online are a very popular way for teenagers in particular to communicate with their friends. Usually sharing begins with photos and then moves on to videos. From our work in primary and secondary schools throughout the country we know that parents concerns grow as their children become more familiar with…

The SimSimi app has caused a huge degree of controversy here in the last week or so and while it has now been suspended in Ireland there are certainly lessons that can be learned from the use of the app. While the immediate dangers of SimSimi have been removed for Irish users there is no…

WhatsApp has revolutionised online messaging, little doubt of that. The app, which allows users to make calls, send messages, videos and photos has approximately 630 million users every day. WhatsApp is particularly appealing to teens as all you need to use the app is a smartphone that is wifi enabled. In the US 27% of…

  There was a time not too long ago when the only way to communicate was face to face. That’s most certainly not the case now. Given the hectic lives that people live the convenience of using messaging apps to communicate cannot be underestimated. When we visit schools throughout the country we hear from children…

  It is human nature to presume that when something is password protected that it is secure and safe. We regularly remind parents and the children we talk to that safety settings in general, are a step in the right direction but they are not a 100% guarantee of safety. One new trend we are…

  When we visit schools throughout the country delivering seminars to children, parents and teachers focusing on how to stay safe online, we hear on a weekly basis about the online world that an increasing number of children inhabit and it’s not just apps and messaging that interest kids. Websites that create a virtual reality…

  Sharing videos, images and messages via apps is fast becoming a new communication phenomenon among Irish children and teenagers. Kik is a new messaging app which allows users to chat and also share videos, images and content from the web in the form of a text message that does not have a limit on…

  The term digital parenting is relatively new but one that is becoming more and more common. The increased use of digital devices and access to the internet has certainly added a new dimension to parenting. From listening to what parents are saying to us during our parent seminars the prospect of digital parenting can…

  Lego, it’s central to most childhoods and has certainly stood the test of time. Now Lego has embraced social networking, with the launch of the Lego Life app. The app has been developed for Android and iOS, to offer children the chance to freely express themselves and share ideas in a friendly environment, but…

  Technology and digital devices are now part of the vast majority of Irish homes and children at a younger and younger age are exposed to technology in all its forms. In the research for our most recent All Ireland Digital Trend Report we discovered that children as young as five had access to a…