Archive for 2011

Sextortion: The Newest Internet Ugly

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

What I’m referring to is sextortion:  sexual blackmail of children and teens online just like you.  Because most teens are extremely trusting, especially when it comes to social networks, you’re an easy target, which makes this an even more difficult trend to stomach.                                                                                                                        

Here’s how sextortion works: Online predators, ex-boyfriends or frenemies get a hold of inappropriate photos or videos of you by way of email, text, hacking, social networks or chatrooms, and then threaten complete humiliation if they don’t get what they ask you for.  These criminals threaten they will post or send the inappropriate content to your parents, friends, family, teachers, coaches or bosses, make demands for money, or even threats of physical harm.  SCARRY!

Sextortionists are experts at getting what they want, knowing that teens will be too afraid to tell anyone what’s happening to them, especially their parents, leaving them in the driver’s seat to get exactly they want. Children and teenagers just like you can quickly become trapped in a silent cycle of online sexual exploitation, every parent’s worst nightmare.

From experience, we already know that every teen is vulnerable to the online “ugly” side of the Internet, which comes with being constantly connected.  As an adult and a cyber safety expert, it’s my responsibility to speak openly about what to do should you ever become a victim.

It’s important for you to:

  • Get informed, ignorance isn’t bliss. Understand what sextortion is, and promise yourself that you’ll go to your parents should you ever become the target of a sextortionist – NO MATTER WHAT.
  • Set all security and privacy settings to private & set alerts. Keep all of your profiles on social networks private, even after you turn 18-years-old.  Creeps never get tired of trying, especially when they can hide behind a fake profile on a social network.  Set a Google Alerts for your name, which will let you know the instant something terrible or embarrassing tagged with your name gets posted online.
  • Messages, photos or videos you send by text are never private. They have the ability to be saved, edited, forwarded, posted onto Facebook or uploaded to YouTube in the matter of seconds, where they sit perfectly poised for Sextortionists to use against you.
  • Don’t trust people online you don’t know! Never trust anyone online you don’t know in real life, and to always report any contact you’ve received from strangers to a trusted adult.
  • Don’t text anything you wouldn’t want your mom to see. I often hear stories from teenage girls about the sexy photo that was sent without a single thought of where it might end up.  And sure enough, the photo was inevitably forwarded out to friends, strangers, predators, parents and teachers for people to pass judgment on and potentially use against them.
  • Be aware. Criminals, online predators and backstabbers can use your private pictures against you.  If you think your sext is only going to be seen by your intended recipient, think again. Once it’s out there, it’s out there for everyone to see.  It’s no fun to be embarrassed or belittled, threatened, or coerced online – especially by those you know, let alone those you don’t.


It’s a fact that social media has become the focal point of your life, and it’s time that we adults face it.  Sextortion is not only the newest Internet “ugly,” but it’s a trend that requires all teens to take seriously, and become aware that Sextortionist experts are out they looking for teens and young children to prey on.

Remember, promises get broken, boyfriends become ex’s, and friends become frenemies. Unfortunately it’s the reality that you live in today, so be careful with who you trust, and don’t record or send anything that can come back to bite you.

The Sugary Sins of Social Media

Friday, July 1st, 2011

The buzzing’s of social media harmonize through symphonic typings of text messages, late night tweets, and clattering clicks on red notification tabs. This technologic tune hacks into Facebook bars, and regenerates the Twitter-sphere’s teasing and toxic rotation. Teenagers dance along to the beat of stumping statuses, and become pleasurably distracted by streaming entertainment. The zooming gushes of high speed access, and innovative inventions have charged the social media’s powerhouse, ultimately creating an empire that reigns supreme and unsurpassed.

Over 350 million users spend twenty minutes navigating Zuckerberg’s social networking site daily. 25 million of his Facebook fans engage in polyamorous relationships with Twitter, Tumblr, and Myspace for an additional 2,400 seconds throughout the duration of the week. This savvy time sinker is primarily booming due to its accommodating convenience.  There are more than 180 mobile operators in 60 different countries that promote social networking products, including downloadable apps.

Leaving teenagers free to suppress their superficial needs, while becoming professional prowlers of the World Wide Web can be cause for concern. Although social media has proven to be reliable in terms of defeating chronic boredom, blogging, chatting, instant messaging, texting, emailing, surfing, and streaming are temporary fixers that often result in the sabotage of daily responsibilities.

 “Facebook and texting help me feel connected with my friends. Without using it, I feel like I’m estranged from the world. It’s like withdrawal from a medication.” For some, keeping in touch with friends outside of school provides a sense of internal security, and exterior connection.  The use of Social Media sites create opportunities for unlimited interactions with peers, contrived self disclosure, dissemination of information, provocation with others, and indirect contact through third parties due to generalized postings. In severe cases, excessively accessing social networking sites will result in mental counseling from a psychiatrist. Dealing with an addiction primarily based on compulsivity can be swiped out with mental health consultations. At first, codependency on inter-web connection may seem harmless, but when mood alterations occur, and distressed demeanors become apparent without the accession of social sites, seeking professional help is ideal.

Positively speaking, Internet use has been reliable and sufficient for those who manage it with responsibility and caution. When the privilege is neglected and abused, havoc will follow closely behind. For those who can monitor their daily use on social networking sites, the outcome will most likely shine in a positive light due to self disciplined actions. If losing track of time is an issue, constrain the limits, and lay off the added hours. Productive procrastination is not advised or acceptable when putting work before play. Therefore, log off of Facebook, shut down the phone, and take care of tomorrows tasks. Addictions can easily rob seconds on the clock, and runaway with your sanity. Please be aware, and access with caution.


Written by Intern for Shawn Edgington: Elyse Hill is a 17-year-old aspiring fashion journalist who resides in the Lone Star State. When she isn’t writing, reading Teen Vogue Magazine, working at Ralph Lauren, and spending quality time with her family consume the remains of her day.


Facebook: A Teens Perspective

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Hey, if your reading this my name is Joel, unlike other teenagers that are my age I choose to not have a Facebook. Everyone my age at one point has been asked the inevitable question, “Can you add me as a friend?” Status, friendship, the family gossip mill and wanting to share our thoughts constantly, what is it that makes social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook so appealing to teenagers?

To find out why teenagers find Facebook and other social networking sites are so popular, I went straight to the source and interviewed some of my friends at my high school.

I go to a relatively small private Christian school in Kissimmee, Florida called Life Christian Academy. With around one hundred and twenty kids in my high school, the social scene is pretty much the same as any other high school, rumors, drama, the usual. So to find out better why teens use social networking I put on my best Bryan Williams impersonation and headed off. In total, I interviewed twelve people, each one of them of a different background, status and age.

One of the funniest interviews of my day was when I got to talk to a girl who is a lot like a tom-boy, always the first one to jump into a dare. She was very blunt and explained that Facebook was her “bad habit.”  I thought it was really interesting when she said, “Its weird how you can get sucked up in it, no matter if you’re a gothic kid or a kid from the hood.”

Another fun interview was with one of my guy friends; he is loud, to say the least. Throughout my questioning he kept asking me why I didn’t have a Facebook, and kept trying to turn the questions back to me. But one of the questions I got him to answer was if he knew anyone that had been negatively affected using the social network giant. With a funny expression on his face, he answered, “Well if you really wanna know, I knew this girl named Cindy… last year she made a fake profile to find out about a guy that she had a crush on so she could talk to him. Ultimately, a friend of Cindy spoke about what she was doing behind her back. Eventually the boy found out and now makes fun of her with his friends whenever she’s near.

Another girl that I interviewed told me that she is using Facebook, to talk to her friends. I asked her if her parents had a Facebook and she told me that they do, but she blocks them on her page. As I started to think about what she said, suddenly it hit me. I was noticing a pattern.                                      

Ultimately I came to this conclusion, for teenagers we feel the need to express ourselves. We feel that we are not heard so we turn to the Internet and other outlets of expression. Any way that we can let our voice out to the world, to have others know how we feel at a certain instance in life we’ll do it, and that is why it is so easy to get in trouble using social networks.

I’ve noticed that some of the ways teenagers can get in trouble using these websites is when they start to gossip or let their negative emotions out in comments or blogs. Some of their emotions negatively impact people. Like the saying goes, what you post on the Internet is there to stay; you already posted them and cannot take them back. Teens get in trouble when they post on their wall or “tweet” when they are trying to “vent” out their emotions. Sure you can delete a post afterwards, but once you press send, you can not take back what your friends have seen.

What’s worse is when job recruiters look at your page or family members see it because once something is said, your entire reputation or perception of you can be tarnished in an instant. As teenagers, we don’t think about the future.  We mostly just think about the “now”. We forget how posting certain things can affect us down the road, and need to be reminded – often.

Another way that teenagers get in trouble is when they start to obsess over their profile and it gets in the way of normal interaction. An example of this are some of my friends, everyday at lunch my two best friends let nothing get in the way of checking up their Facebook. I watch them at lunch and instead of actual talking they prefer updating their status or tweeting about their day. So to put it simply, when social networking or texting takes up all of your time and distracts you from daily tasks like studying for a big exam, or from time with the family, you know you have a problem. As with everything, we need to keep it in moderation.

So what is the best way to stay out of trouble when networking online? There’s the option to not to have a Facebook at all, but we know that that’s just too unrealistic for teens in our digital age…

 -Joel Rodriguez, Age 16  Intern Writer for Shawn Edgington

Today is National Cyber Safety Awareness Day!

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Has your child ever been the victim of cyberbullying? If not, the odds are pretty high that one day he or she will be. The sad fact is 50% of teens admit to being bullied online or by text message.

Today’s youth are falling victim to the perils of social media and cell phone messaging. And most parents are WITHOUT the tools to help their kids. Are you one of them?

Introducing The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook, and Social Media: Understanding the Benefits and Dangers of Parenting in a Digital World by Shawn Marie Edgington. All royalties from today’s sales of this book will be donated to the Megan Meier Foundation to protect children from cyberbullying as well as great cyber safety bonus gifts with today’s $10.00 purchase on Amazon!

The author, Shawn Marie Edgington, is America’s leading “Texpert” and cyberbullying prevention expert. Shawn is on a mission to help protect our kids against the dangers that exist on the wild, wild web, and wants every parent to know that no child is immune. As Dr. Oz’s new Sharecare.com expert, she plans to provide her expertise to help both parents and teens get the advice they need.

Cyberbullying is a REAL threat to teens. Educate yourself and protect your children from online predators! GET THE BOOK TODAY: http://theparentsguidebook.com/

________________________________________________________________________________________

Shawn Marie Edgington is America’s leading Texpert, a cyberbullying prevention expert and your go-to cyber safety mom.  Shawn’s the author of Read Between the Lines: A Humorous Guide to Texting with Simplicity and Style, and the new book The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media, the creator of the One-Click Safety Series and the founder of The Social Media Academy.  She’s the CEO of a national insurance firm, where she provides risk management to clients across the country.

After a horrible, personal experience she had with her 16-year-old daughter being threatened by text and on Facebook, Shawn has made it her mission to show parents how to take the steps necessary to prevent their child’s social and mobile networking from turning into every parent’s one-click nightmare.

Shawn provided her expert advice in the upcoming documentary Submit: The Virtual Reality of Cyberbullying, on Fox Business, View from the Bay, KRON 4 News, The San Francisco Chronicle, CBS Radio, American Cheerleader Magazine, CNN Radio, NPR, and various media outlets across the country.

Meet Shawn or learn more about her new book and to get your free parent resources at: www.shawnedgington.com

New Review at BookReview.com For The Parents Guide!!

Friday, May 6th, 2011

The Parent’s Guide just got reviewed by BookReview.com and received and EXCELLENT Rating by Liz Dederich!

Reviewed by: Liz Dederich

The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook, and Social Media: Understanding the Benefits and Dangers of Parenting in a Digital World is a terrifying book. I say terrifying because it very clearly illustrates the dangers our children are facing now with the ease of access to the internet. I am old enough to remember the days of having to put the hand set of the corded phone into the cradle attached to the computer, walk away to have dinner, take a bath, read the newspaper and come back to find I’m still not quite online. Now everything is instant. Hand held gaming systems, smart phones and even television satellite packages connect without even the push of a button.


Shawn Marie Edgington’s book is indeed terrifying but not alarmist. She knows her stuff and she knows that only a few worst case scenarios are needed to rally parents into learning the essentiala all parents need to know…now. Her book contains sound parenting techniques in the digital age, such as knowing your children’s friends on Facebook, their e-mail lists and text conversations. There is a myriad of information on driving and texting, learning the language of texting and Facebooking and protecting our children’s innocence while navigating in this ultra modern world. I was concerned that by the time I finished Ms. Edgington’s book that the technology she discusses would be outdated. I am pleased to report that I feel very much in front of the learning curve. I know this will be a frequent read in my home not only by me but also my children as they become old enough to start using this technology.

Ms. Edgington has carefully researched her material and created an important guide that should be mandatory reading for all parents everywhere. Her credo truly is, “Knowledge is power” and I appreciate her sharing all her knowledge with us. By the time I absorbed her knowledge, I no longer found myself terrified!

Get it on Amazon now for $10.17\


Could Your Teen Be Arrested for Sexting?

Friday, April 1st, 2011

It seems like a new sexting story is in the news every other week. Sadly, despite the highly publicized devastation these incidents cause, teens continue sexting. Another such case recently hit the news recounting the story of an eighth grader who sent a nude picture of herself to her boyfriend.  In less than 24 hours, the picture had gone viral in four local middle schools in Olympia, Washington. The county prosecutor charged three students with the dissemination of child pornography, a Class C felony.  Not only was the girls ex-boyfriend, but his friend and the girls best friend. Many parents and students were surprised by the legal issues raised. (Read full article here)

________________________________________________________________________________________

Shawn Marie Edgington is America’s leading Texpert, a cyberbullying prevention expert and your go-to cyber safety mom.  Shawn’s the author of Read Between the Lines: A Humorous Guide to Texting with Simplicity and Style, and the new book The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media, the creator of the One-Click Safety Series and the founder of The Social Media Academy.  She’s the CEO of a national insurance firm, where she provides risk management to clients across the country.

After a horrible, personal experience she had with her 16-year-old daughter being threatened by text and on Facebook, Shawn has made it her mission to show parents how to take the steps necessary to prevent their child’s social and mobile networking from turning into every parent’s one-click nightmare.

Shawn provided her expert advice in the upcoming documentary Submit: The Virtual Reality of Cyberbullying, on Fox Business, View from the Bay, KRON 4 News, The San Francisco Chronicle, CBS Radio, American Cheerleader Magazine, CNN Radio, NPR, and various media outlets across the country.

Meet Shawn or learn more about her new book and to get your free parent resources at: www.shawnedgington.com.

Should Bullying Victim Have Been Punished?

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

Casey Heynes, a 16 year-old Australian, was repeatedly picked on by his peers at school for being overweight.  Last week he finally had enough.  He stood up to his bully, throwing him to the ground, which was caught on video and ignited a debate on the issue of bullying and how it is handled.  View the video at here Casey Haynes bodyslams bully richard gayle

The video demonstrates how Casey picked up his bully and slammed him to the ground.  Both Casey and the bully have been suspended from school.  Many people are outraged by the punishment Casey has received at his attempt to fight back and stand up to his bully.  An Anonymous message sent to the school read “We have had enough of this bigotry. They failed at providing a violence-free environment for their students, and when Casey took things in his own hands they bitchslapped him for defending himself.”

Is it right that both boys were suspended from school? Why didn’t bystanders try to stop the abuse? What can schools do to prevent this sort of situation?

I have the answer.  Every school needs to adapt a text-a-tip student support system.  The program allows students and community members to alert school administrators or campus police directly about bullying, drugs, drinking, or any other potentially dangerous situation or problem.

Have you ever been to a NFL game where you can report unruly behaviour?  That’s the exact technology, offered by GuestAssist, that’s starting to be used in our schools to report problems that are occurring – on campus or off.  The cost is $2,000 a year, and schools can have it up an running in 45 minutes.  It’s easy to use (I’ve seen it in action) and kids that have been offered this as a way to ask for help are using it!  Really?  Are kids are telling someone they are being bullied or that their best friend is doing drugs?

This system allows students to get help, before the situation gets out of control, or before it’s too late.

My daughter was bullied for months while she was at school.  A system like this would have helped her, but it wasnt available then.  But now that every school can offer this level of support to their students, it’s a must.

If this school offered their students a way to text in a request help, would Casey Heynes have reached out for help before he broke?

________________________________________________________________________________________

Shawn Marie Edgington is America’s leading Texpert, a cyberbullying prevention expert and your go-to cyber safety mom.  Shawn’s the author of Read Between the Lines: A Humorous Guide to Texting with Simplicity and Style, and the new book The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media, the creator of the One-Click Safety Series and the founder of The Social Media Academy.  She’s the CEO of a national insurance firm, where she provides risk management to clients across the country.

After a horrible, personal experience she had with her 16-year-old daughter being threatened by text and on Facebook, Shawn has made it her mission to show parents how to take the steps necessary to prevent their child’s social and mobile networking from turning into every parent’s one-click nightmare.

Shawn provided her expert advice in the upcoming documentary Submit: The Virtual Reality of Cyberbullying, on Fox Business, View from the Bay, KRON 4 News, The San Francisco Chronicle, CBS Radio, American Cheerleader Magazine, CNN Radio, NPR, and various media outlets across the country.

Meet Shawn or learn more about her new book and to get your free parent resources at: www.shawnedgington.com.

Teens on Facebook

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Most parents’ that live in Northern California (Silicon Valley Headquarters) tend to be pretty tech-savvy and “in the know.”  But, I’ve been surprised to find out that most parents are just the opposite when it comes to Facebook and how their children use this powerful social network.

And, I’m totally shocked that most parents’ have no idea that Facebook requires kids to be at least 13-years-old to sign up.  And then talk about a shocker – it’s not unusual that parent’s didn’t realize that once asked, they find out that their 10-year-old already has a Facebook page, has already friended their 289 friends, and posted all of their pictures and videos… and let’s just add fuel to the fire – they also put their name, address and phone number AND forgot to set their privacy settings to private.  YIKES!

Forgot?  Maybe that’s a bad choice of words.  Really, there child was never told by their parents (or anyone else) what to do and what NOT to do when it came to belong to a social network.

Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Have you ever seen your kids Facebook page?
  2. Are you “friends” with your child?
  3. If they’re a young teen, do you have their user/password so you can log on?
  4. Do you help them manage their online image and reputation?
  5. If your child has an account, are they at least 13-years-old?
  6. Are the privacy settings all set to private?
  7. Are their “friends” really their “friends” … or are there some stranger’s lurking in the background?
  8. Have you already sat down and talked to them about the rules of social networking use and the consequences of abuse?
  9. Have you spoken to them about cyberbullying prevention?
  10. Have you executed a formal Internet agreement that lays out your boundaries?

This IS the age of  “over-parenting” … right?  Where are the parents who research the heck out of schools?  Vaccines? Movies?  Teachers? Colleges?  I remember way back then (well, not that long ago) when we the parents breathed a sigh of relief when our teenager was in their room, doing homework.  We figured they were home and safe.  Ha! 

The power of Facebook in the hands of teenagers can be fun, interactive, intense, destructive AND permanent.  Remember, what’s posted on the Internet stays on the Internet forever… which includes Facebook. 

Why wouldn’t parents WANT to understand and get involved in their child’s constant connectivity?  Is it the fear of having to learn a new technology?  Or, is it because we parents think social networks are harmless and just a place to go and have fun?  Maybe we think everything must be OK if our kids are getting good grades?  The problem is, if parent’s aren’t proactive when it comes to parenting around technology… and instead just sit back and wait for a one-click nightmare to occur, it can be painful, leave permanent scares, and change our children forever.  

I know, because it happened to me. 

Now that 85% of prospective employers look at Facebook as a background check, and colleges look at applicant’s Facebook page as part of the admissions process, I think it’s worth spending a few minutes getting to know how our kids are using Facebook. 

Trust me; it’s worth every second of your time. 

 ________________________________________________________________________________________

Shawn Marie Edgington is America’s leading Texpert, a cyberbullying prevention expert and your go-to cyber safety mom.  Shawn’s the author of Read Between the Lines: A Humorous Guide to Texting with Simplicity and Style, and the new book The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media, the creator of the One-Click Safety Series and an empowerment speaker.  She’s the CEO of a national insurance firm, where she provides risk management to clients across the country.

After a personal experience she had with her 16-year-old daughter being threatened by text and on Facebook, Shawn has made it her mission to show parents how to take the steps necessary to prevent their child’s social and mobile networking from turning into every parent’s one-click nightmare.   

Shawn provided her expert advice in the upcoming documentary Submit: The Virtual Reality of Cyberbullying, on Fox Business, View from the Bay, KRON 4 News, The San Francisco Chronicle, CBS Radio, American Cheerleader Magazine, CNN Radio, NPR, and various media outlets across the country. 

 Meet Shawn or learn more about her new book and to get your free parent resources at: www.shawnedgington.com.    

Get Your Free Copy of Millionaire Messenger Today Only

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

I just heard about this and you have to check it out.

Brendon Burchard, an author friend of mine and founder of Experts Academy, is giving away copies of his new book “The Millionaire Messenger.” I just ordered my free copy too – I just had to pay for the postage!

To get your free copy and some awesome bonuses, go to: https://burchardgroup.infusionsoft.com/go/mm/shawn/

The book doesn’t come out until March, but Brendon is giving away review copies to amp up the market, and get you to comment on Amazon. The Millionaire Messenger” is about how we can all make a difference and a fortune with our advice, expertise and how-to information.

Learn more about Brendon and his new book:

 https://burchardgroup.infusionsoft.com/go/mm/shawn/

It’s not often that authors give away their books, which is why I had to send this out.  Get your copy today, because after today, the offer is no longer valid.

Here’s what people are saying about the book:

 “We all have a life story and a message that can inspire others to live a better life or run a better business. Brendon Burchard’s book proves it and shows how you can share your message to make a difference and also make an income. This book will help you change a lot of lives.”

 —MARCI SHIMOFF, New York Times best-selling author of Happy for No Reason and Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul

  “The expert industry has been shrouded in myth and mystery for far too long. Now Brendon Burchard, one of our most innovative and powerful leaders, reveals exactly how we—authors, speakers, coaches, consultants, seminar leaders and online information marketers—make a difference and earn an income with our advice and expertise. This is an industry defined by how much value we add to others’ lives, and this book delivers and shows exactly why Brendon is one of the best.”

 —JACK CANFIELD, New York Times best-selling author of The Success Principles and originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series

  “I love making a difference in the lives of millions of people worldwide. It gives my life a deep sense of meaning and purpose. I wish I had read Brendon Burchard’s new book, The Millionaire Messenger, twenty years ago, because it has many of the lessons that would have dramatically boosted my career, both in terms of impact and finances. Lessons I had to learn the hard way. No matter what your age, now is the time to make the biggest difference in the world. Brendon will show you how.”

 “You were born to make a difference, to contribute and to share your gifts with the world. Brendon Bruchard shows you how to make a living (maybe a fortune!) by making a positive difference in people’s lives.”

 —DARREN HARDY, Publisher of SUCCESS magazine, best-selling author of The Compound Effect and Living Your Best Year Ever

What Will You Text Your Valentine?

Friday, February 11th, 2011

The day of Love is right around the corner, and what a better way to say I love you then a quick and Sweet Text Message! The best part is its FREE!!! Some of my favorite text abbreviations are:

1)      143 = I love you
2)      823 = Thinking of you

3)      <3 = Heart

4)      @-}—- = A Rose
5)      FIMH = Forever In My Heart

Remember, a sweet text can make someones day no matter what the occasion, but it’s especially thoughtful on days like V-Day! Its Quick, cute and thoughtful. Because we know that you’ve got a great Valentine’s Day Text to share, we’ve decided to have a “Best & Worst Valentines Day Text Message” contest.  Submit your best or worst text message you’ve received on Valentines Day at www.digitalworld101.com under the “Contact Us” tab, and win an autographed copy of my book “Read Between the Lines!”

XOXO,
Shawn Edgington

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Shawn Marie Edgington is Americas leading “Texpert” and cyberbullying prevention expert.  She’s the author of “Read Between the lines: A Humorous Guide to Texting with Simplicity and Style” and “The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media”, which is slated for release in March of 2011.

Shawn has been profiled in the upcoming documentary Submit: The Reality of Cyberbullying,  Fox Business, Fox News Radio, in the San Francisco Chronicle, View From the Bay, KRON 4 News, NPR, CBS Radio, The Leslie Marshall Show, InfoTrak, The John Carney Show, Mom’s the Word, The San Diego Union, American Cheerleader Magazine, CNN Radio and dozens of radio stations around the country.

After a personal experience she had with her 16-year old daughter being threatened by text and on Facebook, she’s made it her mission to help parents “parent” around technology. Her solution?  Shawn’s created The One-Click Safety Kit, a turnkey program that helps families defend against sexting, online predators, cyberbullies and textual harassment.