Bark- Keeping Children Safer Online (while not infringing on their privacy)
August 2, 2017
Bullying is no longer confined to the school yard, it now follows kids onto the bus, into their homes, up to their rooms, and is occurring 24/7. There isn’t a safe place for those who are cyberbullied, and it isn’t about being picked last in kickball. “Go kill yourself”, “everyone hates you”, “you’re fat and ugly”...those are just a few examples of what is being sent via text, snap, private message or tweet. It is real. In fact, according to the CDC, the second leading cause of death among 10-34 year olds is suicide. So what do we do? Stopbullying.gov says parents must be hyper aware of their children's internet activity. They suggest checking in on frequented website, texts, knowing passwords, “friending” your kid, and encouraging your child to tell you when there is bullying. Easier said than done? Agreed.We have good news. Bark, a Village startup, is tackling these online issues. Their technology alerts parents of potential problems instead of having to search for them such as cyberbullying, sexting, drug-related content, and signs of depression. It allows for children to maintain autonomy while putting parents to ease. In fact, according to Bark, most kids are receptive to the app because it means mom and dad aren’t constantly asking to look through their phone. With 84% of children experiencing online issues, Bark is an easy way to tackle this horrific epidemic. We chatted with Bark CPO, Titania Jordan, to learn more.
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