Toni Birdsong
Author, McAfee Consumer
Toni Birdsong began her career as a reporter in Los Angeles and later became a writer for Walt Disney Imagineering. Her passion for digital safety started 10 years ago as a way to gain the survival skills she needed to parent her own connected teenagers. Her goal with each post is to give busy parents the insight they need raise wiser, more compassionate digital kids. When she’s not writing (her first love), you can find Toni hiking, watching TikTok, or trying not to break an important body part at CrossFit.
Articles by Author
Family Safety
What Families Can Learn from the #HisNameIsCayden Hashtag
A recent Facebook post that went viral cost an Atlanta man his job and opened an important conversation...Oct 13, 2015 | 3 MIN READ
Family Safety
10 Tips to Help Boost Your Teen’s Selfie Safety IQ
More people accidentally die each year while taking selfies than die from shark attacks. Sounds like an...Oct 06, 2015 | 3 MIN READ
Family Safety
Could Facebook Get a ‘Dislike’ Button? Why Parents Ought to Care
There’s revived discussion in the halls of Facebook about adding a ‘dislike’ button to the popular social...Sep 22, 2015 | 4 MIN READ
Family Safety
How to Steer Your Kids Clear of the Dismal World of Tumblr
Tumblr is social network that has carved a digital niche all its own. Far from the conventional...Sep 01, 2015 | 5 MIN READ
Privacy & Identity Protection
Sad but True: Asking for Nudes is Norm for Teens
“Seriously?” my teen daughter shrieked. “What a jerk!” With a few angry finger jabs to her home...Aug 25, 2015 | 6 MIN READ
Family Safety
#HDM: Decoding the Latest Wave of Teen Cyber Slang
Do you get a little confused looking through your teen’s Instagram or Twitter feed lately and seeing...Aug 18, 2015 | 5 MIN READ
Family Safety
No Wi-Fi? No Problem. Teens Use New App to ‘Air Chat’
“Hey! Who shut off the data?” Is this a familiar question in your house? Teens who panic...Jul 21, 2015 | 5 MIN READ
Family Safety
7 Things to Look for on Your Teen’s Instagram
Over 300 million users post an average of 70 million photos and hit the like button...May 26, 2015 | 4 MIN READ
Family Safety
3 Live-Streaming Apps Parents Need to Know About
YouNow App Icon Three new apps mark a new generation of social networking by giving users the...May 12, 2015 | 5 MIN READ
Family Safety
5 Ground Rules for Your Tweeting Teen
Forget making the football team or honor society, for teens, social hierarchy is measured by how hefty...May 05, 2015 | 3 MIN READ
Family Safety
5 Questions to Ask Before Your Kids Download that App
We now spend a staggering 86% of our mobile time on apps, according to the latest stats....Apr 28, 2015 | 3 MIN READ
Family Safety
Why the New Flinch App is Far From Family Friendly
It’s called Flinch and the idea behind this new app echoes an innocent childhood game: Stare at...Apr 07, 2015 | 4 MIN READ