Safe Search Kids - Education, Parenting, Internet Safety for All

If you love sports and storytelling, sports journalism can be an exciting and rewarding career. Sports journalists don’t just report scores, they explain why games matter, tell athlete stories, and capture the emotion behind competition.

This guide is written especially for young students who are curious about how to turn their passion for sports into a profession.

What Does a Sports Journalist Do?

A sports journalist covers games, athletes, teams, and sports culture across platforms such as websites, newspapers, TV, podcasts, and social media. You might:

• Write match reports and features
• Interview athletes and coaches
• Analyze tactics and performances
• Create videos, podcasts, or social posts
• Work behind the scenes as a researcher or editor

Some journalists work for big outlets like ESPN, while others build independent blogs, YouTube channels, or TikTok accounts.

Step 1: Start Early (You Don’t Have to Wait)

You don’t need a degree to start, you just need curiosity and consistency.

What you can do now:

• Write game recaps for your school teams
• Start a simple sports blog or Substack
• Post short analysis videos on Instagram or TikTok
• Volunteer to help with your school newspaper or media club

Covering local or school sports is one of the best ways to learn. It teaches you deadlines, accuracy, and how to tell a story people care about.

Step 2: Build Strong Writing & Communication Skills

Sports journalists must explain fast-moving action clearly and confidently.

Focus on:

• Clear, simple writing
• Strong headlines and openings
• Asking good interview questions
• Learning basic grammar and editing

Reading quality sports journalism, from long-form profiles to quick game recaps, will sharpen your style. Pay attention to how writers describe moments and build tension.

Step 3: Learn the Sports (Really Well)

Knowing the rules is just the start. Great sports journalists understand:

• Strategy and tactics
• Player roles and statistics
• History and rivalries
• The business and culture of sports

Whether you love soccer, basketball, hockey, or esports, go deep. Watch games critically and ask why things happened, not just what happened.

Step 4: Photography & Video Matter More Than Ever

Modern sports journalism is highly visual. Even writers are often expected to understand photography and video.

Sports Photography Basics

Photos help tell the story of a game instantly.

• Action shots (goals, tackles, celebrations)
• Emotion (victory, defeat, focus, frustration)
• Context (crowds, stadiums, atmosphere)

Learning how to frame action, use fast shutter speeds, and respect editorial image rules is crucial, especially when covering real events.

Sourcing Editorial Photos

Not every sports journalist is on the sidelines with a camera, and that’s okay. Knowing how to legally and ethically source sports photos is an essential skill, especially for students starting out. You will need to familiarize yourself with platforms that offer editorial sports photos and learn about licensing.

When sourcing sports imagery, focus on photos that capture the same storytelling elements as on-field photography:

• Action – goals, tackles, sprints, saves, celebrations
• Emotion – joy, frustration, intensity, heartbreak
• Context – crowds, stadiums, team benches, game atmosphere

For real games and athletes, it’s critical to use editorial-licensed images, not commercial stock. Editorial photos are meant for news, commentary, and educational use and cannot be altered or used for advertising.

Video & Short-Form Content

Video skills are a huge advantage:

• Post-game interviews
• Highlight clips
• Analysis breakdowns
• Social-first vertical video

Many young journalists grow their audience through video before landing writing opportunities. Platforms that focus on real sports moments (not staged content) are especially useful when learning editorial standards.

Step 5: Study Journalism or Media (Optional but Helpful)

Many sports journalists study:

• Journalism
• Communications
• Media studies
• Sports management

College programs also provide access to student media, internships, and press opportunities, especially when covering college leagues like the NCAA.

That said, a strong portfolio can sometimes matter more than your degree.

Step 6: Create a Portfolio (Your Most Important Asset)

Your portfolio shows what you can actually do.

Include:

• Game recaps
• Feature stories
• Interviews
• Photos or videos you’ve captured
• Links to blogs or social accounts

Even unpaid or school-level work counts, editors want proof of consistency and passion.

Step 7: Get Experience & Network

Sports journalism is competitive, but relationships matter. Before you rake in the big salary you will need experience and know the right people.

Ways to get experience:

• Intern with local media outlets
• Contribute to sports blogs
• Cover amateur or youth leagues
• Attend press events (when allowed)

Follow journalists you admire, engage professionally online, and don’t be afraid to pitch story ideas.

The Reality (and the Opportunity)

Sports journalism can involve long hours, tight deadlines, and lots of competition. But it also offers:

• A career built around what you love
• Access to incredible events
• The chance to tell meaningful stories

With today’s tools, students can build an audience before getting hired. Writing, photography, and video together give you a major edge.

Final Advice for Students

• Start now, not “someday”
• Be curious, not just a fan
• Learn visuals, not just words
• Be consistent, even when no one is watching

If you love sports and storytelling, sports journalism isn’t just a dream, it’s a skill set you can start building today.

Online safety for kids is a big point of concern for modern parents. Creating a balance between digital use and safety is tricky but can be achieved with some practical measures. The use of devices like phones, tablets and laptops is common among kids.

It could be related to online academic research or watching movies or playing games. The use could be for anything, but the concern remains the same throughout.

How to ensure that they are watching safe content, dealing with legit people and using the right tools to work on are some of the areas that parents need to monitor constantly. Let’s explore a checklist that you as parents can use as a guiding resource to ensure the online safety of your kids.

Configure Parental Controls

Setting permissions is important to provide kids the safety that they need when online. With parental controls, you can set the time limit for online use and what they access. This guided space on their devices serves as a fortification that scammers cannot easily breach. A well-thought-out parental control setup should be done across every device and what they do on it on various apps and websites.

Set control limits on what they can download and what they can spend online. While setting controls, if you see anything suspicious on their phones, take immediate action. There are symptoms you shouldn’t ignore because their iPhone or Mac might have been hacked. Check for preventive steps to be taken in case of any hacking. Moonlock blog is a helpful blog that you and your kids can bookmark to use for information on controlling devices in the best way. There are comprehensive blogs on signs of hacking on various devices, including Macs, iPhones and iPads, that you will find highly useful.

Adjust Device Security Settings

Most devices, especially from Apple, provide strong built-in system settings. If used properly, these provide the first layer of defense that a device needs. From protecting data to preventing unauthorized access, device security settings for children play an important role. The settings you should review include:

• Lock devices with PINs or biometrics
• Disable unverified app installations
• Turn off unnecessary location sharing
• Disable unnecessary permissions for apps
• Match settings with kids’ age and usage purpose

Image credit: Freepik

Use Content Filtering Tools

Content filters are a must-have for kids. Filtering content as per their age groups and blocking what is not appropriate is important.

Make sure no adult/18+, gambling or violent content is allowed. To block this content, use filters across web browsers and apps. Content filtering tools will give you peace of mind, as they provide a safe browsing and viewing environment for your kids.

Install Anti-Malware Protection

Children might know the basics of cybersecurity but being aware and actually following it in real life are two different things, especially when it’s kids. They may click unfamiliar links or download content files or free apps without knowing the security risks. This is why anti-malware protection should be used, as it identifies and either blocks or removes malicious links and download attempts.

Here’s how malware protection works:

• Scans downloads in real time
• Sends alerts for suspicious activities
• Automatically updates against new threats
• Protects across apps and browsers
• Reduces risk of identity, data and account theft

Manage Social Media Privacy

Privacy settings on various apps, especially social media like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc., can be used to control what personal information is visible online.

It’s basic nature for kids to be overexcited and share more than what is required. They don’t realize the long-term impact or current risks of oversharing photos, videos or personal details online. A child device security checklist should include information on how to set up and control online accounts. This is what you should do:

• Use child-specific accounts – not adult profiles
• Limit profile visibility on social media (if possible, make it private)
• Turn off automatic photo and location sharing
• Limit who can send friend requests
• Don’t make phone number and email public

Plan A Safe Browsing Routine

Digital boundaries are important when kids browse the internet. You cannot control what kids browse all the time so make security a behavioral aspect for browsing. Let kids know what effective and independent internet use means.

If they question your decisions, be open to answering things like why some content has been restricted by you. To make your efforts succeed, build trust and communicate freely with them.

Conclusion

Online safety for kids should be an ongoing effort, not a one-time setup. Reviewing browsing history, providing updated information on cybersecurity and setting up devices for malware tools, etc., are part of a plan that you need to provide a safe digital environment to the kids. As mentioned above, don’t enforce rules without making them aware through seamless communication. Win their trust and include them in the knowledge process so they can be your partners in the process.

Traveling with your children can seem like something of a hassle. Instead of relaxing and getting to enjoy the free time, you have to make sure that they’re entertained, that they don’t injure themselves, don’t wander off, and don’t eat something that could give them an allergic reaction.

However, family trips can be a wonderful opportunity to bond, as well as serve as an interactive educational experience that children of all ages will definitely be interested in. If you’re thinking about having a trip like that the next time you go on vacation, here are some of the locations that you need to add to your bucket list.

Vietnam

Vietnam is an incredibly diverse and culturally rich country full of ancient history and unique traditions. The thing that makes it incredible is its ability to blend culture with adventure. The sights here are unlike anything else in the world, so you’ll definitely want to get a Holafly eSIM for Vietnam before you leave. Having a seamless internet connection anywhere you are, and the ability to share pictures you see with everyone back home instantaneously, is a great advantage that allows you to keep up and feel more connected even when you’re far away from home. On top of that, you get the convenience of keeping your own phone number, and there’s no plastic waste to worry about.

Visiting the Mekong Delta will provide you with a glimpse into the country’s rural life, being one of Vietnam’s most important fishing regions, and having almost 3 million hectares used exclusively for agriculture. If you’ve never visited a floating market before, you can do so here. The Mekong Delta is also very important for sustainability and biodiversity. The Laotian rock rat, a member of a family believed to have been extinct for around 11 million years, was recently rediscovered in an unexplored area in the region. The coastal geography makes the delta vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, as well as saltwater intrusion and coastal erosion.

You can also try trekking through Sa Pa, go on bike rides through Hội An and Ninh Bình, and cruise along Halong Bay for three days, with an itinerary that includes cave visits, kayaking, and stopping in several fishing villages.

Iceland

If you want to visit a place that combines education with visits in nature, there’s no better place for it than Iceland. The Perlan natural history museum in Reykjavík is the kind of place that any child will love to visit. Since it is located at the top of a hill, it provides an incredible panoramic view over the capital city and its surrounding areas, including the mountains and the Atlantic. The museum’s planetarium includes exhibitions about the Northern Lights, taking you on a journey across the solar system alongside stunning Icelandic landscapes.

Wonders of Iceland includes interactive geysers, glaciers, animals, birds, volcanoes, and a replica of the Látrabjarg cliff. The LAVA Centre in Hvolsvöllur explains the intricacies and inner workings of earthquakes and volcanoes. Then there’s the Sage Museum for those who love literature, a place that recreates key moments from Icelandic and Viking legends and ancient history.

Most Old Norse sagas were written and preserved in Iceland, and although some of the stories come from Scandinavia, it was the prolific Icelandic scholars, writers, and poets who began writing them down. Whales of Iceland, which opened in 2015, educates visitors about the cetaceans that have been sighted in the country’s waters throughout its history and includes several life-sized models.

FlyOver Iceland will take you on a simulated flight over Iceland’s most dramatic landscapes, while the Katla UNESCO Global Geopark offers geology lessons alongside glacier views and black sand beaches.

Italy

Italy is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and it’s not difficult to see why. Home to numerous World Heritage Sites, an incredible cuisine that is pretty much universally loved, diverse landscapes, and a lot of history, Italy truly is one of a kind. The dolce vita lifestyle, which focuses on the beauty of being alive, enjoying the present, your connection to other people, and simple things such as good food and the chance to see an incredible landscape, is a good philosophy to share with your children as it is linked to increased wellness, lower stress levels, and overall improved emotional well-being.

Visiting the ruins of Pompeii close to the Vesuvius is one of the most obvious things to do when in Italy. But while the location is popular, rest assured that it is not at all overhyped. It truly is an amazing place to visit, which offers a very complex and layered view of the lives ancient people used to live. Ancient urban planning is plain to see, from the areas dedicated to sanitation to the ones for commerce, and the streets paved with basalt and white stones so that moonlight and torchlight were reflected for better visibility at nighttime.

The homes include large villas known as domus, where the city’s wealthy residents lived, as well as insulae, the apartment buildings used by common people. For a more interactive experience, you and your kids can join a mosaic-making or cooking class. Learning how to cut and glaze enamel tiles, mix colors, and mount a composition can take more than two months, but if you don’t have that much time, you can join an intensive course that lasts only five days.

The Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci includes a materials section that discusses modern products across all stages from raw materials to recycling. There’s a transport section too, covering aircraft like Farman 1909, and a rail section situated in a pavilion from the 1906 Expo, areas dedicated to astronomy, telecommunications, and sound, where you can see refracting telescopes, a Foucault pendulum, telegraphs, and sound-reproducing tech from the 19th century. Musical instruments that are around 300 years old, a large collection of watches, as well as reproductions of Leonardo’s machines, can be found in the museum, too.

Conclusion

If you want to foster your children’s curiosity and get them to enjoy learning, you need to make things interesting for them. Being in a different place and having the opportunity to interact with so many different things is a unique opportunity that will undoubtedly develop their critical thinking and desire to know more.

Do you want to complete your academic journey without any misconduct? If so, this guide is a must-read for you. Why? Well, we are going to share some of the most effective tips to succeed in your studies while upholding educational integrity.

By the end, you’ll be clear about how you can become an excellent student who studies effectively, stays organized, and achieves fair success.

So, let’s get started.

Understand Academic Integrity Values

Many learners start their educational career without knowing exactly what academia demands from them. If you have also skipped this step, this is the time you should learn its basic expectations. For that, the best way is to familiarize you with academic integrity values.

These are basically a set of six core principles that keep education on the right path.

Here they are:

• Honesty
• Trust
• Fairness
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Courage

When you know the meaning of all these terms in the context of academics, it becomes clear what to avoid and what to focus on. Consequently, your chances of breaching the scholarly rules reduce significantly.

Get Familiar With Institutional Policies

While the core academic integrity values remain the same everywhere, every institute has its own specific rules and expectations. To be a good student, you’re equally responsible to learn and follow those regulations carefully. By doing so, you make sure that you avoid unnecessary troubles that could hurt your reputation as a learner.

So, whether you have just secured your admission or have already been studying for a few months, familiarise yourself with the institutional policies. For that, you can read the student handbook or ask for a soft copy of the official guidelines, if available. You can even contact the admission office or your teachers to confirm what’s allowed and what’s not.

Always Go Through Task Guidelines

Another helpful tip to maintain your image as a good student is to comply with the guidelines of every task. Many learners jump directly to the planning, drafting, and creation process without knowing what’s required.

As a result, they end up crafting a document that includes many parts, violating the teacher’s instructions. That’s why you must avoid this practice at all costs. Rather than this, take your time to review the assignment document carefully.

When reviewing it, pay close attention to the following details:

• Format and structure
• Word count or length
• Submission method
• Referencing style
• Research Restrictions
• Deadline
• Any special instructions

With insights into all these points, you can ensure that you don’t break any rules.

Never Fall For Any Kind Of Shortcuts

One more simple yet most important tip to become an excellent student is to never fall for shortcuts. Remember, cheating can save your time and effort, but it can also risk your entire academic career. Yes, you heard that right. For instance, if you’re caught involved in violations repeatedly, you might face temporary suspension or permanent expulsion.

Even a minor punishment can leave an unremovable stain on your educational record. That’s why it’s better that you always engage in honest academic practices and avoid unethical hacks at all costs. With commitment to responsible learning, you automatically stay compliant, which builds trust and increases your value in the eyes of your professors.

Take Care Of Originality In Your Work

Remember, originality must be the cornerstone of every task you’re assigned. Why? Because your instructors want to see your efforts and learnings, not copied work or ideas taken from others. With original work, you convey that you fully understand what you have studied, which shows your abilities and improves your perceived value.

Therefore, make sure you maintain uniqueness in all assignments. Despite following necessary precautions like citing sources and writing in your own words, you must take necessary measures to detect unseen originality issues. Running your draft through a smart, free plagiarism checker will do the trick. It will help you know whether any part of your task unintentionally copies what someone else has already said by flagging the potential overlap, displaying probable sources, and measuring the originality of your content. With this confirmation, you can be completely sure of the originality of your work, allowing you to submit with confidence.

Don’t Hesitate To Seek Help If Needed

Sometimes, students like you commit mistakes and hurt their academic reputation just because of a lack of awareness. For example, you may misunderstand assignment instructions and break any rule unintentionally. In such cases, you often have to experience the setbacks that could have been avoided with proper guidance.

So, instead of taking any wrong step that could prove costly, it’s better that you seek help from your teachers when needed. Even if you have already been provided with detailed guides or documents, you can still reach out to your instructor and clear doubts. This is far better than risking penalties for errors you didn’t mean to make.

Ensure Proper Time Management

Time management is another key to becoming a good student. When you already plan what you’ll be doing the next day, week, or month, you become better prepared to deal with all academic tasks honestly. Otherwise, you might fall for shortcuts unwittingly, which ultimately results in mistakes that harm educational integrity.

That’s why, whether it’s your first semester or your final year, you must manage your time properly.

Here are some practical tips in this regard:

• Outline your tasks daily, weekly, or monthly.
• Plan your assignment in advance to meet deadlines.
• Set realistic time-bound goals to avoid overloading.
• Use time management tools to create easy schedules.
• Add breaks to give yourself enough time to stay refreshed.

Summing It Up

To put it briefly, familiarize yourself with academic integrity values, institutional policies, and task-specific guidelines. Besides that, avoid shortcuts at all costs and always ensure originality in your assignments. Plus, don’t hesitate to ask for help when needed and manage your time in a good manner. Together, all these practices enable you to be a good student and maintain academic integrity effectively.