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How Phone Apps Can Improve Your Family’s Safety

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Technology has become part and parcel of most people’s lives in today’s society. According to Forbes, 94.6% of Americans have access to the internet as of 2024. This is a testament to the extensive presence of smartphones and the internet. Consequently, technology has revolutionized communication, allowing families to keep in touch even when they are miles away from each other. However, all these benefits come with ingrained risks that call for careful management. Let’s explore these risks to your family, as well as tips on how you can always use phone apps to ensure that they are safe.

Risks Your Family Is Exposed to on the Internet

The internet is a great way to access information, connect, collaborate, and even make money, as influencers and digital creators have proved time and time again. With everyone leaving a conspicuous digital footprint, it is important for you and your loved ones to exercise caution while on the internet. Here are a few examples of threats that lurk in the digital realm:

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is the use of technology to bully a target person. This includes sending nasty text messages or emails, intimidation, posting mean comments, photos or videos designed to hurt someone, and so much more. This is a common trend today, and it often takes a toll on the victim’s mental health. With kids nowadays having access to the internet, they may be exposed to such cyberbullying attacks. Ominously, some cases of cyberbullying have been known to lead to suicide.

Online Grooming

A common concept to keep in mind while online is that not everyone is who they say they are. Online grooming is where someone befriends someone, maybe even a child, online and builds their trust with the intention of exploiting them or causing them harm. Groomers create fake accounts with fake names and photos to appear as if they were the same age as the child. They may even make an account impersonating aspirational figures. Fortunately, armed with a robust online GPS location tracker by phone number, you can easily uncover their identity and take appropriate measures.

To lure kids, groomers often compliment kids and give them lots of attention and affection, money, and the like. Once they’ve gained their trust, they strike- which could manifest as radicalization, requesting sensitive information, or exploiting them to send sexually explicit images.

Online Sexual Exploitation

Sadly, the internet has proved to be a hotbed for the sexual exploitation of children. Cases that might be considered online sexual exploitation include but are not limited to:

  • Enticing, manipulating, or forcing a child to perform sexual acts in front of a webcam.
  • Distributing, importing and exporting, or knowingly obtaining sexual material from a child online.
  • Sexting, which is sharing explicit images, videos, or texts
  • Exposing a child to pornography without consent

Unfortunately, the same online sexual exploitation can happen to the adults in your family as well.

Phishing

This is a technique used to acquire sensitive data such as bank account numbers or passwords through solicitation emails or messages in which the perpetrator masquerades as a legitimate person or business. Kids are more likely to fall victim to phishing attacks due to their impressionable nature. As a remedy, teach them to avoid clicking links sent to them by numbers they don’t recognize or clicking links on websites.

Identity Theft

In the popular Netflix series “Tinder Swindler”, a man who presented himself as the son of a Russian-Israeli diamond mogul scammed women into giving him their credit cards. He would then go ahead to max out their credit cards, leaving them wallowing in debt. This is an apt example of how identity theft can happen.

Identify theft is the unauthorized use of another person’s name and personal information to commit fraud. Since the victim’s identity is used to commit crimes, it might end up landing them in trouble with the authorities. Common crimes identity thieves commit include applying for loans and credit cards under the victim’s name, buying products using the stolen identity, opening fraudulent accounts or making fraudulent purchases, and much more. This is why many people ask, “what is identity theft protection?”—it refers to services and strategies designed to monitor, detect, and respond to suspicious use of personal data, helping individuals reduce risks and recover quickly if their identity is compromised.

Phone Apps for Safety

Here are our top picks for apps that will help you mitigate some of the risks we’ve discussed and always ensure that your family is safe:

GEOfinder

Accessible on both Android and iOS devices, GEOfinder is a web-based tool that allows you to get location information about any phone number worldwide. It operates discreetly, so whoever you track remains none the wiser. Additionally, it encrypts any data you provide to maintain your family’s privacy and confidentiality:

  • VPN checker: This feature allows you to get the location information of the target recipient even when they attempt to obscure it using a VPN.
  • GPS tracker: This allows you to view their exact location on a map for easier tracking.
  • Wi-Fi tracker: It allows you to pinpoint their location by tracking the Wi-Fi network they are connected to. This feature comes in handy when your target is indoors, where GPS may not work accurately.
  • No installation is required: GEOfinder is web-based, which means it is accessible from any browser on any internet-connected device.
  • Cell phone carrier lookup: This feature allows you to know what carrier the recipient is using, and the only requirement is their phone number.

And it’s easy to use, too! Here’s only 3 steps you need to take to track a person via GEOfinder:

  1. Visit the GEOfinder website.
  2. Draft a text to send to your recipient. GEOfinder will embed a tracking link with your text.
  3. When they click the link, you will be able to see their location on a map in your user space.

Glassagram

Glassagram is your go-to IG story viewer. It allows you to view Instagram profiles and stories anonymously without creating an account. It gives you full access to any Instagram account as if you were a follower, allowing you to monitor everything you need discreetly. What’s more, it works on private and public accounts. With it, you can monitor your child’s every activity on Instagram:

  • Monitoring multiple accounts: Glassagram allows you to add multiple accounts to your account and check them out anytime.
  • Anonymous story viewer: This allows you to view stories of any account, private or public, without appearing in the story viewers list.
  • Media download: This feature allows you to download stories, reels, and pictures from anyone’s Instagram to watch at your convenience. Stories are saved for up to 3 months on the platform.
  • Detailed posts’ information: This feature allows you to view the history of an account in a convenient calendar view. It will also analyze all activity of the tracked profile in the form of a chart.
  • Hot likes: This feature alerts you whenever there is heightened interest in any of your target’s old posts. If it’s triggered on your child’s Instagram, it could point to a groomer or other unscrupulous character.

Fortunately, for those who don’t use technology often and have no idea what’s going on most of the time, Glassagram is very easy to set up. Here’s what you should do:

  1. Visit the Glassagram homepage and click on the Watch Now button.
  2. Select the type of account you want to monitor.
  3. Enter the username or URL of the account you would like to see.
  4. Choose and purchase a subscription to initiate the monitoring.

Phonyspy

Phonyspy is a parental control app that enables parents always to keep an eye on their children. With little to no learning curve, it allows you to access data from your child’s device in real time. It also generates reports and receives updates every few minutes:

  • History and call recording: The app allows you access to all calls made or received.
  • Messenger monitoring: This feature allows you to monitor the most popular messengers, such as WhatsApp, Viber, FB Messenger, and others.
  • Emails tracking: This feature enables you to keep track of all incoming and outgoing emails on the device.
  • Browser tracking: You can easily pull up your child’s browsing history when needed using this feature.
  • Photos and video monitoring: This feature gives you access to any photo or video captured on the target phone. It also gives you access to media downloaded or received.
  • Keylogger: This allows you to log everything that the person types, including passwords.
  • GPS monitoring: The app will give you access to the current location of the target as well as a detailed history of locations they’ve visited.

The set-up process is easy and straightforward for this one – you only have to follow these simple steps:

  1. Visit the Phonyspy website.
  2. Select the target device to be monitored.
  3. Install and set up the app.
  4. Track your device.

Conclusion

Ensuring that your family is safe and secure always is a parent’s greatest concern. The apps we’ve explored can go a long way in helping you protect and shield your children from harm that may arise online or physically. It is also a good idea to educate them on the risks they may be exposed to online and encourage them to talk to you if they feel they might be experiencing any danger online.

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Fertility

Housing, work and fertility stop Britons having the families they want – research

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Housing, work and fertility pressures are stopping many Britons growing the families they want, new research suggests.

A UK fertility report found that 79 per cent of people surveyed who had tried to conceive in the past five years would like more children than they currently have.

Among parents with one child, that figure rises to 88 per cent.

The report surveyed more than 1,000 people across the UK who had tried for a baby in the past five years.

While birth rates continue to fall, the findings suggest it is not because people no longer want children. Instead, many respondents said external pressures are making it harder to grow their families.

The findings, from wellness brand Wild Nutrition’s Fertility Disconnect report, highlight how financial pressures, fertility struggles and gaps in reproductive health knowledge are shaping modern family life in the UK.

Gail Madalena, fertility nutritional therapist at Wild Nutrition, said: “People often assume fertility begins the moment they decide to try [for a baby].

“In reality, egg and sperm health are shaped months and years earlier.

“By the time someone starts thinking about fertility, their body has already been responding to its environment for a long time.”

Among the biggest barriers, 26 per cent said career progression affected their family plans, 25 per cent cited housing affordability and lack of space, and 52 per cent said they required medical intervention during their fertility journey.

The report also found that almost a quarter of respondents had spent more than two years trying to conceive.

Trying for a baby can take a significant toll on mental health and relationships, especially for those navigating fertility treatment.

According to the research, 38 per cent of respondents said trying to conceive had negatively affected their mental health. That figure rose to 99 per cent among people undergoing fertility treatment.

Julianne Boutaleb is a perinatal psychologist.

She said: “Navigating a fertility journey is about so much more than medical appointments and procedures.

“It’s an emotional marathon that can take a huge toll on your mental wellbeing.

“Sadly, the stats show that 15 per cent of couples going through fertility treatment say their relationship has been irrevocably impaired.”

The report also highlighted the realities of secondary infertility, which affects around one in 20 people, challenging the assumption that having one child means conceiving again will be straightforward.

Researchers found many people felt under-informed about fertility, particularly younger adults.

Ten per cent of Gen Z respondents said they “know nothing” about fertility, while only one in five respondents said they know “a lot” about egg health.

The report also found that 60 per cent of women were unaware of fertility testing options, and one in five Gen Z respondents said they felt uncomfortable discussing fertility, even with their partner.

Around 40 per cent of those surveyed supported fertility education being included in schools, covering topics such as egg health, sperm health and hormonal health.

The report also explored how lifestyle and long-term health may influence fertility outcomes.

Many respondents said they only made changes once they started trying to conceive.

Some 44 per cent improved their diet when trying for a baby, while 32 per cent reduced alcohol intake at that stage.

The report also referenced emerging research that suggests ultra-processed foods and microplastics could have an impact on reproductive health.

While fertility conversations often focus on women, the findings showed male fertility issues are also affecting many families.

Seventeen per cent of respondents cited sperm health issues as a barrier to conception, while male factors contribute to around half of all fertility challenges.

Only one in four men said they would share fertility struggles with friends.

“Many causes of male infertility are entirely treatable yet so often the last resort is the first response,” said Ian Stones, co-founder at Test Him Ltd.

The findings come as UK birth rates remain below replacement level.

The report noted that the UK fertility rate is now 1.41, meaning that on average women give birth to 1.41 children over their lifetimes. The replacement rate, or rate that maintains population numbers, is 2.1.

It also said the average age of mothers has risen to 31, while birth rates are falling across most age groups except among over-40s.

“There is no single fertility story, and it is rarely a simple, linear narrative,” said Dr Zeynep Gurtin, lecturer in women’s health at UCL.

Dr Gurtin added that better fertility education, fairer access to treatment and more open conversations around infertility and pregnancy loss are needed.

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Fertility

Femtech World reveals fertility innovation award shortlist

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Femtech World is thrilled to reveal the shortlist for the Fertility Innovation Award.

The award, sponsored by FinDBest IVF, celebrates a pioneering product, service or initiative that is transforming fertility care and support.

FinDBest IVF is a global B2B digital platform created to simplify and accelerate how IVF and ART manufacturers connect with trusted, pre-vetted distributors around the world.

This year’s nominees represent a remarkable breadth of approaches to fertility care: from clinic-floor breakthroughs to at-home hormone intelligence to truly borderless access.

Three companies made the cut, with each tackling a real, persistent barrier in reproductive health.

Congratulations to the shortlist and many thanks to everyone who entered.

Fertility Innovation Award Shortlist

 

HRC Fertility’s Needle-Free IVF is a pioneering advancement designed to transform one of the most challenging aspects of fertility treatment: daily hormone injections.

Developed by board-certified reproductive endocrinologist Dr Rachel Mandelbaum, this innovative approach reimagines how stimulation medications are delivered during IVF and egg freezing, dramatically improving the patient experience while maintaining the same trusted clinical outcomes.

Inspired by feedback from patients who struggled with the injection process, Dr Mandelbaum adapted an innovative drug-delivery system commonly used in other areas of medicine and applied it to reproductive care

Mira is a hormonal health technology company that provides lab-grade hormone testing and AI-driven insights to help women and couples understand their fertility. 

The platform has already supported more than 200,000 couples on their fertility journeys worldwide, helping over 60,000+ users achieve pregnancy.

For some users, pregnancy rates have reached up to 89 per cent within six months, demonstrating how accurate hormone data can significantly improve fertility outcomes.

 

Founded in 2021 by Marija Skujina, a Certified Fertility Nurse Specialist accredited by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, with nearly 15 years of clinical experience at one of the world’s top IVF clinics, and having navigated her own fertility journey as a patient, Marija built the clinic she had always wished existed.

Plan Your Baby began with a bold, but simple mission – make best quality fertility and pregnancy available anywhere.

Plan Your Baby has created a new generation fertility and pregnancy clinic with patients accessing expert consultations remotely, while blood tests and ultrasound scans are available at over 450 locations across the UK, eliminating the exhausting travel burden that often forces people to take days off work, relocate appointments, or abandon treatment altogether

What happens now

The shortlist will be judged by a representative from category sponsor FindBestIVF, with the winner announced at a virtual event on June 19.

Winners will receive a trophy and be interviewed by a Femtech World journalist.

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Cancer

Common cholesterol drug shows ovarian cancer promise

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A common cholesterol drug could help weaken a fluid shield that helps ovarian cancer tumours survive, early lab findings suggest.

The findings do not show the drug treats ovarian cancer. But they suggest changing the environment the cancer depends on could make it more vulnerable to existing treatment.

A federally funded study at Duke University School of Medicine found that ascites, a build-up of fluid in the abdomen, may do more than cause discomfort.

Doctors can drain ascites to ease pain, improve mobility and make breathing easier, but the fluid may also help cancer cells survive and spread. It occurs in 90 per cent of people with advanced ovarian cancer.

According to the study, ascites acts as a shield, helping cancer cells evade ferroptosis, a form of cell death.

Ferroptosis is a kind of cellular rusting. It happens when iron inside a cell reacts with certain fats, causing the cell membrane to break apart.

Many metastatic cancer cells, meaning cells that float freely through the abdomen looking for new places to grow, are naturally vulnerable to this kind of damage.

“Doctors have mostly viewed ascites as a symptom rather than an active driver of disease,” said Jen-Tsan Chi, professor in the department of molecular genetics and microbiology and co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program at the Duke Cancer Institute.

“We’ve learned it gives cancer a survival advantage, which fills a major gap in understanding how ovarian cancer spreads.”

Scientists bathed cancer cell lines and patient-derived tumour cells in ascites collected from patients and watched how they responded to ferroptosis triggers.

The fluid protected cancer cells by changing how they store fats and control iron levels, effectively blocking cell death.

The protection required only trace amounts, with as little as 2 per cent immersion shielding cancer cells from destruction.

“What surprised us was how selective this effect was,” said Yasaman Setayeshpour, first author and graduate student in molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke School of Medicine.

“Ascites didn’t protect the cancer cells from other well-known types of cell death, like apoptosis or necrosis, it only blocked ferroptosis.

“To figure out why, we broke ascites down into major parts, like lipids, proteins, and small molecules, and tested what happened when each was removed.

“When we took the lipids out, the protective effect disappeared. That told us lipids are the key reason ascites helps these cancer cells survive.”

But researchers found an unexpected helper in bezafibrate, an older cholesterol drug used to lower triglycerides by altering how the body processes fats.

The cholesterol drug restored sensitivity to ferroptosis, but only when ascites was present. On its own, the drug did not trigger cell death or slow tumour growth in mice.

The drug’s impact depended on the cancer’s surroundings, in this case the fat-rich fluid bathing the tumour. Researchers found that targeting this environment, using repurposed drugs like bezafibrate, could leave cancer cells more exposed to existing cancer treatments.

Chi said the finding could have implications beyond ovarian cancer. Other cancers, including colorectal and pancreatic cancers, can also spread within the abdominal cavity.

“This work shows how much the environment around a tumour matters,” Chi said.

“Biological fluids like ascites don’t just give cancer cells a place to move. They actively help drive how cancer spreads.”

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