{"id":52002,"date":"2026-08-25T07:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T11:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/?p=52002"},"modified":"2026-08-24T11:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T15:30:22","slug":"paulding-putnam-to-offer-bark-online-safety-software-free-with-parentprotect-internet-package","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/paulding-putnam-to-offer-bark-online-safety-software-free-with-parentprotect-internet-package\/","title":{"rendered":"Paulding Putnam To Offer Bark Online Safety Software FREE with ParentProtect Internet Package"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Paulding Putnam Marketing & Communications Manager Samantha Kuhn educates parents with online safety tools at Grover Hill Elementary\u2019s Open House event Aug. 13. Starting in September, the co-op will prioritize keeping kids safe online by including a monthly Bark software subscription free of charge for all ParentProtect internet package subscribers.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nationally, cyberbullying among teens has more than doubled over the past two decades, climbing from roughly 19% in 2007 to nearly 55% today, according to research from the Cyberbullying Research Center. Among elementary-age children, the CDC reports that roughly one in ten elementary schools already deal with bullying incidents on a weekly basis \u2014 a signal that online risks are reaching kids well before middle school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly all children ages 3 to 18 now have some form of internet access, putting even the youngest students within reach of cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and online predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paulding Putnam is responding to this trend head-on. Beginning September 9, 2026, the co-op will include Bark \u2014 a leading online safety and parental control platform \u2014 free of charge with every ParentProtect fiber internet package, at no additional cost to members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Protecting our members isn’t limited to keeping the lights on or delivering fast, reliable internet \u2014 it’s about looking out for the whole household, including the kids who are growing up more connected than any generation before them,\u201d says Paulding Putnam CEO & President Randy Price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Bark and What’s Included<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bark monitors more than 30 apps and platforms \u2014 including YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook \u2014 and uses advanced detection to alert parents to signs of cyberbullying, suicidal ideation, violence, and other online risks, without exposing every private message a child sends. The platform also gives parents tools to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Filter and block inappropriate websites and content categories<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Set and manage screen time limits by device<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Receive location alerts when a child arrives at or leaves a designated place<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Bark’s software is already used to help protect millions of children nationwide and is deployed in nearly 1,300 school districts to support student online safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Paulding Putnam\u2019s ParentProtect Package<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ParentProtect is available through Paulding Putnam’s fiber internet network at speeds of 500×500 Mbps or 1 Gig, and includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Free managed Wi-Fi with built-in cybersecurity protection<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Free standard installation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 No contracts and no hidden fees<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Local, member-first service from a cooperative that has served the region since 1935<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community Education Events<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahead of the September rollout, Paulding Putnam staff are attending open house events at local schools to talk directly with parents and teachers about online safety, answer questions, and share resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff attended Grover Hill Elementary\u2019s and Crestview’s open house .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBringing Bark into our ParentProtect package at no extra cost is exactly the kind of investment a cooperative should make, not because it drives profit, but because it’s the right thing to do for the families who own this co-op. That’s been true since 1935, and it’s still true today,\u201d says Renee Hull, Paulding Putnam\u2019s Chief Finance Officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More information about Bark and the ParentProtect internet package is available at www.ppec.coop\/for-home\/internet-packages\/parent-protect\/bark\/. Those with questions can call the office at 800-686-2357, email member_services@ppec.coop, or visit www.PPEC.coop\/internet. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nationally, cyberbullying among teens has more than doubled over the past two decades, climbing from roughly 19% in 2007 to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":52003,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2230,6],"tags":[29882,29884,3425,29883,12098,13388],"class_list":["post-52002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-community","category-community","tag-bark","tag-crestview-elementary","tag-grover-hill-elementary","tag-parentprotect","tag-paulding-putnam-2","tag-samantha-kuhn"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t