Think of YouTube Kids as digital training wheels for the little video viewers at your house - something a lot of parents have been wanting for a very long time. We all know how popular but not always appropriate YouTube is for kids. Problem solved. Designed for kids through age 8, YouTube Kids carefully screens videos so the littlest online viewers can satisfy their seemingly over-active curiosity … [Read more...] about A YouTube for the littlest video viewers
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Social media literacy in an app
Brilliant concept. A source of quick, digestible social media literacy delivered by an app, not parents (one reason why it's so digestible). I'm talking about the ThinkUp app. It's definitely not just for teens, but what a great application for a reputation-curation and media-mindfulness tool. It's so much more powerful than just googling oneself or getting a service like Reputation.com to help … [Read more...] about Social media literacy in an app
Kids’ top social media picks: New resource for parents
Here's a super starting point for a conversation with your children about social media: NetAware, a brand-new set of reviews of kids' top social media services. It's not the first such resource for parents, but two things set it apart: These are kids' own top social media picks. This isn't adult guesswork. Because part of its mission is to "ensure the voices of children are heard in … [Read more...] about Kids’ top social media picks: New resource for parents
An app for teens that promotes (& gets) positivity
Last spring I asked, "Will safety ever be baked in to social apps?" Well, it's actually starting to be. Let is a perfect example. A social app (mostly on Apple's iOS phones) with an overwhelmingly teen-aged user base that launched last March, its L.A.- and Marseilles-based creators seem to have grown a digital community in which teens and young adults, mostly girls, feel safe and help each other … [Read more...] about An app for teens that promotes (& gets) positivity
Mobile rules in the US now too
It's now clear that, where Americans' use of digital media is concerned, mobile rules. "The days of desktop dominance are over," declares top digital market researcher comScore in its latest mobile app report. Smartphones and tablets represent 60% of Americans' digital media time, and "the fuel driving mobile’s relentless growth is primarily app usage, which alone makes up a majority of total … [Read more...] about Mobile rules in the US now too