Two-thirds of parents are very concerned about the amount of inappropriate content US children are exposed to, but they’re mostly talking about other people’s children, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s just-released study, “Parents, Children & Media." Only 20% of parents say their own children are seeing a lot of inappropriate content. The study included a national survey of more than … [Read more...] about US parents on kids’ media: Study
Youth
FBI fights ‘zombies’
The FBI says people have their cars inspected once a year, they should have their PCs inspected regularly too. It’s talking up the problem of “botnets,” or “zombie networks,” the Associated Press reports – networks of infected computers, very often family PCs, that are controlled by the malicious hackers who infected them. “Because the hacker has complete control of each ‘bot’ computer, the botnet … [Read more...] about FBI fights ‘zombies’
Outfitting their penguins
Some kids and tweens are obsessed with the virtual care, feeding, outfitting of their penguins, Webkinz, Neopets, etc. – not to mention furnishing their igloos and other spaces. In many cases, kids just have to amass points by playing lots of games in these sites, in which case the “cost” is screen time, a lack of healthy, active outdoor time, and something marketers aim for: serious brand loyalty … [Read more...] about Outfitting their penguins
‘Growing up in public’
Interest in youth’s limited interest in privacy (except where parents are concerned) is growing, and commentaries are multiplying. “The future belongs to the uninhibited,” suggested New York magazine (see this in NetFamilyNews). Across the pond, The Telegraph reported that, for today’s online youth, closeness, intimacy, the sharing of secrets is distributed rather than individual and private (see … [Read more...] about ‘Growing up in public’
Social-networking training wheels
Remember Beanie Babies? Cabbage Patch Dolls? Well, now there’s Webkinz. The only (significant) difference is Webkinz have a social site/virtual world for their young owners – kind of a starter MySpace for people below its minimum age. “Last year, Webkinz brought in more than $45 million in retail in the U.S.,” CNET reports. The writer went through hoops to acquire her Webkinz, named Cneta, then … [Read more...] about Social-networking training wheels