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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Perfect digital parenting doesn’t exist
I'm stating the obvious – that perfect digital-age parenting doesn't exist – but let me explain why it doesn't. Writer Heather Havrilesky got me thinking about this with her commentary "The 'Mommy' Problem" in the New York Times this weekend. She focuses on mothers (since our culture does so much) and on offline parenting. I'll add the digital part. She writes that "the current culture demands … [Read more...] about Perfect digital parenting doesn’t exist
New from ConnectSafely: ‘A Parents’ Guide to Mobile Phones’
It's hard to know exactly how many kids and teens have mobile phones right now, but we do know that over a year ago more than a third (37%) of US 12-to-17-year-olds had smartphones, up from 23% in 2011, and a whopping 78% had some kind of mobile phone. That's from the Pew Internet Project, one of the best US sources on youth and tech. We also know that mobile phones are how young people access … [Read more...] about New from ConnectSafely: ‘A Parents’ Guide to Mobile Phones’
Social media reality check from Canadian youth: Key study
Before releasing its report on online conflict, MediaSmarts presented a much broader picture of young Canadians' experiences in social media: "Life Online." This is important context for any discussion about cyberbullying and other negative aspects of digitally informed life, whether we're setting policy at the household, school or national levels. "There are a lot of assumptions out there … [Read more...] about Social media reality check from Canadian youth: Key study
Why Louis C.K. doesn’t let his kids have phones
The video has gone pretty viral over the past few days. On Conan O'Brien's show last week, Emmy-award-winning comedian Louis C.K. explained why he didn't want to give his daughters (aged 7 and 10) smartphones. [You can watch it at Slate.com.] What he says was – as my friend and fellow parent Anastasia Goodstein commented in Facebook – profound. But to get the depth of it, listen all the way … [Read more...] about Why Louis C.K. doesn’t let his kids have phones