I haven't done this in a while - written about products and services - so here's the caveat up front: These are not product reviews or tests; they're meant to spotlight options for parents to consider and trends in youth tech. 1. Safe playgrounds for kidsIt's like there's a "walled garden" trend afoot! Four of these services - three new ones and one tried and true - immediately come to mind. The … [Read more...] about New sites & services for kids, tweens, teens
Risk & Safety
How kids become bully victims: Very early signs
A new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry offers clues to how children become targets of bullying, Newsweek reports. The first key finding was that bully victims in grade school are more likely to have been aggressive (e.g., "smashing a toy when someone takes their ball away") very early in life, as young as 17 months, in fact. "That may sound counterintuitive, but it's not surprising to … [Read more...] about How kids become bully victims: Very early signs
Online ID verification in South Korea
The world's most connected country - South Korea, where 97% of the population has broadband Internet access - is conducting an experiment in Internet control that the world (especially the US) might do well to watch. I say "especially the US" because we're having a discussion here (at the Internet Safety & Technology Task Force) about online verification of minors' ages (see this about that). The … [Read more...] about Online ID verification in South Korea
13-year-old detained on child-porn charges
The Texas boy was one of an unspecified number of kids at his middle school who received a nude picture of another student on his cellphone, Dallas-area station WFAA reports. The 8th-grade girl in the photo had taken the picture of herself and sent it to "multiple guys," another female student told WFAA. So far, the boy is the only recipient who has been charged. "Police and the school district … [Read more...] about 13-year-old detained on child-porn charges
Felony charges for teen nude-photo sharer
A 15-year-old girl in Ohio has been arrested and charged for "taking nude cell phone photos of herself and sending them to high school classmates," Foxnews.com reports. "On Monday, she entered denials to juvenile charges of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and possession of criminal tools. A spokeswoman for the Ohio attorney general's office says an adult convicted of the child … [Read more...] about Felony charges for teen nude-photo sharer