Spread the word to young app developers and code writers at your house or school: ReachOut.com has just announced its national "Don't Just Stand By" Facebook App Developer Competition. Launched at the SxSW conference, the competition "calls on teens 13-17 to create a Facebook app that will help inform and empower potential bystanders of cyberbullying to take action," says Reach Out's press … [Read more...] about Great contest for teen activist/app developers
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The downside of social media convenience
Some people think of it as the dark side of using social media: potential oversharing. Things can indeed get dark, if we get so fixated on the darkness that we can't see or learn about the alternatives. Better to get informed and act on that information! Mashable does a great job of showing how oversharing can happen using different kinds of applications in Facebook – e.g., what songs you're … [Read more...] about The downside of social media convenience
FTC will look into mobile apps marketing to kids
After news coverage of kids racking up huge iTunes bills for their parents while playing game apps on iPhones and iPod Touches gained and letters from US lawmakers to the Federal Trade Commission about this, the Commission announced it will investigate, Ars Technica reports. In a letter to the FTC, Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) wrote that "what may appear in these games to be virtual coins and prizes … [Read more...] about FTC will look into mobile apps marketing to kids
Cellphone app to help troubled teens
Two Las Vegas nonprofit organizations have produced an iPhone app that educates parents about "the top 20 issues teens face," identify the causes and find help, the Las Vegas Sun reports. The app – designed by Turning Point Experience, an "organization dedicated to helping students avoid destructive influences in their lives," and the Southern Nevada Community Gang Task Force – is called … [Read more...] about Cellphone app to help troubled teens
Got a ‘jailbreaker’ wannabe at your house?
The other day my 13-year-old mentioned in passing that he wished he could figure out how to jailbreak his iTouch so he could download free game apps (I got the feeling that messing around and figuring it out with friends was kind of a game itself). It made me smile, though, that this came up the very day the news broke that "jailbreaking" is ok now (see The Independent). What does "ok" mean? Well, … [Read more...] about Got a ‘jailbreaker’ wannabe at your house?