Parents and kids generally like different things in cell phones. For teens they're as much fashion statement as communications tool. Of course, parents aren't immune - I love my ringtone (handpicked by my son). This week CNET compares four phones that are strong in the design area as well as in the features they offer, and they're easy on the wallet to boot. And for those family roadtrips, also … [Read more...] about Family-friendly phones
Hollywood’s looking for bootleggers
Do you know any kids who are taking videocams to the movies they go to? If so, they need to be aware of the legal and ethical implications. The former just got a lot more tangible this week. The US movie industry is now offering movie theater employees rewards of up to $500 for every person they catch recording films in their theaters and report to the police, Reuters reports. The Motion Picture … [Read more...] about Hollywood’s looking for bootleggers
Kids confused about Net risks
Parents aren't the only ones not helped by scary stories about online risks to kids. Children, too, need a balanced, level-headed approach to Net safety training, the University of London's Institute of Education found. Its researchers asked UK students 8-18 about what "dangers they face online," and the students replied, "bomb-making, blackmail, HIV, asylum seekers, aliens, and blindness," … [Read more...] about Kids confused about Net risks
Teen convicted for eBay scam
Cole Bartiromo, a 19-year-old in California, will go to prison for defrauding users of eBay's auction services. He was sentenced to 33 months and ordered to pay $20,000 back to eBay users to whom he sold items he never sent, The Register reports. This was not his first exploit. "He was also found guilty of bank fraud for trying to convince a Wells Fargo employee to wire $400,000 to an offshore … [Read more...] about Teen convicted for eBay scam
Rethinking ‘stranger danger’: Part 2
Last week, I featured Janis Wolak - mother, sociologist, and research professor at the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center. One of my takeaways from a phone interview with her is the suggestion that, before we start trying to explain anything in a one-way, us-to-them sort of arrangement, it might help first to understand how the online social scene works in our … [Read more...] about Rethinking ‘stranger danger’: Part 2