Picture this: There's a bar code on a child's backpack or school uniform. A camera phone scans the bar code (like taking a picture), and up on the phone's screen pops the child's Web page with real-time information about him or her. As any parent can visualize, there's a definite darkside to this scenario, described in a Wired News article about this new bar code technology, called "Semacode" … [Read more...] about Kids ‘n’ camera phones: Scan for more info
File-sharing at school
Parents might want to tell music fans heading off to school this fall that universities don't necessarily protect them from anti-piracy lawsuits. "A federal judge has ordered Michigan State University to produce the identities of nine people accused of using the campus computer system to illegally make music available to others via the Internet," the Detroit Free Press reports, and MSU has made no … [Read more...] about File-sharing at school
Child porn on file-sharing networks
In another reminder that kids wanting to swap tunes can encounter other types of files on file-sharing networks, CNN reported that "dozens of people" (of all ages) were arrested this week for trafficking in child porn on P2P services. "One 19-year-old youth recently arrested and convicted told authorities he started using peer-to-peer applications to share music, but later moved on to sending and … [Read more...] about Child porn on file-sharing networks
Kids accessing Web porn with image searches
"I was equally surprised and shocked that without paying a dime my child could access porn that is way, way beyond Playboy," writes Michelle, a subscriber of our newsletter, "including under-age, incest, animal images, among other things. It is disturbing for me, but how does a child process this stuff? Do they understand the extremes and how do they reconcile these images with real life … [Read more...] about Kids accessing Web porn with image searches
Cell phone parental controls
They're not available yet, but are they something your family could use? Here's what we're talking about: Limit the amount of time kids talk on the phone Designate the times when the phone can be used (e.g., not after 9pm - that's homework time) Allow communication only with certain phone numbers (e.g., Mom, Dad, sibs, your 10 best friends, your grandparents, and … [Read more...] about Cell phone parental controls