Monthly Archives: February 2013

Attendees at the International Toy Fair held on February 10, 2013 in the Big Apple got a sneak peek at what are destined to be the year’s hottest toys for kids of all ages. Of the playthings on display were your seemingly traditional doll houses, Babies, and basketball… Read more

The statistics on cyberbullying are sobering, and the tragic stories about the victims of this online evil are even more unsettling. Although, ideally, parents will take steps to prevent their kids from ever being bullied on the Web, cyberbullying is a reality. So, what do you do if it happens to your… Read more

According to a study by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and the University of Birmingham, online predators are not only targeting children online, but victimizing them in the virtual realm as well. Though predators attempting to arrange an offline meeting with their victims is a declining trend—down… Read more

A new iPad app lets kids share their drawings with friends and family, no matter where they are in the world. The creators of the app were inspired in part by an AARP study revealing that approximately half of all grandparents live more than 200 miles from their… Read more

According to The Telegraph, children may be doing more than just playing online games; there's evidence that they could be hacking them as well. The online news site reported the results of an AVG study that revealed malware uncharacteristic of more experienced hackers. The security firm cited one example of a program that collected usernames and passwords from players of… Read more

Not all social media sites are bad for kids, according to a study by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. In fact, they can have positive effects on a child’s identity and social development. Pointing out worthwhile kids’ networking sites like Club Penguin, Whyville.net, and Scratch.mit.edu, the study suggests that parents… Read more

One dad in Boston is taking measures to protect his daughter from the dangers of social media, but in a very nontraditional way. Paul Baier posted the Facebook Deactivation Agreement signed by both he and his 14-year old daughter on his blog Practical Sustainability. The terms of… Read more

In a touching YouTube video uploaded on February 7th, former Packers cheerleader tells her personal story of cyberbullying through a series of note cards. Her video exposes a Facebook page featuring a picture of her with the caption “Like if you agree the Packers… Read more

Twitter’s micro-video app upped its age restriction from 12+ to 17+ after some users reported accessing mature content on the platform, including sexually-explicit images. Not everyone is satisfied with this supposed solution, however. Donna Rice Hughes, President and CEO of Enough is Enough, for instance told NPR that the… Read more

Did you wait until the last minute to get your little one a treat for Valentine’s Day? No worries. We’ve got you covered, and with these fun and safe digital gifts, you won’t even need to make a trip to the store.… Read more

There are plenty of kid-friendly videos on YouTube, but according to antivirus company Kaspersky, they’re still potentially dangerous for children—not because of their content, but because of their proximity to videos containing explicit content like nudity and violence. The study reported by The Guardian offers a timely warning to parents;… Read more

The National Rifle Association (NRA) thinks so, but not everyone agrees. Under fire from critics, Apple changed the NRA’s iOS app Practice Range rating from 4+ to 12+ earlier this month, acknowledging its “Frequent/Intense Realistic Violence,” though the app only uses inanimate objects for its targets. This new age-restriction isn’t… Read more

It’s okay for sex offenders to use Facebook and other social media sites, at least according to a federal appeals court. The 7th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Chicago overturned an Indiana law that banned registered sex offenders from social networking sites. The decision, reported by… Read more

Vice President Biden wants the entertainment industry to know that the White Houseisn'tagainst them. Though Obama has called for research into the potential connection between video game violence and actual violence, Biden says he knows that the industry is “intent on doing what they can do to help.”… Read more

When an 11-year old girl at Inverbrothock Primary School opened her school email account on Thursday, she was shocked to find a picture of a topless woman among her messages. Apparently, the girls’ classmates used school computers to access and email the image. An investigation is… Read more

According to The Drum, Disney has announced the launch of its new Internet Safety campaign. The motto? “Connect with Respect.” According to the director of live services at Disney EMEA, research shows that children are more open to ideas when they’re delivered by characters… Read more

Though we’d like to think that our kids are using apps that are both fun and educational, this isn’t always (or even mostly) the case, according to a study conducted by Kytephone and reported by TechCrunch. The company, which converts your average Android device into… Read more