Check Out Tech with Kids

No one can keep up the explosion of apps for kids but the Tech with Kids site sure can help. Each app is identified by topic, app, video game or website, grade level and platform it is available for, and receives a one to four star rating. Sign up for the weekly newsletter, check out the new reviews, and look at features like Preschool Apps to Help Kids Build Routines. It is very useful!

A Digital Book That Can Help with Whining Over ScreenTime

Are your kids whining about their screen time limits? Perhaps, a new digital book called The Adventures of Ash & Ollie: ScreenTimemight be able to get the message across that it is important to balance screen time with other forms of play. Done in rhyming verse, the two brothers featured in the story explain their family’s rules, which can help, as kids are often more accepting of family guidelines if they know that other family’s have the same kind of restrictions. The story comes in app form, costs $2.99, and is available at the Apple App Store and on Google Play.

When a Free App For Kids Isn’t Really Free

Most free apps have a way of making money – and that is not always good for parents and kids. So, how can you find the best free apps for kids? Read Jinny Gudmundsen’s take on the question and find out when free really does mean free and how to find those apps.

Some Apps Aren’t for Kids

The truth is that not all apps are for kids. The recent Yik Yak (the anonymous sharing app) debacle is proof of that, as things got so bad that the app makers have now made plans to shut down the app’s access at middle and high schools in the US.

So how should you manage apps with your kids? Take a look at the ideas in Not all Apps are for Kidsfor some common sense approaches including disabling the ability to install new apps on Apple devices, using Restrictions for younger kids, or trying an app monitoring service like AppCertain or Mobicip.

Tablets and Aps Designed With Children in Mind on the Rise

Tablets built specifically with children in mind are on the rise. Cased in protective plastic and preloaded with apps, tablet manufacturers like Fuhu are targeting consumers ages 3 to 14 with their Nabi tablets. Selling for between $100 and $300, these machines can be customized with stickers featuring film and TV characters and more. Kids can use the tablets to watch TV shows and movies, play games and explore the Web, but parents can set strict controls so that only certain features and sites can be viewed or used.

Yik Yak App Creates Issues on Campuses

Yik Yak, a new smart phone app that allows people to connect through anonymous, location-based posts, is creating havoc on campuses across the country. Aimed at college students, but filtering down to high schools, the app charges users $.99, to share with 1,000 people, 2,500 for $1.99, and 10,000 for $5. But, the cost seems no bar to the anonymous cyberbullying and false accusations flying around on the app. Recently, the spreading of false rumors about possible shooting on campuses in Mobile, AL broadcast on Yik Yak, for example, have led to student arrests.

So far, the company has responded with apologies and two ways to report inappropriate content. One way is to have two people select the comment and click the “report inappropriate” button. The second way is to take a screen shot of the comment and email it to [email protected] for immediate removal. They also claim that they are working on technical solutions to prevent app abuse by high schoolers, but parents need to understand NOW what the app is, what it does, and the kind of damage its anonymous nature breeds, and discuss the consequences of using these kinds of apps with their children. The same goes for Whisper and Secret – two other apps with text comments that self-destruct after they are read – all are great weapons for cyberbullies who love their anonymity. Take a look at this guide to what you need to know about Yik Yak. Remind kids to think before they dis or vent on any app – even when it is supposed to be anonymous – and never rely on any app to keep their secrets forever.

Schools in New Jersey Take Social Media On

Schools in New Jersey are preparing to teach middle school courses on social media -- focusing on making the most of the technology and also on responsible use.  "Kids should never be held back later in life because of their social media use today. It is our job to prepare students for the professional world, one that increasingly takes place online," said Angel Fuentes, the New Jersey assemblyman who sponsored a bill that passed last month, making New Jersey the first state to require the courses. "Strategic social media use can build bridges just as easily as inappropriate social media use can build walls.

Whisper and Secret Apps Offer “Confidential” Places to Dish Freely

Whisper and Secret are new social media apps that let users share “anonymously," with text comments self-destructing after they are read. Of course, as so many people have found out the hard way, perhaps we all need to be very careful before we trust any of these apps completely. Snapchat, where users can send pictures which are purported to self destruct 30 seconds after being opened, has been hit with a series of stories questioning its security and privacy, from forensics companies recovering supposedly “deleted” snaps and apps designed to circumvent its protection, to Tumblr blogs of topless Snapchat users and reports of a loophole enabling hackers to access users’ phone numbers. While Whisper and Secret seem to be the “apps du jour,” you need to remind your kids that the very nature of these apps makes them likely to be full of nasty commentary and bullying. The lack of accountability also makes such forums vulnerable to lies.

Bottom line: Remind kids to think before they vent and never rely on any app to keep their secrets forever.

The Problem of Leaky Apps

You may think you are only playing a game on your smartphone, but in reality, that app may be sending data to intelligence agencies indicating your location, age, sex, and other personal information including where you have been that day, new British intelligence documents have revealed. While President Obama recently spoke about new privacy restrictions limiting how the National Security Administration can view information on American’s cell phone calls, he did not address the information that the intelligence agencies get from leaky apps and other smartphone functions.

Just for your reference, currently the law requires that people who use any app or purchase anything through an on-line system have the right to opt out if they do not wish to have their data shared. Perhaps, the law should be changed so that any personal data must be retained in a secure fashion unless the person has already decided to opt in.

Be Aware Of Jelly

An application called Jelly that pairs user photos and questions to solicit answers from social circles on Facebook and Twitter, designed by Twitter found Biz Stone, has just made its debut. Jelly most resembles Quora, another question-and-answer service that went live in 2010 and has built a loyal following as a place to get answers to serious questions from often very informed people. But, Jelly has a different tone since it requires users to post a photo along with their question. This would be a great way to do a homework project if you could get the right people to respond! Of course, it is only a matter of time before it is used for more sinister purposes.