Shareholders ask Apple to lead fight in smartphone addiction in children
Two Apple investors are advocating for research based modifications to the iPhone in order to “help parents control and limit phone use more easily and to study the impact of overuse on mental health”. There is...Read more
BBC launches site promoting digital skills for children
The new site Own It provides questions, answers and tools to help children ages nine to twelve gain confidence and resilience online. This is part of the BBC’s investment of £34 million into programs and...Read more
A digital rights dilemma: a parent’s right to share and a child’s right to privacy
The average parent shares almost 1,500 images of their child online before their 5th birthday, a new study by Nominet, the UK domain registry reveals. Parents who share information about their children online whether it’s...Read more
Secondary students at risk from social media stress, says Children’s Commissioner
A new report from the Children’s Commissioner for England is calling on parents and teachers to do more to prepare children for the emotional impact of social media before they start secondary school. Adrian Voce...Read more
UK lawmakers force social networks to design child-friendly sites
The UK amends its Data Protection Bill requiring websites and apps to follow child-friendly policies in order to protect children online. This is “the first time, the development needs of children will be taken into...Read more
French children might need parental consent to join Facebook
The French government has proposed a new law that will require children under sixteen to seek parental consent prior to joining Facebook and other social networks. “Joining Facebook will involve parental authorisation for minors aged...Read more
France to ban children from using mobile phones in schools
France’s Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer has announced the prohibition of mobile phones during school hours. This ban will begin September 2018. “These days the children don’t play at break time anymore, they are just...Read more
YouTube to hire thousands of human moderators to remove videos that harm children
YouTube plans to hire moderators to remove content not suitable for children. Since disturbing and harmful videos are easily accessible on YouTube via YouTube Kids app or directly on the site. Last month The New York...Read more
Perils and opportunities of the digital world for children – UNICEF report
UNICEF’s latest State of the World’s Children report says that despite their massive online presence – 1 in 3 internet users worldwide is a child – too little is done to protect them from the...Read more
Facebook launches a messenger app for kids
Facebook launched Messenger Kids an app that allows children to join the social network or at least in part. A Facebook account is not required in order to use the app since you have to...Read more
Germany bans smart watches for children
Concerns over smart watches for children breaching Germany’s strict surveillance laws have led to a ban on their sale by the country’s telecommunications regulator. The Guardian reports. Germany’s telecoms regulator has banned the sale of “smart watches”...Read more
Are smart phones really the death of children’s play?
Many of the current conversations on children’s use of mobile phones sound dire warnings, even foretelling the ‘death of childhood’ itself. However, argues playworker and geographer Chris Martin, different standpoints can contribute alternative, more complex perspectives,...Read more