Kids and Tech Archives — bobsullivan.net

Facebook must ‘come clean’ about teen mood research and ad targeting, consumer groups demand

May 9, 2017 Bob Sullivan 0

Facebook should release secret research it has done to psychologically analyze teen-age users, U.S. consumer groups demanded on Wednesday, after reports surfaced in Australian media that the social media giant had come with up techniques to predict kids’ emotional states — placing them in buckets like “defeated,” “overwhelmed,” “stressed,” “stupid,” “useless,” and [Keep reading]

For typical kids, 1,000 photos online before age 5

May 28, 2015 Bob Sullivan 0

Parents today are dooming their children to an over-exposed digital life by posting nearly 1,000 photos of kids before age 5, a new British study suggests. An advocacy group named The Parent Zone polled 2,000 U.K. and found they post 973 photos before their child’s fifth birthday. Even worse: many parents admit [Keep reading]

Study: Babies scrolling, clicking before they walk and talk

May 4, 2015 Bob Sullivan 0

Most children are frequent users of mobile devices by age 2, and many are scrolling and clicking before they can walk or talk, a new study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting suggests. The survey involved mobile device use by children as self-reported by mothers who attended a [Keep reading]

A nationwide sextortion reign of terror; and why the Net’s worst crime might be closer than you think

April 29, 2015 Bob Sullivan 0

When a teen-aged girl we know only as A.L. confided in Christopher Dekruif that her grandfather had molested her, he probably felt he had hit the jackpot. Abuse victims make easy targets. He had already persuaded A.L. to send him naked photos. Now, he had the leverage to force a [Keep reading]

Cell phone use only a part of the distracted driving problem

April 14, 2015 Bob Sullivan 0

It’s obvious that smartphones and driving are a dangerous combination. At this point, it should be obvious that ever-more-drastic laws banning cell phone use while driving have been ineffective, other than as another revenue-producing tool for law enforcement. A new study of teen drivers offers some insight into why. Experts [Keep reading]

Google’s YouTube Kids app illegally advertises to children, consumer groups allege

April 7, 2015 Bob Sullivan 0

Internet firms have a tough time dealing with the kids issue. The temptation to rope children into brand loyalty is great, but many of the things that are most effective are at least immoral, if not illegal. After all, kids’ brains aren’t fully formed, and they are even easier to [Keep reading]

Poor self-control in kids linked to low credit scores, early heart disease later in life

November 24, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

A recent study published in a serious academic journal found a connection between credit scores and heart disease. A note tucked inside the paper mentions research that could by vital to parents. Scientists at Duke University examined 1,000 New Zealand residents for signs that credit behavior and health were linked, [Keep reading]

Screens OK for babies after all? Doc says so, but I’m worried

March 21, 2014 Bob Sullivan 1

It’s the first nice Friday in about five months on the East Coast, and I just walked across a busy street and passed a mom pushing her 2 or 3 year old in a stroller, the child playing with the mom’s iPhone all the way. At least they were crossing [Keep reading]

Are your kids part of the Vanishing Web? Better find out

January 7, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

Snapchat was the target of the first real hacker data leak of 2014, with data on 4.6 million members taken and posted online. It happened during the holidays; perhaps you missed it. Or perhaps you don’t know what the heck Snapchat is. Now would be a good time to find [Keep reading]