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For $300, you can get an Alexa-powered kitchen for your kids
Alexa and other smart speakers can be especially useful in the kitchen, and toymakers are taking note. Today, KidKraft revealed its Alexa 2-in-1 Kitchen and Market. At first glance, it looks like your average play kitchen, but it comes with smart-chipped food, cookware and character cards that prompt a response from Alexa.
TikTok lets parents set time limits and vet DMs on teen accounts
As TikTok has become increasingly popular with teens, the platform has gradually introduced a number of measures to help keep young people safe -- it introduced age checks last year, and more recently it banned videos showing "underage delinquent behavior." Now, it's added a range of parental controls into the mix.
Amazon's Fire tablets for kids are back to their lowest-ever pricing
Now might be a good time to go shopping if you're looking for a tablet to keep your kids entertained and educated. Amazon has dropped the prices on its Kids Edition tablets to Black Friday levels, making them tempting options if you're looking for a basic but child-friendly slate. The entry Fire 7 Kids Edition represents the biggest bargain, dropping from its usual $100 to a more appealing $60. The Fire HD 8 Kids Edition is still a good deal, though, falling from $130 to $80. And if you want the largest model possible, you can save $50 on the Fire HD 10 Kids Edition and pick one up for $150. Similar deals exist for two-packs if there's more than one tyke in your household.
Spotify's Kids app is coming to all Premium Family subscribers
Spotify launched its standalone Kids app in Ireland back in October 2019 as a way to give younger listeners access to its varied catalog of music. Now, the company is rolling it out in beta in the UK and beyond, in a launch that coincides with Childnet International's Safer Internet Day.
YouTube is asking all creators to identify videos made for kids
YouTube is widening its child privacy efforts after an initial foray this fall. It's starting a worldwide rollout for creator tools that makes it easier to flag videos as made for kids. When a producer labels a video as child-oriented, it'll disable personalized ads, comments, live chat and other features. The company said it'll use machine learning to help identify videos for kids, but that creators should set the label themselves -- they "know their content best," YouTube added.
YouTube reportedly considered screening all YouTube Kids videos
YouTube paid the FTC a $170 million fine this year, which was pocket change for Google. However, the charge of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act will remain a very costly stain on its reputation. In fact, things got so bad for YouTube when it came to kids last year that the site reportedly considered individual screening for every YouTube Kids video, according to Bloomberg.
Instagram now asks new users for their age
Instagram is getting more serious about curbing underage use. As of December 4th, the social network will start asking for your date of birth when you sign up.
How to prep tech gifts for kids
Every parent probably dreams of that Nintendo 64 moment -- you know, that video of the boy opening up a present on Christmas morning and screaming the name of the system while his sister hops around him? Unfortunately these days it's easy for that excitement to come crashing down once they unbox a new system only to discover it needs a ton of updates or you don't have the right cables. So be prepared and make sure you do what needs to be done in advance so your kids can enjoy their gifts while you sit back with a well-deserved hot toddy.
CBS All Access welcomes new kids' shows ahead of Nickelodeon deal
Parents looking for a streaming service with content for their children to watch have a new option. CBS's on-demand service, CBS All Access, now hosts a whole raft of kids' shows, with more to come next year.
Google Nest lets you read to your kids even when you're apart
The bedtime story is a cherished ritual between parents and their children, and one that hurts the most to miss when mom or dad are away. But now, Google Nest is launching a new Assistant action that will help keep story time on the agenda, no matter how far away you are from your kids.
Spotify's family plan now comes with a standalone kids' app
Spotify is expanding its family-plan offering with a new app designed for kids. The Spotify Kids app -- with a pared-back, easy-to-use interface -- comes with two silos of age-appropriate music: Audio for Younger Kids features singalongs, lullabies and content from licensed partners such as Disney and Nickelodeon, while Audio for Older Kids includes popular chart tracks and playlists that exclude explicit content. There's no specific age range for each -- it's up to parents to decide what's appropriate for their kids.
Netflix greenlights Pixar veteran's animated series 'Ghee Happy'
Netflix just approved Ghee Happy, a new series by animator Sanjay Patel. The colorful show will follow Hindu deities as children discovering their powers in a deity daycare, Deadline reports.
Apple TV+ offers peek at kids shows 'Ghostwriter' and 'Helpsters'
Apple won't rely solely on Snoopy in Space to keep your kids happy when TV+ debuts on November 1st. The tech titan has posted the first trailers (only visible on its website right now) for Ghostwriter and Helpsters, both of which will cater to the younger crowd. Ghostwriter is a re-do of the 1990s TV series that has a team of kids solving mysteries when a ghost starts releasing famous literary characters into the real world -- including Alice in Wonderland's White Rabbit, as the preview clip makes clear. Helpsters, meanwhile, teaches kids problem-solving skills through friendly monsters.
BBC's smart keyboard helps kids live healthy digital lives
The BBC wants to help kids have healthy and positive interactions online, and it's hoping its new Own It app will do just that. The app is centered around a keyboard that pops up whenever a user begins to type. If the message is negative, the app can offer support, give advice and recommend talking to a trusted adult.
Arcade Coder teaches kids to build games for the whole family
Tech Will Save Us (TWSU), the company behind cool kids' STEM kits, has launched a new flagship product designed to get kids into game design. The Arcade Coder is a 12-inch by 12-inch board with 144 fully programmable and controllable multi-colored LED buttons, that teaches children aged six and over easy-to-learn block coding and how to design their own games.
NASA starts accepting kids' name suggestions for its Mars 2020 rover
If you're a student who's been mulling over names for the Mars 2020 rover, it's now your time to shine. NASA has started accepting short essays from K-12 students who want to give the robotic explorer a proper identity. You'll have until November 1st to submit an idea, and the competition will be divided into three groups based on grade level (K-4, 5-8, 9-12) with frontrunners advancing based on appropriateness, originality and significance. You probably won't see a Rover McRoverface, then.
YouTube may soon ban targeted ads on kids' content
YouTube is allegedly planning on getting rid of targeted ads on videos aimed at children. It's not clear whether the decision comes as a result of the FTC's recent multimillion dollar fine -- imposed after YouTube was found to be violating federal data privacy laws for kids -- but Bloomberg reports that plans are now apparently in motion.
Technology alone won't make your kids smarter
Ever plop your kids in front of some purportedly educational screen-based thing because you need 15 minutes of peace? Maybe, like me, you say to yourself, "It's 15 minutes. It's an educational app. It's not so bad. I just need to start dinner." There's nothing wrong with this, in theory. As a parent of two small children, I've learned lots of things. One thing that's helped: Kids love media.
Nike rolls out a subscription service for kids’ sneakers
Whether for streaming, productivity software, health-tracking apps, clothing or deliveries, companies are increasingly adopting a subscription model to keep customers hooked and bring in revenue. The latest to join the fray is Nike, which on Monday unleashed a subscription service for kids' sneakers called Nike Adventure Club.
'StarCraft' gets the cartoon makeover nobody asked for
When you think of kid-friendly video games, StarCraft might not top the list. But that could change. A new version, StarCraft: Cartooned, reimagines every unit, structure, map, menu and mission with art by CarBot Animations. The usually dark game is swapping its Warhammer-like visual style for a complete makeover with cute cartoon graphics.
