Tag: kids

Vodafone and Disney team up to launch the Neo kids smartwatch

Available early in 2021, you can register your interest in this one here. This is a new smart kids watch from Vodafone, and they’ve been working with Disney to create a connected watch with familiar characters and safety features. Designed by Vodafone, the watch joins the expanding “Connected” …

What to look for in your kid’s first phone

When it comes to smartphones, some features fit everyone. What’s the point of a phone that can’t call, text, or snap a photo? But when it features like apps, kids and adults have different needs. These days, some kids in the single digits are getting smartphones. Getting them …

FourFit Mini2 – A fitness band designed for kids

Tracking activity, steps, heart rate, lung health, blood pressure and sleep – this is the FourFit Mini 2. During the lockdown, we’re all sat around more, so this FourFit Mini2 will ensure that your child stays active, with daily updates and reminders to get off the sofa or …

Home Active – Carol Vorderman offers her services for free

The Maths Factor was set up by Carol Vorderman a decade ago, and – for about £2 per week – you get a website which will help unlock every child’s confidence in maths. The maths tutoring site is for 4-11 year olds. It follows a 5-step philosophy – …

Home Active – Free audio books for kids

I’m properly annoyed with the amount of companies profiteering out of the coronavirus crisis. I’d like to see far more companies doing their bit. Audible has stepped forward with a good gift for the kids – free streamed audio books. Their website states that.. For as long as …

Making your smartphone child-friendly

Like most parents out there, you probably know how much kids love grabbing your phone to watch videos, take less-than-artful pics, randomly call people in your contacts, or generally drive you crazy. But, probably much to your relief, the phone acts as a quick and easy way to …

Parental Control apps to monitor usage

The internet can be a dark place. As we have now transitioned into our digital world, we’ve also had to wrestle with its complexities. The number of children using the internet grows each day, and the younger children are, the more likely they are to use the internet. …

Total phone content protection and monitoring. SpyMyPhone.

Just recently I’ve been looking for a way to keep tabs on my son. He’s just got his first ever proper smartphone and, although I don’t want to snoop on him too much, I do want to ensure he’s safe. One app that has pinged my radar is …

Instagram is a child grooming hotspot

The NSPCC has today revealed that sex offenders are grooming more children on Instagram more than any other online platform. In 32% of the recorded police incidents, Instagram was used to send sexual communication. It was closely followed by Facebook, which was used in 23% of the tim. …

The Momo Challenge. Yep, here we go again.

I’ll jump into this once more, but in reality I’m fighting a losing battle. As we’ve seen in recent years, people have started to believe any old crap. Facebook and other social media sites now seem to be the font of all knowledge, despite them usually being a …

Hotel Hideaway. Another home for online grooming.

Yes, it’s me again. Recently I wrote about the dangers of kids using smartphones. The truth is, if you let them have a smartphone, you’re opening them up to a host of dangers. There’s absolutely nothing you can do to protect them unless you sit next to them …

Children, tablet and phones. Here’s my advice.

A lot has been said in recent days about children and mobile phone use. A number of recommendations have come out, ranging from banning mobile phone use in schools, limiting screen time and banning phones at the table. In all honesty, it can be tricky. Parents secretly like …

Research reveals our tech-addicted kids

If you’ve got children then you’ll probably be having the same tech battle as many other parents up and down the land. You’ve no doubt remembered how you used to play outside as a child but now, in 2018, kids find the lure of a gadget, a TV, …

Tesco Mobile launches a new type of contract

This isn’t a mobile plan or tariff, instead Tesco Mobile have developed a contract or agreement that you can download here for your family. It sets out an agreement on mobile usage rules within the house. Families can print it out, then talk about it and fill it …

Back to school. Keep them safe with this clever watch.

I know what it’s like. Right now (if you’re in the UK) you’re running around trying to buy uniforms and shoes. It’s all hectic and you’ve not even been paid yet. Nightmare. However, if you want the little guys and girls to be safe, head to the V …

Ways parents can protect their children on Instagram

We’ve covered the various dangers of social media. Sure, it can be fun, but it can also be addictive and sometimes a little dangerous. No amount of web filtering or content matching is going to stop people approaching you online or chucking abuse your way. Instagram is one …

Goodbye then. It’s all over.

We’ve surfed this wave for years. We’ve gone from the very early days, covering Windows-powered SPV phones, Smartphone 2002 handsets and Pocket PC’s. Now we’re plugged into the modern, fast and ultra-clever smartphones of today. But I’m worried.. We now live in a world where a colossal 9 …

How to keep your kids mobile safe

As you may have realised by the sheer age of this website, I’m old enough to remember when there simply were no phones in school. I grew up in an age when there was a First School, a Middle School and a High School. At no time did …

Monqi – A safe smartphone for your kids

A few years ago I worked for an internet provider. My advice, if any parents ever asked, would be to keep the PC in a “family room”. Now, well now you just can’t do that. Kids demand phones, and those phones aren’t “dumb phones” either. No. The latest …

EE – The Robin returns

Remember the kid-friendly EE Robin? It was the world’s first 4G-connected tablet which was designed specifically for parents and their children. Now an updated version is available, with the new Robin adding an improved Hopster app for “digital playtime”. This app delivers 1500 episodes of kids TV shows, …

Track your child without a huge cost

If you’re wanting to keep an eye on your child and want a no-frills way of finding out where they are, here’s a way I recently stumbled across. What you’ll need, in this particular setup, is a cheap Android phone for your son or daughter. These are everywhere …

Get ready for Christmas – the Amazon Fire Kids Edition

Head to your local supermarket and you’ll find many weird and wonderful tablets which are all pretty well priced. They may look like a decent option for your kids, but how do you know if they’re any good? How do you know if they’re supported? Amazon have the …

BBC launch iPlayer Kids app

If, like me, you have a little one in the house, you’ll know what a minefield it is keeping them safe while letting them having access to the internet. My little boy loves to watch people gaming on YouTube, but sometimes what appears to be a suitable clip …

Keep track of the kids with My Buddy Tag

Short version, this is a wrist band that your kids wear. It uses Bluetooth and, via an app on your phone, you can be assured that they’re within a certain distance at all times. It’s waterproof and clips on easily. It’s ideal for your holiday and, although we’d …

This is what ends up on my phone when the kids get it

When my son gets my phone for any length of time it usually returns with a multitude of apps on there. It gives me a little insight into what apps are popular though, and today I thought I’d list the apps that ended up on my phone… – …

KidzGear Headset Headphones

I am a father of a young boy and even though I do actively try and minimize his time using gadgets it is an inevitable part of live theses days that they will use them. The other day I came home from work and he saw that I …

YouTube Kids now live. Family-friendly streaming videos

The new YouTube Kids app we mentioned yesterday is now here and, in a pleasant surprise, it’s available for both Android and iOS. Whether kids or parents will actively download this instead of using the current YouTube app (complete with rather dodgy content that may or may not …

YouTube Kids to deliver child-friendly videos

Sitting a kid in front of YouTube is a recipe for disaster. I’ve already mentioned this and the safety concerns surrounding it. The trouble with YouTube is that it’s “reactively moderated” and, even if a video contains scenes that disturb kids, a lot of people either don’t bother …

Ensuring you’re paying attention to what’s important

Noticed some adverts on your TV after 9PM that have a certain gambling theme? You’re not the only one, and for the most part they’re not actually encouraging you to go into your local bookies any more either, because you can simply place a bet by using the …

A smartwatch, for kids

Sure, smartwatches might be a new thing, but can you get one for your child? There’s a range of tracker watches that’ll help parents and carers monitor movements yes, but how about a full-blown smartwatch? The new VTech Kidizoom is just £29.99 and it’s about the closest thing …

LG announce a kid friendly wristband

It had to happen, but we really didn’t think it would be so soon. A new wearable has been announced by LG which is designed for pre-school and primary school children. It’s designed to help parents keep track of the child’s location at all times, presumably should they …

Keeping your kids safe – Children Tracker updated

There’s a tricky line that most parents have to walk every day. When do you buy your child a mobile phone? Are you buying it for safety reasons? If you are, and you want to be able to call them and keep track of them, that’s good; but …

Safeguard your kids with this rather colourful mobile

My initial thoughts on this were a little negative if I’m honest. Kids all-too-quickly get their hands on phones and, before you know it, your five-year-old is sending emails and offering web design services. This toy-like mobile only allows incoming and outgoing calls to four designated numbers and …

Do something for me. Just search for this one word.

Yesterday there were headlines about the fact that an app had been removed from both the Apple and Google app stores. The app in question was called “Plastic Surgery for Barbie” and was shown as being suitable for children. The issue many had was the fact that the …

Are we failing the next generation?

Many months ago I watched this YouTube video showing a baby using an iPad. The baby seems to have grasped the iPad interface pretty well, but is then presented with a magazine. Expecting it to work the same, they tried to swipe the pictures around the magazine. Sure, …

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids – A safe tablet for the rug rats

I love my son, he’s great. But when he picks up the iPad I have a number of concerns… 1 – Chocolate, like, everywhere. 2 – At least six thousand games will be installed. All have something to do with jewels. 3 – The battery will be flat. …

Keep an eye on your kids with Children Tracker

Well now, this seems rather good. I’m always banging on about how easy it is for kids to access stuff they really should be accessing. A quick search of YouTube will easily reveal a whole host of videos that haven’t been flagged as inappropriate, even though they are, …