kids

Just as the Internet empowered people by connecting them to knowledge and to one another, it has sadly also empowered less conscientious individuals in carrying out illegal activities in anonymity. Sexual exploitation, especially those of minors, is one of the long-standing problems for both authorities and Internet companies and its complexity defies conventional solutions. Microsoft is rising to the challenge with a new tool called Project Artemis will try to look for signs of online grooming that could lead to child exploitation.

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Apple's headaches with iOS 13 updates may have diminished but it's far from being a flawless situation. While there have been little reports in the way of broken updates or bricked iPhones, iOS 13.3 may bring its own list of concerns, especially from parents. The latest iOS update added a new feature that would protect kids against strangers but a bug in that Communication Limits ironically lets children get around those blocks, intentionally or otherwise.

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CBS All Access, the company's on-demand and live television streaming app, has launched a new section that is dedicated to children's programming, giving parents a cheap streaming option for kids shows. The launch of the children's section brings the latest seasons of the original Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs television series, as well as Danger Mouse and classics like Inspector Gadget.

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Microsoft has always positioned its Surface products, especially the Surface Pros and Surface Laptops, as a great mobile computer for students. Now, however, it seems to be aiming its smallest Surface to the smallest computer users. Microsoft is offering a Surface Go Kids Bundle that may, on the surface, looks like a pretty ordinary marketing strategy. If you think about it, however, it might not be that effective one either.

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Amazon has introduced its first Kindle ereader designed specifically for kids. Called the Kindle Kids Edition, this model is a book reader that features an e-ink display and ultra-long battery life; it's not to be confused with the company's Kindle Fire tablets, which have already been released with Kids Edition options. Among other things, the new Kindle includes Amazon's FreeTime Unlimited.

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Most of the technologies, be it hardware or software, that gets mainstream media attention are often targeted at adults, sometimes teens, that are, admittedly, the biggest market for such products. But just as technology should be accessible to everyone, including those with physical handicaps, it should also be usable for people of all ages, especially the children that will become the adults of the future. There is no shortage of educational apps for smartphones and tablets but their actual beneficial effects are still hotly debated. That's why Osmo is taking a different approach that brings AI, augmented reality, mobile and physical activity to promise a more holistic approach to learning for kids.

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Disney has brought back its Bedtime Hotline for a limited time, adding new iconic voices to the service: Yoda and Spider-man. The company first introduced the hotline last year with the arrival of its Sleep Shop line of bedtime clothing, offering the hotline as a nice little hook to help parents get their kids into bed (and maybe into a pair of Disney pajamas).

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Children are notoriously picky eaters and parents may struggle to get them to eat the daily recommended amount of vegetables. This problem is compounded by readily available high-fat, salty, and sweet food products often lacking adequate nutrition, resulting in parents who give up on trying to get their kids to turn to healthier alternatives. Scientists have revealed a method that may change that, however, and it involves exposure to a large variety of vegetables.

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There's a little bit of an issue with the latest Facebook app aimed at children: It lets your kids talk to strangers. For the surprisingly massive number of parents who've let their children use this app expecting it to come to no shocking end: This is real. The Facebook Messenger Kids app had a flaw in it that allowed unapproved strangers to enter group chats with your children.

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Experts and parents are still debating the long term effects of exposing young ones to screens and mobile devices. It is, however, a fact of life that kids will eventually get their hands on a phone or tablet. Rather than banning them outright, some parents may prefer to train children in the proper use of modern technologies by allowing their limited and supervised use. To that end, Wondershare's FamiSafe parental control app promises peace of mind for parents while delivering the wonders of the mobile age to children at the same time.

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Given the growing number of young users on the Internet, that has also been a rise in apps that cater specifically to this young audience. Those range from educational or entertainment apps to parental control apps. Those, of course, have to take great care in making sure the young ones don't get exposed to harmful content. Unfortunately, just like in any other piece of software, those apps can have bugs and one found in Facebook's Messenger Kids app practically bypassed all the protection that the app promised.

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Netflix has revealed a huge batch of original shows for preschoolers from a number of children's programming creators. The company plans to release another seven original shows aimed at kids ages 2 to 6, including a new series based on DreamWorks' Dragons property and another DreamWorks series called Go, Dog. Go!

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