What We’re Reading: YouTube Cleans Up, CA Restricts Ads to Kids, Social Media According to Kids

Oct 17, 2013 1:15 PM ET
Campaign: What We're Reading

Internet Safety for Kids and Families

To help you keep up with what’s going on with kids, families, schools, and technology, we’ve compiled a list of stories, tips, and insights, we’ve found most useful over the past week.  What have you been reading? Tell us below or Tweet @TrendISKF.

OCTOBER AN IMPORTANT MONTH: This month, many organizations, including ours, are raising awareness of multiple issues most notably cyber security and bullying prevention.    Please continue to follow us here and on Twitter as we’ll be tweeting and re-tweeting tips from us and from many great organizations and individuals.

YOUTUBE CLEANS UP COMMENTS: While we love the 1st amendment, just because you can say something doesn’t mean you should.   Bravo to YouTube /Google for doing something about the awful comments and spam that can often litter YouTube pages.

ONLINE AD BAN: In addition to the “eraser law” recently signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown to allow minors to remove content online, California has recently enacted a law to prevent certain online ads from being shown to children. The new law restricts websites and apps directed to minors from advertising items that those under 18 cannot legally purchase.  Forbes contributor Eric Goldman claims this law is misguided and unconstitutional.   The most important question he asks is “does this law really help minors?”

KIDS’ OPINIONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA: CBS News asked a group of kids what they thought about social media. The responses range from funny to adorable to serious, revealing how children truly feel about their parents’ photos of them, exaggerated “friends” numbers and more.

KIDS LOVE TABLETS:  New research by U.K. telecoms regulator Ofcom has found while basic phones are being ditched by kids, tablet usage is on the rise across the board. Among the younger kids’ age group, 18% own a smartphone, and 18% own a tablet.  Tablet ownership has grown four times since 2012, when it stood at just 4%.

See you next week!