Recently featured on Mashable, the Pipsqueak from Yip Yap is an MP3 player and phone that is safe to hand over to kids as young as three. The key here: the handset is essentially a glorified, multifunctional Bluetooth headset — an accessory to mom or dad’s smart phone — that is shaped like a “real” phone. Read the rest of this entry »
On DadLabs we talk a lot about how parents can better protect kids online by deploying parental controls and e-proofing web connected devices. The problem is, no matter how much we protect our kids, sooner or later they end up online without a mom or dad around to virtually look out for them. That’s why it is so important that kids learn best practices for preserving their own Cyber Security.
Which is one of the many reasons why we are so excited to announce our latest partnership: working as ambassadors for a new game for iPad and iPhone called Hax Attacks. Read the rest of this entry »
Sooner or later kids have to have their own accounts. Whether it’s email, Google, Amazon or iTunes, kids eventually grow up and need to begin accumulating their own digital goods in their own inboxes and libraries. The question is, at what age is this appropriate?
The standard answer here is pretty easy. Because of the provisions of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), any site that collects personal information cannot offer services to customers under 13 years of age. As a result, almost any popular web site has clear terms of service that state that nobody under 13 can have an account — notably Facebook, Google, and iTunes. Read the rest of this entry »
Recently, moms of my daughter’s friends have come to me to ask about some social sites and apps that their girls are asking permission to use. Ten year old girls are social creatures — and love snapshots and and cool scraps and pinboards, so it should be no surprise that they are asking about Pinterest and Instagram.
But are Pinterest and Instagram appropriate for kids — especially girls?
The terms of service for both sites state clearly that users must be 13 years or older. So for parents disinclined to allow kids to participate in social media, or for parents that think that rules are rules, that may be enough to end the conversation with your tween. You are excused. Read the rest of this entry »
One of life's Ta-Da Moments! At DadLabs, we someti... more
Baby In A Box
One of life's Ta-Da Moments! At DadLabs, we sometimes have to travel away from our little ones. And after a long time away, it's nice to come back home to something like this.