Family Tech Blog

Tag: family

  • We Bought Four Amazon Echo Dots!

    We Bought Four Amazon Echo Dots!

    Well, it is Prime Day and as usual, there are some deeply discounted items available on Amazon. My family usually looks but doesn’t buy on Prime Day, hoping to be able to predict the discounts we may see on Cyber Monday or Black Friday in a few weeks. We especially avoid any smart speaker or digital assistant hardware since we have always had (well informed) privacy issues and concerns. This year it has been different. We caved and bought Amazon Echo Dots for the whole family. Here’s why.

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    They’ll Be Perfect for Our New Home

    Our forever family home is being built and we are planning a move-in just a few months from now. We are going to have more space for the six of us than we have ever had, especially in the kids’ rooms, the master suite, and the kitchen/dining great room. We’ll be a bit more spread out than we’ve ever been and the Echo has some great options for communicating throughout your home without having to scream up the stairs or down the hallway. The intercom feature was a deal sealer for both my wife and myself. The kids are pretty excited too.

    Digital Homeschool Help

    More of us are homeschooling than ever now and with four kids, all doing school work nearly every day, we need help sometimes. YouTube can be great to present some complicated concepts in helpful ways (7th-grade math, anyone) but my kids looking at screens and using a Google Search for spelling or calculator solutions isn’t the safest proposition. Alexa (the Virtual Assistant on Amazon Echo) will answer your spelling, language arts, science, and math questions with no risky search results or screen use at all. It is more important for my kids to know how to get information than it is that they know the info when they pass a grade. Alexa and other Virtual Assistants are the new waves of information access and they aren’t going away. They’re only getting smarter and faster.

    Less Screen Time

    My kids, like all kids, love to sit around and look at a phone or tablet. We are constantly having to get on to them about their obsessive behavior. We try to set better examples, we don’t always succeed, but giving them alternatives is very helpful. The Echo Dot is a smart speaker without a screen. At night, when the kids want to listen to a podcast or music for bedtime they can ask Alexa to play it for them instead of having their screens in their faces right up to when they fall asleep. Studies have shown this isn’t good for their sleep and can actually very detrimental to their development. With parental controls on the subscription services we use and on Alexa itself, we can ensure that our kids aren’t looking at their screens and are only listening to music and podcasts we’ve approved of.

    Safety and Security Upgrades

    All of this is great but digital safety and data security are always an issue. Especially with artificial intelligence that is designed to learn about you in order to be more useful to you. There is an obvious trade-off. You’re giving it information in exchange for convenience. I believe most of us consider that an acceptable exchange, considering Alexa and Google Home have been some of the fastest tech product to be integrated into people’s homes. The truth is that we have been making this exchange for a long time without really thinking about it. Every post on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, every search on Google, and every purchase or browsing session on Amazon has been used to build a database of advertising information about you. This can be scary to many but in all honesty, that ship has sailed and you raised the sails for it to do so.

    When you use these sites, you allow them access to your information. Alexa is no different and my family has considered the risks and decided it’s worth it. First of all, we already get targeted ads because we do so much of our shopping on Amazon and searching on Google. Secondly, the latest models of Amazon Echo Dot have added features like a hardware button to turn off the microphone that makes us feel like we can avoid being listened to when we don’t want to be listened to.

    Risk/Reward

    When you narrow it down it is a consideration of opportunity cost. You have an opportunity for convenience but it will cost some of your info. At a $19.99 price point, the Echo Dot is a great deal right now on Prime Day so we bought four of them. They’ll be here in a couple of days and I’ll set one up and let you know how it all goes. Stay tuned for my (late but in-depth) review of the Amazon Echo Dot as a tool for controlling kids’ screen time.

    If you shop the Amazon Prime Day today, consider using http://smile.amazon.com and signing up to support our non-profit, Four Point Families. You’ll have to search for Four Point Families and select it as the organization you’d like to partner with. Then Amazon will send .5% of your purchase our way to help us continue to protect families. Thanks.

     

  • Helpful Family Resources Concerning Race in America

    Helpful Family Resources Concerning Race in America

    This blog has been silent for a while. To be honest, I have been very busy learning and listening. I am not an authority on any of the most important topics of today. I am trying to see the world beyond my small town in Southwest Missouri and discover a world of people who are trying to find change. I haven’t felt that there is a need for education on protecting our kids online during this time of upheaval and division. I have quieted my voice, to try and amplify some others. There are a few voices that I have found very helpful during this time and I wanted to share them with the readers of the Family Tech Blog. I am including a video and links for three of these voices. Please check out the videos below and don’t stop there. Continue listening by clicking the links to their articles, channels, and podcasts.

     

    Phil Vischer | The Holy Post – Race in America

     

     

    • Phil and his cohorts Skye and Christian cover so many timely topics on The Holy Post Podcast. I highly recommend you subscribe.

     

    The Bible Project – Justice

     

     

    • Their entire podcast is loaded with great insight on what scripture says about our world and our role as God’s Image in the world.

     

    Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man

     

     

    • This series has several videos that you will find helpful in starting conversations with your children about race, racism, and justice.

     

    These resources have been helpful to me and my family. We’ve been able to learn and have conversations that need to be had during this time. While, as one video series is aptly titled, these conversations can be uncomfortable, they are necessary. As a tech blog that is founded in faith in God and His way of living, justice is a priority. We shouldn’t protect our children from difficult topics, only dangerous ones. Open up to your kids about your experiences with race and racism and allow them to learn, grow, and listen with you.

     

  • How COVID 19 is Changing Kid/Family Media

    How COVID 19 is Changing Kid/Family Media

    This is an audio article: Listen to the full article below.

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    How COVID 19 is Changing Kid/Family Media

    Click here for the full Tech Crunch Interview

    • Popular kids apps now see 24hr screen time access
    • Less education on screens and more entertainment
    • More companies are adding kid and family content to their platforms
    • Kids are spending time with each other in “virtual environments.”
      • Kids miss their friends
      • This was already a trend, now it has been accelerated
    • Tech companies are seeing kids as innovative inspiration for their products
    • The tech industry will see a major boom after this COVID19 crisis.
    • Large public events are taking place in digital spaces (Roblox awards show had 600,000 kids in attendance.)

    What Parents Should Know

    This isn’t going away.

    This dependence on Technology was already becoming the new normal. It is now been accelerated due to lockdown. Don’t expect this to change.

    Become Familiar With Your Kids’ Technology

    You can’t be blind to the connected, digital world your kids live in. Focus on the difference between productive/educational time and educational time. It’s about quality of time spent more than the quantity.

     

     

  • 2020 Kid and Family Tech Trends

    2020 Kid and Family Tech Trends

    This is an audio article from BecauseFamily and Family Tech Blog. Listen to the full article below.

     

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    Highlights and Links:

    Kid Online Media Trends

    • Roblox has 120mil users and is worth 4bil dollars
    • Games are shifting to social 
    • Kids are a new audience online, companies are discovering ways to attract them.
    • Kids see no difference in life online vs offline

    Tech Crunch Interview: https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/07/techcrunch-live-childrens-media/

  • Snapchat to Offer Mental Health Support to Users

    Snapchat to Offer Mental Health Support to Users

    The post on Snapchat’s blog says they are trying to “create a safer internet.” Snapchat will offer mental health support to their users through a feature called “Here for You.” This feature will provide mental health resources and other information as a result of searches within the app that involve mental health topics. 

    “Here For You, which will roll out in the coming months, will show safety resources from local experts when Snapchatters search for certain topics, including those related to anxiety, depression, stress, grief, suicidal thoughts, and bullying.” Snapchat Blog

    They are also adding features that promote a healthy mental state, with lenses, creative tools, filters, and a quiz. Snap claims to have always had their users privacy and security at the forefront of the design of their platform. The addition of “Here for You” is another step to promote safety and security for their users.

    What Parents Should Know

    What would cause Snapchat to offer mental health support to their users? Could it possibly be the outcry about social media being terrible for your mental health? Comparing yourselves to others, being called out for your own faults, bullying, and many other issues have caused our young people to be more susceptible to depression and negative self image. Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, with their story features have allowed people to post with a false sense of ephemerality. This is the belief that what you post is temporary and therefore you’re safe to post what you want. Ephemerality is a myth on the internet and social media. When you post something online, it is forever. Snap Inc. is touting themselves as a pioneer of privacy and safety in Social Media but truthfully, they’ve created an ecosystem that allows more bullying, sexting, and bad advice than ever before.

    Pointing users in the direction of professional mental health advice is a very good step in the right direction. In my opinion, however, it is just an attempt to cover themselves for a problem they’ve caused. It’s like a mechanic taking a part out of your car accidentally and then telling you they decided to replace it for you for free. You didn’t have as much of a problem until they caused it in the first place. Shouldn’t we expect that they would do whatever they can to make it right?

    It’s Up to Us!

    We, as parents, are the only ones truly looking out for the safety of our children. Every one of these tech companies has a fiscal reason to provide “solutions” to mental health problems. They all have shareholders screaming at them to keep their company out of the news except for the right reasons. Hearing that depressive symptoms is linked to social media is the kind of thing that will cause stock prices to drop. It makes sense that they would scramble to provide some kind of “band aid” for that issue. Be smarter than the average consumer and protect your own and your children’s mental health by keeping them from overuse of social media. Make your plan, set your limits and don’t be afraid to have the hard conversations with your kids.

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  • BecauseFamily 2019 Year in Review

    BecauseFamily 2019 Year in Review

    2019 was an incredible year! Thank you, our readers, for supporting our organization by reading, watching, listening to, and sharing our posts. We have been able to help thousands of families be internet safe in 2019. The infographic below is a celebration of the advancements our organization has made this year. Be sure to watch the video above to hear about all of the exciting new things in the works for 2020.

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  • Family Link’s New Features are Great but Still Not Good Enough

    Family Link’s New Features are Great but Still Not Good Enough

    Android has updated their Family Link parental controls feature. The above video will take you though what they’ve done and give you some questions to ask yourself about using the service.

    Make sure your device is compatible.

    The site is very clear that Family Link is only compatible with newer android devices. Go into the settings on your kid’s device and tap the ABOUT button in the menu to see if your software version is 7.0 or newer. If it isn’t your child may not be able to install Family Link which will mean you can’t use the software to set limits and restrictions.

    Double check their privacy policies.

    COPPA regulates the collection of children’s data without parent permission. You have to create an account for your child to use Family Link and to do that you must give permission for Google to collect some of their data. The video explores a bit more of what information they can collect and what they do with that data.

    Be aware that your kids get full control at 13.

    If you are one that wants to be able to see what your older child is doing on their device you’ll have to use the child’s phone to adjust parental control settings with Family Link as control is shifted to the child at age 13.

    Do your homework!

    As I mention in the video above and the podcast episode below, you need to familiarize yourself with the benefits and limitations of Google’s Family Link software. Visit families.google.com to see their information about it and check out our other articles and videos about Family Link as well. You can never be too informed.

     

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  • How “Kids Games” Give Predators Unmonitored Access to Children

    How “Kids Games” Give Predators Unmonitored Access to Children

    I was contacted this week by a parent who was shocked to find that adults had been chatting with her young son in Disney Heroes, Battle Mode, an app rated 9+ in the Apple App store. She sent me screen shots in which players were asking her son if he was a boy or girl. They asked how old he was and where he was from. One of them even confessed, “I am not a kid. LOL.”  Obviously, when his mother found these messages she was extremely concerned, she removed access to that game and set some limits for their whole family for a while. Then, just a few hours later I received a link from a concerned parent about an app in which people are posing as employees of the game company and asking children to send pictures “without a shirt on” to prove their age. She asked if this was true and my response was that yes, these things are happening every single day. Here’s why these predators can gain such easy access to our kids.

    Disney Heroes Battle Mode

    After hearing about the trouble with Disney Heroes Battle Mode I downloaded the app to see what it was all about. After a short cenimatic and then playing through the tutorial you get a notification that the app has purchases built-in and that you shouldn’t be under 13 (app is rated 9+ in the app store. if you want to play. I simply tapped continue and moved right past the warning. No age verification, no password, no face id, nothing. Once in the app I started looking through the settings. I did find controls for the chat feature, including a password protected on/off toggle for chat access. This was good to see, especially since the issue I was researching had to do with chatting.

    The problem is that apps like Disney Heroes give parents a false sense of security. The app is made by Disney, the company’s name on anything makes many parents think that the product is made with their kids’ health in mind. This could not be further from the truth. Disney is out for exactly what every other major corporation is out for, their financial bottom line. We have to remember that data is big money and apps that are made for kids collect just as much data as any other app. Data that is personalized to a user is worth more money which means app developers need users to make an account to sort and identify their data more easily. The easiest way to convince app users to create an account is by making it the only way they can chat with friends in the game.

    What Parents Should Know

    I recommend taking a look at the game your kids play on their pones or tablets. Just because the game features cartoon characters doesn’t mean there aren’t adults playing the game. If the game has a social feature like chat or friend-mode you can be sure that your kids will be contacted by strangers. Look in the settings, preferences, or options of the games to see if there is a way to turn off chat mode. If they don’t allow you to disable social features, I would uninstall the game and encourage your child to find a different game to play.

    We must remember that the companies that make these games offer them for free because their money comes from in-app purchases and advertising. In order to make money they have to keep people playing the games as long as possible. Research shows that there is no better way to keep someone in your app than social engagement. People will be sure to keep coming back if they have friends in the game to play with or against. This means that they will continue to put these social features in their games and while app stores may rate these games as safe for younger children, my rule is that if it has a social element it should be for kids older than 13. Even then you should ensure that you child understands what they should do if they are approached online by a stranger and encourage them to tell you if someone makes them uncomfortable in any social engagement online. We can do our best to protect them from this software but nothing is more affective in preventing these dangerous encounters than teaching them how to recognize them and end the conversations immediately.

     

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  • Research Finds Another Link Between Social Media and Depression

    Research Finds Another Link Between Social Media and Depression

    Researchers in Montreal have spent the last four years studying nearly 4,000 students and their screen time. The study was looking for links between self reported depression symptoms and uses of different kinds of screen time. The types of screen time studied were social media, television, video games, and computer use. The study used annual surveys to sample students  in the Greater Montreal area in 2013-2018 and the results were analyzed in December of 2018.

    The study found a substantial depressive symptom increased for every hour spent on social media, computer use, and even for television. Adolescents reported more cases of comparison to others because of their use of social media, leading to depressive symptoms. The study concluded that “Both screen time modes (social media and television) should be taken into account when developing preventative measures (for depression) and when advising parents.”

    Why Your Teen Posts Her Feelings On Social Media

    What Parents Should Know

    There has been a lot of research concerning screen time and the health of our children. This study is interesting because they chose to separate the types of screen time in order to try and identify if one type or another has a greater impact on the mental health of the children studied. There are a few things that stood out to me as I read this study. First, video games didn’t seem to be a determining factor for depression. While video games can cause other issues, it seems that the direct comparison or contact with others available through social media and even some of the stories on television create the atmosphere for decreased self satisfaction and can lead to depressive symptoms. While many kids between 7th and 11th grade can falsely report feeling “depressed” just because of their stage of life, this study found a pretty significant correlation between the subjects’ symptoms and their screen time activity.

    Secondly, their approach of separating types of screen time should become a new standard for this type of research. Researchers are finding that the amount of time your kids spend on a screen can have varying affects based on what it is that they are doing. This study supports that approach by proving that some categories of screen time affect depressive symptoms in different ways. Finally, the final sentence of the conclusion supports the idea that screen time should be taken into account when developing preventative measures and when advising parents. Psychologists, doctors, and counselors should be considering, not just the amount of time kids spend on their devices, but exactly what they are doing. Parents should be considering those same things.

    Your son may play a ton of video games and you’re worried about anger or lack of social skills, those worries could be valid and more research is needed to identify if video gaming is, indeed, a factor. Social Media use is proving to be a determining factor in the mental health of young teens as they age. Our kids are exposed to so many ideas and so many different environments at such an early age that we, as parents have to be the gatekeeper for what enters their minds. We have to help them guard their hearts and properly interpret their emotions. If kids are seeking help from other kids, they aren’t getting the mental health advice that they need. We parents should provide a safe space for our kids’ to express how they feel. We should then be willing to make arrangements to get the professional help they need if necessary. Parents can’t ignore our children’s feelings, we have to take them seriously and make every effort to support them in exploring their own mental health.

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  • Ten Screen Free Things to Do This Week!

    Ten Screen Free Things to Do This Week!

    Today marks the first day of Screen Free Week 2019. We have become so used to doing everything on our phones, TVs, tablets, and computers that it can be difficult to think of things to do when we unplug. It can especially be difficult for our kids who spend so much time on screens every day. Here are some ideas to help you start thinking of how you’ll spend your time this Screen Free Week. I’m sure that whichever activity you chose to do you’ll be blown away at how good it was for you to be screen free, even if only for a little while.

    1. Read Books

    No, I mean a physical book. With paper and glue and pages and everything. Many of us are spoiled to our audio books and ebooks. We carry around a library of hundreds of volumes and read whichever we want, whenever we want. This Screen Free Week, why not forget about the books in your digital library and take a look at some of the adventures you have on your actual bookshelf. You’ll be amazed at how cathartic it can be to just turn a real page instead of swiping to the next set of pixels that make up the story.

    2. Share a Screen Free Meal

    Having a meal with friends and family can be a great way to reconnect and charge up that need for social interaction. Food brings people together. Unfortunately, our phones can often get in the way of this beneficial time. Celebrate Screen Free Week by choosing to keep your phones away from the table during meals together. Look each other in the eye, have conversations, and share the time with your friends and family.

    3. Play Board Games

    You can pull out the old classics like Monopoly and Life or maybe sit down to a newer hit like Settlers of Cataan, Forbidden Island, or Dice Forge. Whatever board games you choose, you and your family and friends can enjoy screen free entertainment. Personally, I look forward to Dungeons and Dragons every week when I sit down with some guy friends, eat snacks, roll dice, and tell a story together. A story filled with imagination, humor, and adventure. Don’t underestimate the power of time around a table playing a game.

    4. Play Outside

    Trade in Screen Time for some Green Time! Get outside and get moving. Play a sport, run a race, skip, hop, jump, run, anything you can think of outside will be so good for you. Your body will thank you for the exercise and your brain will thank you for the release.

    5. Go for a Hike

    Screen Free Week is a wonderful time to get out and experience the beauty nature has to offer. You’re bound to have a hiking trail just a short drive from your home. Maybe it is just through a park in the city but it will be great to slow down, walk through nature, and stop and look at what the beauty all around you. Bend down and look at those leaves or that insect working away. Feed some ducks or squirrels. You’ll be amazed at how wonderful life is beyond the six inch space in front of your eyes that your phone often tends to occupy.

    6. Act Out Your Own Play

    We love to be entertained. Netflix, Youtube, Hulu, and Amazon Prime make their money off of our desire to escape reality by enjoying a movie or series. Take this week without screens to create your own entertainment. Play an improve game or charades to get your imagination moving. Get some friends together and act out some of your favorite scenes from the movies and shows that you love. How fun will it be to play the characters you love and laugh with your friends as you channel that inner child.

    7. Play a Musical Instrument

    How long has it been since you’ve picked up that guitar in the corner of your room? How long has that violin been sitting in its case, untouched? Without the distractions of y0ur screens this week you can take some time to play that instrument you’ve been neglecting. Maybe you aren’t a musician. Why not try something new? Borrow an instrument from a friend or just bang out a beat on your knees with some pencils. Make some music this Screen Free Week!

    8. Write in a Journal

    Social Media is often the place where we share our deepest feelings. Many of us look for validation by posting what we think about this thing or that. Since you’re avoiding screens more this week, start practicing a new train of thought. When you have an opinion you think would make a good Tweet or status update, write it down in a journal instead. Write down your deepest thoughts on all of the topics you usually post about publicly. You may find that journaling gives you the same cathartic feeling without the drama of other people’s comments and debate.

    9. Do an Art Project

    Our screens train us to consume consume consume. Why not take this break from consuming so much media as a chance to do some creating. I have a weekly goal to create more than I consume. I ask myself every day what I’ve created that I can be proud of. Often my creations are videos, blog posts, and podcasts but I can look back and say I created something instead of just consuming all day long. Give yourself a chance this week to be more creative. Make something awesome. Do some art. Maybe sidewalk chalk, or a craft project, perhaps you can knit or crochet. Do something creative that you can look back on at the end of the week and actually see the product of your time. It is so very rewarding.

    10. Plant a Garden

    Again, Screen Free Week is a great time to get outside. The spring weather is just waiting to be enjoyed. This early in the spring, it is also a great time to plant a garden. Go get some flowers and plants and set yourself up a nice patch of nature. Your kids will love helping and digging around in the dirt and your whole family will love seeing the plants come to life as the spring and summer progress.

    Beyond Screen Free Week

    There are lots of things you can do without your screen. If you are like me, Screen Free Week is a great reminder to adjust my priorities. Hopefully this Screen Free Week, you can remember the importance of time in which you intentionally unplug and spend time with those you love. Use tools like Screen Time to monitor that amount of time you spend using your devices. It is amazing what good just being aware of your screen time can do for you. Have a happy happy Screen Free Week.

    For 101 more Screen Free Week ideas visit ScreenFree.org!

    Listen to this post as a podcast below:

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