Family Tech Blog

Tag: tablet

  • Amazon is Changing the Parental Controls Game

    Amazon is Changing the Parental Controls Game

    Many parents purchase their children a tablet without taking built in parental controls into consideration. Amazon’s addition of the Parent Dashboard should cause most parents to lead towards a Kindle Fire tablet. Amazon FreeTime has been available for a little while and allows parents to set child profiles, manage content, set time limits and bedtimes, and feature’s curated content. The Parent Dashboard, launching today, takes FreeTime to the next level by giving parents a breakdown of their kids digital habits. The app will allow parents who have set up FreeTime to see the time your kids have spent on certain apps. You can see what they’ve been reading and watching and it even suggests discussion starters for the content your children have been consuming.

    FreeTime features tens of thousands of apps, books, websites, and videos. The built in web browser only allows pre-approved content and features age appropriate Amazon prime videos. All of this content is curated by an actual editorial team. They watch videos through to the end and read every page of every book to be sure it’s suitable for the age group it’s listed under. This is not filtering based on algorithms, it’s work done by live people to help you protect your kids. They’re keeping in mind that you don’t want your kids to run in to something online that they’re not ready to see. In factKurt Beidler, director and general manager of Amazon FreeTime, told Digital Trends: “We take a conservative approach.” 

    What Parents Should Know

    It seems like the internet safety market is always trying to play catch-up with the latest online and social media trends. The stuff we don’t want our kids to see always seems to creep its way onto every platform. The only true way to keep inappropriate content away from our kids is for human eyes to make the distinction between what is suitable and what is not. The human editorial team for Amazon FreeTime is one of the first of its kind, surveying content with a conservative, kid’s health comes first mindset that we can hopefully take comfort in.

    I don’t usually recommend getting devices for our young children but I understand that many parents or grandparents will insist. If that is you or someone you love, may I suggest the Kindle Fire Kid Edition. This thing comes pre-loaded with the kid friendly content and a 12 month subscription to FreeTime. Yes, FreeTime is a pay subscription based service. It’s $2.99 per child or $6.99 per family. That’s not a lot to pay for your own team of content curators working to help your children be safer online. No, I don’t have an affiliate link to promote. I just think this is a great option for families.

    I do recommend, as always, talking to your children about what is appropriate online and what is not. I recommend they know that you are the safe place to come to if they see something that they shouldn’t see. Obviously the goal is to keep this from happening and using Amazon FreeTime with the Parent Dashboard is a great step in that direction.

  • Minecraft Update will Add a Marketplace and Virtual Currency

    Minecraft Update will Add a Marketplace and Virtual Currency

    Minecraft is still one of the most popular video games on any platform. What started as a small building game has become a National phenomenon with billions of dollars (2.5 billion in 2016) made every year on downloads and merchandise. Microsoft is soon launching another avenue for profit and an opportunity for Minecraft content creators to split that profit. Later this month they will be launching the Minecraft Marketplace.

    The Minecraft Marketplace will feature user made products such as maps, skins, and textures. The items in the store will be curated so it won’t be filled with tons of useless products made by just anybody. In fact, they aren’t allowing random users to upload content, just creators with an established and registered business. Products in the store will be purchased with a virtual currency called Minecraft Coins that can be bought with real money. This currency will be purchased through your XBox Live account. There is no way to earn these coins in the game. Microsoft is launching the store on Android public beta (a test version) this month with several content packs already available. These packs include pirate, fairy tale, and stone age map packs and some pastel textures among other items. The full public release is coming later this spring to pc and mobile platforms. It isn’t clear if and when the Marketplace will be available on console platforms.

    What Parents Should Know

    Obviously it’s important to know any time the apps your children use have an in-game way to spend money. Minecraft adding a Marketplace will undoubtedly lead to more of kids asking parents if they can buy something on their computer or mobile device. Since true money will only be spent on purchasing coins it is likely that a message will pop up when you tap an item to purchase that will lead you to a way to buy coins. If in app purchases are disabled on your device it shouldn’t be much of a problem. If they are not disabled then you’ll want to be sure that a password is required to make purchases.

    The fact that the content on the marketplace will be curated is a good thing. This means that your child won’t be spending money on something that isn’t guaranteed to work in-game. It also means that they should keep any adult themed or inappropriate content from making it’s way into the store. While I’m sure that’s a goal, it’s still important for parents to look at the store every now and then to see what kind of content is available. If there’s something you wouldn’t want your kid to see then you should consider disabling the marketplace if and when that feature is available.

    The Minecraft Marketplace won’t be available to everyone right away but a public beta means that it’s coming soon. Be sure to be talking to your children about the time they spend on Minecraft, explain to them what virtual currency is and that purchasing those coins costs real actual money. Also, be sure that if your kid wants to download a new skin or texture pack that they know how to implement it so they won’t be buying something they don’t even know how to use. Start the conversation now so you’ll have a head start when the Marketplace launches to everyone.