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Posts with tag children

Google Search Modified to Fight Child Pornography

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 15th 2008 at 11:05AM

Google Creates Tool To Fight Child MolestersTools originally developed to filter out copyrighted content on YouTube have been adapted by intrepid Google employees to track sexual predators through pattern recognition. Designed to pick out pirated movies, the software can identify complex or modified patterns such as calendars or T-shirt logos in images and videos, which can help authorities locate images and videos that could be considered child pornography.

Based on these patterns, authorities can then begin to track the abused children and, hopefully, bring the criminals to justice.

Google is handing the new program over to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to help them pore through the millions of images and files in its archive. Last year alone, the organization vetted over 5 million images and videos in an effort to identify and save victims of abuse.

"You always hope that your work will eventually be used to do some good in the world, and this was an amazing chance to make that hope real," Google research scientist Shumeet Baluja told the BBC.

From the BBC
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Virginia First State to Require Internet Safety Courses for Kids

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 8th 2008 at 3:39PM


Virginia has become the first state in the nation to mandate some form of Internet safety courses for public school children. Details on the program are scant at the moment, but the courses came out of concern for teens and pre-teens who may be the target of sexual predators.

As part of presentation in a Richmond, Virginia high school, the state's assistant attorney general, Gene Fishel, showed images of a social networking profile of a convicted sex offender who pretended to be a 15 year-old girl.

It's nice to see a state reach for education as a solution to the problem instead of censorship.

From Slashdot

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Study Reveals What Your Kids Do Online

by Tim Stevens, posted Feb 14th 2008 at 9:57AM

Symantec Survey Reports on What You, And your Kids, Do OnlineChances are you know reasonably well what you do online (whether or not you're willing to admit it to yourself). You shop, maintain virtual friendships, look for love, and maybe even gawk at some shady material. However, do you know what everyone else is doing online, particularly your kids? Symantec does, thanks to a survey of Internet users from eight countries around the world. While the results are mostly what you'd expect, there are some surprises in there.

Highlights of the survey are the differences in online habits in various countries. Globally, for example, 32-percent of people maintain personal blogs online (hi, mom!), but in China a whopping 86-percent of those surveyed keep personal blogs. Only 41-percent of the global respondents were willing to admit looking at pornographic material online, and about half felt "confident" shopping online. That global figure is actually brought down by the normally tech-friendly Japanese, of whom only 33-percent feel safe doing business over the Internet.

When it comes to children, 76-percent of U.S. teenagers aged 13-17 visit social networking sites, a statistic that explains the amazing popularity of MySpace. In China that number is up to 85-percent. Only about a third of those surveyed reported making friends online, however. That means most of those who are social networking are just connecting with their offline friends. Most interesting, and perhaps disturbing, was that 16-percent of kids surveyed reported being approached by a stranger online. When parents were asked how many kids were approached, they guessed just six percent.

So, again, no huge surprises, but some interesting glimpses at the current trends on the Internet, and perhaps some incentive for you parents out there to get your kids to be a little more open about what they're up to online.

From Marketwire

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'PBS Kids Play!' Teaches and Entertains Children

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 15th 2008 at 4:40PM

'PBS Kids Play!' Teaches and Entertains Children
PBS just opened up its new online service aimed at children called 'PBS Kids Play!' The activities are aimed at children ages 3-6 and is currently available for a free trial as part of the beta test. When the trial ends, parents will be asked to cough up $79 for the year, or $9.95 a month.

Currently the application only officially supports Windows XP, or Vista. A web version of the edu-tainment games are available to users of Mac OS X and Linux, but let's just say it's still a little buggy. Kids play games with characters from various PBS shows such as 'Curious George,' 'The Berenstain Bears,' 'Bob the Builder,' and even 'Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.'

PBS Kids Play! is not a social networking service. There is no interaction between children or with children, so safety shouldn't be a concern. Parents can however sign in and check a child's progress in the educational activities or set time limits on play.

At $79 a year, the subscription is a bit on the pricey side. But PBS Kids Play! is definitely more useful than that tote bag PBS is always pushing.

From Reuters

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Children's Toy Bank Uses ATM Cards and Touch Screen

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 15th 2007 at 5:29PM

Children's ATM Toy Spits Out Real Cash
If you were worried that your child wasn't being trained to be a good economic citizen, then check out this toy to make sure he or she grows up learning the value of plastic. The Children's Touch Screen ATM Bank comes with a card and a PIN for your tyke to manage an account of up to $999.99. The bank accepts bills of all kinds and coins.

Some of you probably hope that this little gizmo will teach your kid the value of a dollar. It's more likely he or she will just learn that there's a machine that gives them money anytime they put their card in it. We're waiting for "Baby's First Massive Credit Card Debt Simulator" to hit the market.

From Shiny Shiny

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Kids Spend Too Much Time Online, Say Parents

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 27th 2007 at 4:09PM

A Third of Parents Think Kids Spend Too Much Time Online

Many parents think their kids spend too much time online. And just in case you needed an official study to confirm the obvious, non-profit Common Sense Media recently teamed with educational foundation Cable in the Classroom to survey parents about their kids and the Web. The survey reached out to 411 parents of children age six to 18 and asked a whole host of questions regarding their children's Internet habits. Here are a few highlights:

  • Mothers worry more about the content of Web sites than fathers do
  • Eighty percent of mothers and 65 percent of fathers believe that creating profiles on site such as MySpace or a blog is somewhat to completely inappropriate
  • One in four parents think that online time has kept their kids from exercising and going outdoors
On the bright side, four out of five parents responded that they believe the Internet helps their children with homework, understanding current events and expressing creativity.
More of the study's findings are available at USA Today.

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Top Tech for Tykes

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 20th 2007 at 3:30PM

Top Tech for TykesTo help you get Junior's tech addiction jump started early, our friends at Geek Sugar have compiled a list of some of their favorite kid gadgets.

Most of the gear seems aimed at girls (this did come by way of Geek Sugar, after all): There are lots of pinks, purples and glitter. Highlights include the Firefly children's cell phone (pictured), which can dial only three numbers -- mommy, daddy, and 911 -- and allows parents to maintain tight control over incoming calls. Also on the list is the Sansa Shaker. This small (in size and capacity) MP3 player lets the kiddies skip tracks by shaking the device, which is sure to keep them entertained for hours.

Check out the rest of the list at Geek Sugar.

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Outrage Over Child-Fight Videos on YouTube

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 30th 2007 at 1:30PM

Streetfighting Kids on YouTube
YouTube is more than just an outlet for wannabe comedians, light saber freak outs, and web cam footage of scantily-clad ladies. According to the BBC investigative journalism program 'Panorama', it is also home to exceedingly violent videos featuring children.

Videos include children engaged in fist fights, a child who slams a hand gun against a police car, and another child who jumps up and down on a police vehicle, shattering the windshield. In response, YouTube says that it relies on its users to flag offensive and violent content, and that it regularly removes such videos.

The police argue that YouTube and Google should be filtering this material before it is posted, but YouTube claims that this would be censorship and is not the role of a private company.

From The BBC

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Fast Food Targets Kid Bellies Online

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 20th 2007 at 10:42AM

Fast Food Shoved Down Kids' Throats Online

Intuitive Media recently conducted a poll of 3,000 children of which 43 percent of respondents said they were more likely to eat a food or snack if they saw it online. 61 percent said they visited food sites.

The Internet often blurs the line between editorial content and marketing -- especially when it comes to dealing with children (re: Disney, Barbie, et al). The BBC is now reporting that many fast food outlets are exploiting certain loopholes in British law, which prevents the marketing of unhealthy foods to youngsters online.

Fast food chains are targeting children through games, videos and cartoons hosted on their Web sites. The companies claim the content is not advertising, but editorial content. Some sites, such as McDonald's Kids Zone, cover their butts further by requesting that users under 16 get a parent's permission before entering the areas of the Web site with such content. However, there's no way to verify that children are asking for or receiving this permission. And in the picture above, could McDonald's have stacked the deck in the 'Enter' button's favor any more?

From The BBC

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Computer Training for Tots

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 13th 2007 at 9:21AM

Get Your Toddler to Geek Out
If you've been wondering how you're going to turn junior into a Bill Gates-grade computer dork who will make millions of dollars and support you in your old age, we've got the answer. Clickstart, from children's electronics maker Leap Frog, is here to make sure your child never gets used to things like being outside.

You can start 'em off real young. This wireless keyboard, console and mouse is intended for children ages 3 to 6. The children's computer plugs into the TV and uses games to teach phonics, letters, animal facts, counting and basic computer navigation skills.

From Red Ferret Journal

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Fewer Illegal Downloads For Kids

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 23rd 2007 at 10:12AM

Less Illegal Downloading Amongst Kids
Kids today . . . they've got no guts. A new survey released by the Business Software Alliance shows a drop of up to 24 percent in those aged eight to 18 who illegally download copyrighted materials.

The top four reasons cited by participants for not engaging in digital thievery were:
  • Fear of viruses (62 percent)
  • Fear of legal trouble (52 percent)
  • Fear of spyware (51 percent)
  • Fear of Mommy (48 percent)
The number of respondents who cited parental supervision as a major motivating factor in their reluctance to illegally download copyrighted works increased by eight percent from 2004. This shows that if parents educate their children about the Internet and spend time with them -- you know, actually parenting -- they can influence their children's behavior.


From Mac World

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MySpace Asked to Identify Sex Offenders

by Tom Conlon, posted May 15th 2007 at 9:22AM

MySpace Asked to Identify Sex OffendersThe attorneys general of North Carolina, Connecticut, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania have issued a letter to MySpace asking the social networking giant to supply a list of the registered sex offenders who use the site. According to a statement by North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, the demand comes after law enforcement agencies in those states identified 200 cases of kids being "lured out of their home by predators they met on MySpace."

Unlike public chat rooms that can be patrolled by the fuzz, MySpace allows direct and private contact between predators and potential victims, making them harder to catch.

Unfortunately, when asked to turn over sex offenders in the past, MySpace has claimed that producing such a list would be impossible until there is national legislation requiring busted pervs to register all of their e-mail addresses. According to a Wired article from last year, however, this claim isn't entirely true. With no assistance from MySpace, Wired's reporter ran a program that compared MySpace members against a list of sex offenders in 46 states. The program was able to identify 744 confirmed sex offenders with profiles on the site.

Hopefully, this letter from the states will convince MySpace to clock a little overtime for the safety of its younger users.

From Newsvine

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Disney Chases MySpace Dollars

by Tom Conlon, posted May 3rd 2007 at 10:56AM

Disney Chases MySpace Dollars
Any parent who's seen 'Dateline's To Catch a Predator' knows to be cautious when it comes to their kids playing around in the virtual playgrounds of social networking sites such as MySpace. So, it should come as welcome relief to learn that Disney has launched its own social networking site: Disney Xtreme Digital.

The site is targeted at kids under 14 and has all the bells and whistles you'd expect. Youngsters can create profiles, chat, play games and watch videos. And since this is Disney we're talking about, parental controls have been made a priority, allowing Mom and Dad to restrict access to areas of the site.

But one wonders: Is Disney trying to give our kids a safe place to explore online, or make some coin by shoving Disney content down their throats?

From TechCrunch

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