Unique family-oriented broadband service offers peace of mind to schools and parents

A new broadband provider is about to hit the market with a product that will revolutionise online child safety.

Spidermail offers a trailblazing new service that surpasses parental control systems, which are vulnerable to unscrupulous websites and easily bypassed by increasingly tech-savvy children.

Where this innovative new service differs is that the state-of-the-art filters are built into the internet service and are centrally administered by Spidermail’s experts who constantly update the system 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Each family member is issued with a username and password upon signing up to Spidermail Broadband which they will use to access the internet.

This ensures your children will only have access to material that is appropriate for their age group.

But the service doesn’t restrict all your children to the same level and a 16-year-old will have greater freedom to explore than a 12-year-old.

It’’s not only safe, but fast too, with 8Mbps and unlimited content for £24.99 a month, including a free laptop with the 24 month contract.

Shahrokh Nikkhah, Chairman and CEO of Spidermail, said, “It is not easy for parents and teachers to ensure their children are unable to see inappropriate content online.

““But at the same time they want them to be able to take advantage of the incredible educational and entertainment options the internet provides.

““Spidermail offers a unique service that protects children at the very front line of the internet while allowing them to explore and grow online.

““We have had great feedback so far - everyone who uses us loves us.””

The company has already rolled their service out in schools across the West Midlands and Leicestershire and is set to add more throughout the region.

Spidermail

Computer sellers partner with NSPCC to guide families in safe practices

The Professional Computing Association (PCA) is taking action to support the NSPCC’s call to protect children when using the internet.

With immediate effect consumer-facing members of the Professional Computing Association (PCA) are required, as part of their conformance with the PCA’s Code of Practice to be aware of, and give guidance around some of the safe use issues with regard to computers in the home.

The PCA’s Code is amended to say “When selling into the domestic market or any other environment where it is likely that a computer will be used by young children and other vulnerable people, a PCA Member must give appropriate advice with regard to safe internet use.”

The PCA’s Code is binding upon all of its members who sell to end users. The association has some 850 members throughout the UK, most of them being locally focussed computer retailers.

The PCA decided to support the NSPCC in this matter when it emerged that the children’s charity had found that many large resellers were failing to give appropriate guidance to parents and carers even when it was made clear that the computers would be used by children.

PCA CEO Keith Warburton said “Safety of our children is something that we all take very seriously, but it’s sometimes too easy to assume that the cure for a problem is in someone else’s hands. Here’s something that our members can do quite easily; it costs them little or nothing, it demonstrates their professionalism and it can safeguard a child. What’s not to do?”

NSPCC policy advisor, Zoe Hilton said: “This is a positive step in the right direction by the PCA and hopefully it will result in all computer retailers adopting the same approach. The internet has opened up a new, exciting world for children but it also has its share of dangers. Introducing this kind of measure will help them surf more safely.”

In the short term the PCA is directing it members to the “>NSPCC’s guidance. This will help them review their current practices and adapt them if necessary, and it will subsequently be producing a co-branded flyer in conjunction with the NSPCC, to be distributed via its members.

Parents and kids argue over video games, research finds

New research, that will hardly come as a surprise to either children or their parents, finds that arguments over when and for how long kids can play video games.

I seem to remember that was an issue when I was a kid, and computer games were really in their infancy then.

Disagreements were particularly prevalent amongst the 8-12 age group.

There’s also increasing concern over how many violent games are finding their way into the hands of youngsters.

“Over the past 10 years, parents, national retailers and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) had made substantial progress in keeping violent video games out of the hands of children,” said Dr. David Walsh, president and founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family. “But, over time, complacency seems to have set in and we became too comfortable with the status quo while the industry keeps rapidly changing. That means everyone has to be more vigilant in understanding and enforcing the ratings.”

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Mums look to online advice to avoid the judgement of others

According to new research by child medicine manufacturer Tixylix, modern mums are jumping online to find advice and support on parenting issues because they feel less judged than in other, more traditional environments.

Just two percent of mums surveyed said they felt judged by online peers, compared to one-quarter who felt judged by their neighbours and other mums at the school gate.

Unsurprisingly, at least for its fair share of (possibly untrue) anecdotal evidence, 26% of those who responded said that their mother-in-law was the most judgemental about parenting issues.

It’s not all online meetings though, with events like coffee mornings regularly attended by 54% of mums. Then again, one in five mums regularly log on to parenting sites when they need advice in a hurry.

Parenting expert Dr Jenny Leonard said, “The findings reflect a growing trend for modern mums to seek advice and support from a wider range or sources than ever before. The internet in particular allows mums to feel connected to the outside world and to seek answers to parenting questions
quickly and also without feeling embarrassed or judged.”

Orange launches mobile and broadband advice site for families

At the end of September, Orange UK launched an online resource aimed at helping families deal with the issues of technology misuse, including cyber-bullying, email fraud, spam, phishing, and mobile theft.

Each section on Orange’s website at http://www.orange.co.uk/communicate/safety/ describes an issue, offers clear and practical advice and also provides links to other authoritative sources of information.

Trish Church, Community & Abuse Operations Manager, said, “Technology provides great opportunities and offers real value but the sad fact is some will find ways of misusing it. Orange’s new online resource provides advice on ways to stay safe and offers useful and practical information to everyone, especially families. The website will help parents understand how their children are using technology and help them to ensure they are using it safely. It also provides top tips to children about the things they shouldn’t do on the internet.”

Toddlers’ TV favourites to feature on new interactive web site for preschoolers

A new website — ClickAndPlay.com — has launched to encourage computer literacy amongst preschoolers, helping to boost their self-confidence at increasingly IT-centric schools.

To add to the fun, various hit TV characters, including Bob the Builder, feature on the site.

Users can sign up for a free subscription to the site, though it does require a PC-only piece of software to be downloaded and installed.

According to British Education Communication and Technology Agency (BECTA), the UK is ranked fourth in Europe for the highest number of internet connected computers in schools.

Alastair Gregory, MD of ClickandPlay, said that children shouldn’t spend hours in front of a computer, at the detriment of physical exercise and social skills, but that it’s as vital for preschoolers to learn how to use a computer mouse as it is how to hold a pencil.

“Parents can help prepare their child for school by adding computer time into their day-to-day play,” he said.
ClickandPlay features a range of interactive games that teach a child how to move a mouse around a screen, how to move forward and back to new pages, how to use a keyboard and how to send emails. Children love the email application as they can send a letter,– with their parents help, to their favourite character, and then receive a personalised e-mail in return, written in the character’’s tone of voice.

Other features include an art package that allows children to draw and paint in ClickandPlay. They receive backgrounds, stamps and animated stickers at the beginning of their subscription and can earn more as they do the activities and win stars. These can be used to make art that can be printed out or sent to the characters.

ClickAndPlay.com

Computer games can help adults bond with their kids, casual gaming survey reveals

According to a recent worldwide casual gaming survey, 70% of family members have seen educational benefits of their children and grandchildren playing computer games, while a whopping 92% say that casual games provide an opportunity for them to bond with them.

PopCap Games commissioned the survey and found some other interesting statistics that suggest not all video games are bad, either educationally or in terms of isolating kids.

Casual games provided the following observed benefits: improved hand-eye coordination and mental dexterity (68%), improved learning, such as pattern recognition and spelling (60%), mental workouts/cognitive exercises (51%), strengthened memory (48%), stress relief and relaxation (44%), and confidence building/affirmation (37%).

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Parents believe their kids’ mobile phone use is “out of control”. Enter OmegoMobile

This post was first published at Tech Digest

Parents are increasingly concerned about their children’s use of mobile phones.

Research published today suggests that over four in five British parents (81%) are worried about their children being contacted by strangers, of having their mobile phone stolen, or being a victim of cyber-bullying. That’s despite 71% saying that the phone would be vital in the case of an emergency.

Conversely, 58% of children would hate to have their mobile phone taken way.

The research leads nicely to OmegoMobile, the mobile phone for kids which has been designed to address the concerns of parents.

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Study suggests educational DVDs and TV may not be so good for baby after all

This article was first published at Tech Digest:

A new study from researchers at the University of Washington suggests that using educational TV and DVD, such as the “Baby Einstein” and “Brainy Baby” series, or “Sesame Street”, may not be as beneficial for babies and young children as many hoped.

It’s hardly a crime for parents to let their children watch some TV, and if it’s teaching them something too, so much the better (at least, better than letting them watch Big Brother). Even so, the study suggests that for every hour per day that babies watch these DVDs and videos, they learn six to eight fewer new vocabulary words than babies who hadn’t watched them.

Now, parents being told what’s best for their kids by University boffins often leads to emotions running high. While these studies suggest that children who sit passively in front of TV shows don’t do as well educationally, child-raising is a helluva lot more complicated than that.

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“Mom Says No” software allows parental control over children’s online time, reduces confrontation

New software from UK-based Visionsoft called “Mom Says No” is set to allow parents to easily control how much time their children spend on the Internet, whilst reducing confrontation by taking out some of the human element (parent nagging) and replacing with an automated countdown timer.

“We developed this product out of personal need,” Richard Ward, Managing Director, Visionsoft, explained. “My child was spending hours online chatting with peers with continued promises to end sessions after repeated requests. After talking with other parents, I realised that I was not alone.”
“Mom Says No” simply warns the user when time is running out and gives the child enough time to sign off with friends.
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Teens and pre-teens increase cell phone use during the summer

When school’s out, children and teenagers are increasingly to be found using their mobile phone, according to a new Disney Mobile Cell and Tell survey by Harris Interactive.

Teen and tween cell phone use in the summer jumps to more than 3 hours and 45 minutes a day, an increase of more than an hour a day as compared with a normal school day.

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Children’s advocacy group launches NetSmartz411 online safety programme for kids

NetSmartz411 is an online programme designed to keep children safe when online. It has been developed in the US by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) who can answer frequently asked questions about Internet safety and online security.

“Parents and guardians have a very tough job keeping up with their children in this ever changing world of technology,” said Ernie Allen, NCMEC president and chief executive officer.

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