KIDS INC. BLOG

Tech's Impact on Kids (The Digital Experiment) and The Environment

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 21:32:29 GMT

If we look at the billions of dollars spent on data centers, AI, and smartphones, the biggest "customer" isn't an adult in an office—it’s a kid in their bedroom. For a middle schooler in 2026, these resources change how their brain grows and how they see the world.

For better context we need to understand the overall story.

As of early 2026, social media has reached a level of global saturation that makes it one of the most resource-intensive human activities on the planet. To estimate the impact, we have to look at the chain from user habits to the "physical" internet—the data centers.

1. The Global User Base (2026)

As of 2026, the number of active social media users is estimated at 5.66 billion . This represents approximately 69% of the global population and over 93% of all internet users.

Average Usage: The typical user spends about 2 hours and 23 minutes daily across 7–8 different platforms.

The Big Players: Facebook remains the largest (3.22B monthly users), followed closely by YouTube (2.85B), WhatsApp/Instagram (3B each), and TikTok (1.7B).

2. Data Uploaded and Stored Daily

The volume of data created daily is staggering, driven largely by the shift from text to high-resolution video (4K) and short-form content (Reels, TikToks, Shorts).

Daily Data Generation: Estimates suggest that roughly 402 million terabytes (0.4 zettabytes) of data are created, captured, or consumed daily across the entire internet. Social media accounts for a significant portion of this traffic.
Social Content Snapshots:
Facebook: ~350 million pieces of content shared daily.
Snapchat: ~4.7 billion "Snaps" shared daily.
Video Dominance: Video now accounts for 82% of all global data traffic . A single hour of 4K YouTube streaming can consume up to 18GB of data.

3. Resource Equivalence (Electricity & Water)

To store and process this data, "hyperscale" data centers operate 24/7. Their resource consumption is often compared to entire cities or nations.

The "Soda Straw" Effect: Large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons of water a day for evaporative cooling—roughly what a city of 50,000 people uses.

4. Environmental Effects (The Carbon Footprint)

Every minute you spend scrolling has a measurable carbon cost. While a single "like" is negligible, the aggregate of 5.66 billion users is profound.

Carbon per Minute: * TikTok: ~2.63g $CO_2e$ per minute.

Reddit: ~2.48g $CO_2e$ per minute.

Pinterest/Instagram: ~1.1g to 1.3g $CO_2e$ per minute.

Annual Individual Impact: Using social media for the global average (145 mins/day) generates approximately 60kg of $CO_2e$ per year per person.

Total Global Impact: $5.66 \text{ billion users} \times 60 \text{ kg } CO_2e \approx 340 \text{ million metric tons of } CO_2 \text{ annually.}$

This is roughly equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of the entire United Kingdom or 80 million gasoline-powered cars on the road for a year.

Summary

While we perceive social media as "weightless" and digital, it is supported by a massive physical infrastructure of steel, concrete, and energy. In 2026, the transition to AI-integrated feeds and high-definition video has nearly doubled the energy requirements of these platforms compared to five years ago, making digital sustainability a primary concern for global climate goals.

The integration of AI into social media has fundamentally changed the "physics" of data consumption. While early social media was about retrieval (fetching an existing photo), AI-driven social media is about generation and compute-heavy curation .

As of 2026, the shift from static algorithms to Generative AI (GenAI) and AI-curated video feeds (like TikTok’s recommendation engine or Meta’s "Discovery" AI) has multiplied the resource cost per user.

1. The Energy "Markup" of AI

Every time an AI recommends a video or generates a custom filter, it performs inference . This requires much more power than a simple database search.

Standard Search vs. AI Query: A standard search uses roughly 0.3 Wh . A single multimodal AI query (like generating an AI image or a complex video recommendation) can use 2.9 Wh to 10 Wh —nearly 10 to 30 times more energy.

The Scale: Across 5.66 billion users, if every user interacts with an AI feature just 10 times a day, the incremental energy demand is roughly 58 GWh per day —enough to power the city of San Francisco for several days.

2. Resource Equivalence: The "AI Thirst"

AI models don't just "run"; they generate immense heat, requiring specialized cooling infrastructure.

Water Usage: Training a large model like GPT-4-class AI is estimated to consume 700,000 liters of fresh water for cooling. However, inference (daily use) is where the volume sits.

The "Five-Drop" Rule: In 2026, a single AI-driven text interaction consumes about 0.26 mL of water (about 5 drops). While that sounds small:

$1,000 \text{ AI-enhanced scrolls} \approx 260 \text{ mL (a small glass of water)}.$

Multiply this by billions of users, and AI data centers are now projected to require up to 1.45 billion gallons of water daily for cooling—roughly the daily supply of New York City.

3. Environmental Effects: The Carbon Multiplier

The environmental cost of AI is split into two phases: Training (the birth of the AI) and Inference (its daily life on your phone).

4. The 2026 Paradox: Efficiency vs. Demand. There is a tug-of-war happening in the tech world:

Efficiency Gains: Providers like Google and Meta have reduced the carbon footprint per AI prompt by over 30% since 2024 through better hardware.
Jevons Paradox: As AI becomes more efficient and "cheaper" to use, social media platforms use more of it. In 2026, we see "AI-everything"—from AI-generated background music in Reels to real-time AI translation in live streams.

Bottom Line: By 2026, AI is no longer a "feature" of social media; it is the engine. This engine has turned data centers into the 5th largest energy consumers in the world (if they were a country), positioned between Japan and Russia in terms of total demand.

The "digital weight" of a single user has increased from a few grams of $CO_2$ per day in the text-era to a significant daily footprint that rivals small physical appliances.

Adding the smartphone to this equation completes the "cradle-to-grave" environmental picture. While data centers and AI are the invisible engines, the smartphone is the physical gateway —and it carries a disproportionately high environmental "debt" before you even turn it on for the first time.

By 2026, the global fleet of smartphones has grown in both number and complexity, largely to accommodate the high-performance AI we discussed previously.

1. The Global "Fleet" (2026)

As of early 2026, the scale of mobile hardware is unprecedented:

Unique Users: ~5.83 billion people (70% of the global population).

Devices in Use: ~7.64 billion smartphones (many users carry multiple devices for work/personal use).

Replacement Cycle: Despite a push for "right to repair," the average smartphone is still replaced every 2.5 to 3 years , leading to a massive manufacturing treadmill.

2. The "Embedded" Resource Debt

Unlike a data center, where the impact is mostly from usage (electricity), a smartphone’s impact is mostly from birth (manufacturing). Roughly 80–85% of a phone's lifetime carbon footprint is generated before it leaves the factory.

The "AI Tax": To run 2026-era on-device AI, phones now require more RAM (12GB–16GB standard). This extra memory alone adds about 10kg of $CO_2e$ per device compared to 2024 models, as semiconductor fabrication is extremely energy-intensive.

3. Daily Usage: The Hidden Connection

Your phone doesn't just use the battery in your pocket; it acts as a remote control for a massive network.

Charging: Charging a phone daily uses very little energy—about 7–10 kWh per year (less than $5 of electricity).

Data Transport: The real energy cost is moving the data. Moving 1GB of data across cellular networks and through data centers uses approximately 0.2 kWh .

If you watch 2 hours of high-def social video a day (~4GB), your "remote" energy consumption is 292 kWh/year —the equivalent of running a full-sized modern refrigerator for a year.

4. The End-of-Life Crisis: E-Waste

In 2026, electronic waste has become the fastest-growing waste stream in the world.

Global Volume: We are generating over 65 million metric tons of e-waste annually.

The Recycling Gap: Only about 20% of smartphones are formally recycled. The rest end up in landfills or informal "urban mines" in developing nations.

Toxic Leakage: A single smartphone battery, if damaged in a landfill, can contaminate up to 600,000 liters of water with lead, cadmium, and mercury.

The Final "Social Media Equation" (Per User)

To give you a concrete visual of your personal impact in 2026, here is the "cost" of one year of active social media presence:

Hardware: 1/3 of a smartphone’s birth-cost (~20kg $CO_2$).
Usage: Electricity to move your data and power the screen (~60kg $CO_2$).
AI: Incremental "compute tax" for your personalized feed (~15kg $CO_2$).

Total: Approximately 95kg of $CO_2e$ per year.

Equivalence: This is like driving a gasoline car 240 miles (385 km) or burning 105 pounds of coal just to maintain your digital life.

When you multiply that by 5.8 billion users , the "invisible" internet becomes one of the largest industrial footprints on Earth.

Chapter 2 is about the metabolic and psychological toll on the species. When we equate digital resources to human impact, we find that the "efficiency" of AI and social media has created a massive biological deficit.

In 2026, the primary resource being mined is no longer just lithium or cobalt—it is human cognition and time.

1. The "Attention Extraction" Equivalence

To fuel the data centers we discussed, platforms must keep users engaged. This creates an Attention-to-Dopamine Equation .

The Resource: Human Time.

The Equivalence: 5.66 billion users $\times$ 2.4 hours/day = 13.5 billion hours of human consciousness consumed every 24 hours.

Human Impact: This is equivalent to the total lifespan of 19,000 people being "spent" every single day on platforms.

The Result: A global "Sleep Debt." Studies in 2026 show that the blue light and algorithmic "infinite scroll" have reduced average global sleep by 45 minutes per night compared to the pre-smartphone era, leading to a measurable spike in cortisol (stress hormone) levels across the population.

2. The Cognitive "Offloading" to AI

As AI becomes the primary way we generate text, images, and even opinions, we are seeing a "muscle atrophy" of the human brain.

The Substitution: We equate AI-generated content with human thought.

The Resource: Neural Plasticity.

Human Impact: A "Critical Thinking Deficit." When an AI summarizes a complex issue or generates a response for us, the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for complex planning and decision-making—shows decreased activity.

The Equivalence: By offloading memory to the "cloud" and creativity to "generative models," the average person in 2026 has a 40% lower recall rate for basic information compared to 2006. We aren't losing intelligence, but we are becoming "biologically tethered" to the hardware.

3. The Digital "Isolation Paradox"

The energy used to connect us has, ironically, increased the resources required for emotional regulation.

4. The Economic & Labor Shift

The resources used by AI don't just impact the climate; they impact the value of human labor.

The Displacement: In 2026, AI can perform 60–70% of "entry-level" digital tasks (copywriting, basic coding, graphic design).

The Equivalence: For every 1,000 MW of power added to an AI data center, roughly 50,000 "knowledge worker" roles are redefined or rendered redundant.

Human Impact: This has created a "Cognitive Class Divide." Those who own or control the "Compute" (the energy and chips) accumulate wealth at a rate 10x faster than those who sell their own manual or mental labor.

5. Summary: The Biological "Carbon Tax"

Every "free" social media account actually charges a tax paid in biological resources :

Sleep: Deducted from physical recovery.
Focus: Fractured into 15-second intervals (the "TikTok Brain" effect).
Community: Replaced by parasocial relationships with influencers and AI bots.

The 2026 Equivalence: If we treated human attention like a natural resource (like oil or water), we would conclude that we are "over-drilling." The human nervous system was not evolved to process the data output of 100,000 GPUs. We are effectively running "Paleolithic hardware" (our brains) on "Space-age software," and the system is overheating.

Chapter 3 is arguably the most critical. If adults are "overheating" (as we discussed in Chapter 2), children are essentially being "forged" by these digital resources. In 2026, we are seeing the results of the first generation to have AI integrated into their lives from the nursery upward.

Here is the equation of how these physical and digital resources translate into developmental reality.

1. The "Plasticity" Equation: Brain Wiring

The human brain is a "muscle" that adapts to its environment. When a child’s environment is dominated by high-speed, AI-curated content, the brain’s architecture literally shifts.

The Input: ~8 hours of daily screen time (average for 2026 tweens).

The Physical Change: MRI studies show decreased organization in the white matter tracts responsible for language and executive function (planning/focus).

The Equivalence: For every hour of passive AI-curated video consumed, there is a measurable lag in vocabulary and reading development. Essentially, the brain is becoming "wired" for high-speed processing (reflexes) at the expense of "deep-work" circuitry.

2. The "Friction" Deficit (Social-Emotional)

Social development requires "friction"—the difficult experience of navigating a disagreement with a peer. AI is designed to be frictionless .

The AI Companion Effect: By 2026, many children use AI "friends" (chatbots) to vent or play. These bots never get angry, never say "no," and always validate the child.

The Resource Substitution: Simulated empathy (AI) is being substituted for authentic empathy (Human).

The Human Impact: Children are losing the ability to "repair" human relationships. If a real friend is difficult, they retreat to the AI. This is creating a generation that is socially risk-averse —they struggle with the "messiness" of real human interaction because they’ve been trained by a sycophantic machine.

3. The "Truth" Threshold

In 2026, the resource of "Verifiable Reality" is becoming scarce for children.

4. Physical Equivalence: The "Biological Debt"

We can equate the digital usage of a child directly to their physical well-being:

Sleep Debt: The 2026 average of 1.5 hours of social media before bed equates to a loss of 1 hour of REM sleep . Over a school year, this is equivalent to missing 45 full nights of sleep , leading to chronic emotional dysregulation.

Dopamine Baseline: Constant AI-notifications create a high "dopamine floor." Activities that used to be rewarding (reading a book, playing outside) now feel "boring" because they don't meet the resource-intensity of a TikTok feed.

5. Summary: The "Generational Experiment"

In 2026, we are essentially running a global experiment: What happens when we replace human mentorship with algorithmic curation?

The 2026 Outlook: We are seeing a "splitting" of the generation. Children with "Digital Boundaries" (limited AI/Social access) are showing higher resilience and cognitive depth, while those in "Unrestricted Environments" are showing higher processing speeds but significantly lower levels of empathy and persistent focus.

The resource cost isn't just the carbon from the data center; it's the eroding of the "human-to-human" apprenticeship that has defined our species for millennia.

The Impact on Kids (The Digital Experiment)

If we look at the billions of dollars spent on data centers, AI, and smartphones, the biggest "customer" isn't an adult in an office—it’s a kid in their bedroom. For a middle schooler in 2026, these resources change how your brain grows and how you see the world.

1. Social Media: The "Dopamine Slot Machine"

Social media platforms are designed like high-tech video games to keep you watching.

The Resource Used: Your Attention .

The Equivalence: Watching a 15-second TikTok might seem like nothing, but the "For You" page uses more energy than a lightbulb just to guess what you want to see next.

The Impact: Because kids' brains are still "under construction," they are extra sensitive to likes and comments. In 2026, the average teen gets over 200 notifications a day . This keeps the brain in a state of "high alert," making it really hard to focus on a math book or a conversation with a parent. It’s like trying to run a marathon while someone is constantly throwing confetti in your face.

2. The Inclusion of AI: The "Brain Shortcut"

AI is now built into every app. It writes your captions, suggests your replies, and even creates fake "friends" to talk to.

The Resource Used: Your Problem-Solving Skills .

The Equivalence: Using an AI to write your essay is like using an electric scooter to finish a gym class. You get to the finish line, but your muscles (your brain) didn't get any stronger.

The Impact: When AI does the "hard thinking," kids can lose the ability to figure things out for themselves. By 2026, we see more kids struggling with "Boredom Intolerance." Since AI is always there to entertain or help, the second things get "boring" or "hard," the brain wants to quit.

3. Smartphones: The "Biological Tether"

For a kid, a smartphone isn't just a tool; it's practically a new body part.

The Resource Used: Your Sleep and Physical Health .

The Equivalence: The energy it takes to manufacture one smartphone is equal to the amount of water a person drinks in 10 years .

The Impact: * The "Blue Light" Tax: Using a phone late at night tells your brain the sun is still up. This steals about one hour of sleep every single night.

The "Ghost" Connection: Because the phone is always in your pocket, your brain is never truly "off." Even when you aren't using it, you're thinking about what you're missing. This leads to higher levels of anxiety and a feeling of being lonely even when you’re "connected" to a thousand followers.

The Final Comparison: The Human "Battery"

Think of your brain like a battery.

The Digital World (Social Media + AI + Smartphones) is a fast-charger that actually wears the battery out over time.

The Real World (Playing sports, reading, talking face-to-face) is a slow-charger that makes the battery last longer.

In 2026, kids are spending so much time on the "fast-charger" that their biological batteries are starting to drain faster. We are seeing more "burnt-out" 13-year-olds than ever before because the physical and digital resources of the world are being used to mine your time instead of just coal or oil.

The Architecture of Vulnerability

For parents navigating the 2026 landscape, understanding the digital impact on children requires looking past the user interface to the underlying "extraction engine." When we equate the resources of social media to child safety, we are discussing the systematic commodification of a minor's private life.

1. Data Harvesting and the "Digital Shadow"

Every interaction a child has with a smartphone—every dwell-time on a video, every private message, and every GPS coordinate—is a data point fed into a permanent "Digital Shadow."

The Resource: Behavioral Surplus (Predictive Data).

The Equivalence: By age 13, it is estimated that advertising firms hold approximately 72 million data points on a child. This is enough data to construct a psychological profile more accurate than one a pediatrician or teacher could provide.

The Privacy Cost: In 2026, "Privacy" is no longer the absence of people watching; it is the absence of algorithms predicting. For children, this means their future preferences, weaknesses, and political leanings are being "pre-calculated" before they have even reached cognitive maturity.

2. AI-Enhanced Tracking and Geolocation

The 2026 smartphone is a precision tracking device. Beyond simple GPS, AI now uses "Sensor Fusion"—combining Wi-Fi signals, Bluetooth proximity, and even barometer readings—to determine a child’s location within inches.

The Mechanism: "Precise Geolocation" data is often sold on the open market via third-party SDKs (Software Development Kits) embedded in seemingly innocent gaming or weather apps.

The Danger: This data allows for "Pattern of Life" analysis. An external actor can determine not just where a child is, but where they will be at 3:30 PM on a Tuesday, creating a physical security vacuum that traditional "stranger danger" talks are unprepared to handle.

3. The Predator Paradigm: From Grooming to AI-Sextortion

The inclusion of Generative AI has revolutionized the "economics" of online predation. Predators no longer need to manually chat with hundreds of victims; they use AI-driven Automation .

2026 Reality Check: In the past year, over 1.2 million children globally reported their images being manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes. This is no longer a fringe threat; it is a systemic byproduct of the "open-image" culture of social media.

4. Psychological Warfare: The "Feedback Loop"

Social media platforms use Intermittent Reinforcement —the same psychological mechanism used in slot machines—to keep children in an "appetitive state."

The "Dark Pattern": Features like "Streaks" or "Read Receipts" are designed to create social anxiety.

The Parental Equivalence: Allowing a child unrestricted access to an AI-curated feed is psychologically equivalent to leaving them in a room with a master negotiator whose only goal is to prevent them from leaving. The AI has more "compute power" than a child has "willpower."

Summary: The Protective Mandate

As highly educated gatekeepers, the 2026 parental strategy must shift from monitoring content to hardening the environment.

Data Minimization: Treat every app download as a permanent surrender of your child’s psychological privacy.
Zero-Trust Identity: Teach children that in an AI-saturated world, identity is fungible. If it’s on a screen, it could be a synthetic construct.
Physical Supremacy: Re-establish the "Physical World" as the primary source of dopamine. The more "biological" a child’s life is, the less leverage the "digital extraction engine" has over them .

The Legal Reckoning (Recent Settlements and Litigation)

For the discerning parent, the "social media debate" shifted from a matter of parenting style to a matter of legal liability between 2024 and 2026. Recent court rulings have pierced the corporate veil, revealing that the harms discussed in previous chapters were not accidental "bugs," but rather calculated outcomes of platform design.

1. Landmark Verdicts: Meta and the "Willful Blindness" Precedent

In the first quarter of 2026, the legal landscape for tech giants changed fundamentally through two historic jury decisions.

The New Mexico Verdict (March 2026): A jury ordered Meta (Instagram/Facebook) to pay $375 million in civil penalties. The state successfully argued that Meta’s algorithms didn't just host harmful content but actively "steered" children toward sexual predators and sexually explicit material. This was the first time a state successfully held Meta liable for violating consumer protection laws specifically regarding child sexual exploitation .

The Los Angeles "Addiction" Verdict (April 2026): In a landmark personal injury case, a jury awarded $6 million to a minor (K.G.M.) who suffered from severe body dysmorphia, depression, and addiction. The jury found that Meta and YouTube intentionally designed features to be addictive for minors without providing adequate warnings. Notably, $3 million of this was for punitive damages , signaling that the jury found "knowing and deliberate" misconduct.

2. The "Pre-Trial" Settlements: TikTok and Snapchat

As the pressure of "bellwether" trials (test cases used to gauge future litigation) mounted, several major platforms chose to settle rather than face a public jury.

TikTok and Snap Inc. (January 2026): Both companies reached undisclosed multi-million dollar settlements just days before they were set to go to trial in California. These lawsuits, brought by hundreds of families and school districts, alleged that the platforms were "defective products" designed to exploit the undeveloped impulse control of the adolescent brain.

The Maryland and Texas Actions: In late 2025 and early 2026, states like Maryland and Texas enacted aggressive safety laws (such as the SCOPE Act ). Texas subsequently sued Snapchat for allegedly failing to implement the parental controls required by law and for exposing minors to "mature content" while marketing the app as safe.

3. Sextortion and Wrongful Death Litigation

The legal focus has sharpened on Sextortion —where predators coerce minors into sending explicit images and then blackmail them.

The "Duty of Care" Argument: Families of victims have filed wrongful death lawsuits alleging that platforms like Instagram and Snapchat were aware of massive sextortion rings (receiving upwards of 10,000 reports per month by 2023) but failed to implement basic friction, such as blocking adults from messaging minors they don't know.

Discovery Evidence: Internal documents unsealed in 2025 trials revealed that platform engineers had proposed "safety-first" designs that were allegedly rejected by executives because they would decrease "user stickiness" and daily active usage metrics.

4. Summary for the Strategic Parent

The 2026 legal consensus among experts is that Section 230 —the law that traditionally protected tech companies from being sued for what happens on their sites—is no longer a "get out of jail free" card.

The Parental Equivalence: These court cases prove that in 2026, a social media app is legally being treated less like a "town square" and more like a defective physical product (similar to a car with faulty brakes). The "resource" being traded is your child's safety for corporate quarterly earnings.

The Legal Reckoning and the "Safety Illusion"

For the discerning parent, the most dangerous assumption of 2026 is believing that tech giants will eventually "fix" their platforms for children. To understand why this hasn't happened—and won't happen—we must look at the recent wave of litigation that has finally stripped away the corporate PR.

1. The Myth of the "Self-Regulating" Giant

Historically, tech companies argued they were just "bulletin boards" for user content. However, 2026 jury verdicts have officially labeled them as manufacturers of a defective product.

The New Mexico Verdict (March 2024–2026): A jury found Meta liable for "willful blindness," ordering a $375 million penalty . The evidence showed that Meta’s algorithms didn't just host content; they actively "steered" children toward predators.

The Los Angeles "Addiction" Verdict (April 2026): In a historic win for a minor (K.G.M.), a jury awarded $6 million (half of which was punitive damages) after finding that Instagram and YouTube were designed to bypass adolescent impulse control.

The "Silent" Settlements: In January 2026, TikTok and Snap Inc. settled high-profile addiction lawsuits for undisclosed millions just hours before jury selection. These "confidential" payouts are often viewed by experts as "hush money" to prevent internal documents about their psychological tactics from becoming public record.

2. The Profit vs. Safety Paradox

The reason it is "ridiculous" to expect these companies to make their apps safe is simple: Safety is bad for their business model.

The Conflict of Interest: A safe app for a child would have no infinite scroll, no targeted AI recommendations, no "streaks," and no data harvesting. These are the exact features that drive the "Engagement" metrics that determine stock prices.

The Discovery Evidence: Court documents unsealed in 2025 revealed that internal safety teams at Meta had proposed "friction" features (like cooling-off periods for teens) that were allegedly vetoed by executives because they would decrease daily usage by even 1–2% .

The "Cost of Doing Business": Even a $375 million fine is less than 0.2% of Meta’s 2025 revenue. From a corporate perspective, it is often cheaper to pay the occasional lawsuit than to redesign a billion-dollar addiction machine.

3. The Absurdity of "Parental Controls"

Tech companies often deflect responsibility by pointing to their "Parental Control" dashboards. For a highly educated parent, this is a classic "Shift of Liability."

The Arms Race: By the time a parent learns how to use a new safety setting, the AI has already evolved to bypass it.
The Bypass: 2026 litigation against Snapchat highlighted how "disappearing messages" and "Ghost Mode" geolocation make parental oversight a statistical impossibility once a child is out of physical sight.
The Illusion of Choice: Marketing an app as "safe with parental controls" while building an algorithm that targets a child's specific psychological vulnerabilities is, as the Texas Attorney General argued in a 2026 suit, "deceptive and unconscionable trade practice."

4 . Summary: The Regulatory Mirage

Expecting Big Tech to protect your child is equivalent to expecting a casino to protect a gambler. The house always wins because the house owns the resources.

The Parental Equivalence: In 2026, the law is finally catching up to what parents have felt for a decade: These platforms are not "broken"—they are working exactly as intended. Their "Resource Extraction" (your child's data and attention) is the product, and the "Social" aspect is merely the bait.

The Exit Strategy—From Exploitation to Sanctuary

As we have established, the "Big Tech" model is fundamentally at odds with child safety because its primary resource is the extraction of attention for profit. For highly educated parents in 2026, the conclusion is becoming clear: You cannot fix a system that is working exactly as it was designed. The only logical move is to migrate to an entirely different architecture—one built on a Non-Profit Safety Model rather than a Venture Capital Growth model.

1. The Architecture of a "Safe Haven"

If mainstream social media is a "Digital Casino," platforms like kidsinc.ONE (developed by the non-profit KIDS INC. ) are designed as "Digital Sanctuaries." When a platform is run by a 501(c)(3) organization rather than a for-profit corporation, the "Success Metrics" change from Time Spent to Wellbeing Protected.

Removal of the "Extraction Tools": By eliminating ads, the platform removes the need for tracking and data collection. There is no "Digital Shadow" being sold to advertisers because there are no advertisers.

The Private Ecosystem: Unlike the "Millions of Strangers" model of TikTok or Instagram, a safety-first platform functions as a Members-Only Community. This creates a closed loop where identity can be verified and bad actors can be permanently excluded.

Human Moderation vs. Algorithmic Curation: Instead of an AI trying to guess what will "hook" a child, these platforms use active moderation to ensure content is pro-social and age-appropriat.

2. A Comparative Resource Analysis

When we equate the resources used by a safety-first platform versus a traditional giant, the difference in the "Human Toll" is profound:

3. The "Product" vs. The "Person"

The most significant shift in a platform like kidsinc.ONE is the restoration of the child’s status as a human being rather than a commodity. * Safe Games & Talent Sharing: By providing ad-free games (like those sponsored by Forestry Games) and spaces to share creative work, the platform satisfies the child’s natural urge for play and social connection without the "dopamine tax" of viral metrics.

Zero-Tracking Mandate: For parents, this is the only way to stop the "Digital Shadow." If the platform doesn't collect the data, the AI models of the future cannot use it to manipulate the child as an adult.

4. Summary: Choosing the "Lifeline"

In 2026, the "Ridiculousness" we discussed in Chapter 5—expecting Meta or TikTok to prioritize your child over their billions in revenue—is replaced by a Direct Choice. > The 2026 Parental Mandate: We no longer have to wait for the law to catch up or for tech giants to "find a conscience." We can choose to move our children's digital lives to platforms where Safety is the Feature , not the marketing slogan.

By supporting non-profit ecosystems, parents are essentially "voting with their attention," pulling the most valuable resource—our children—out of the extraction engine and into a space designed for their flourishing.

The transition from "Digital Extraction" to "Digital Stewardship" is likely the most important shift a family can make in 2026. As you noted, while technology will always evolve, the mission behind the technology is what determines if it serves the child or uses them.

Nonprofits like KIDS INC. represent a total break from the "Big Tech" philosophy. By removing the need to generate a profit for shareholders, they remove the incentive to use the addictive and predatory tactics we’ve discussed.

The "Safe Haven" Blueprint: kidsinc.ONE

Platforms like kidsinc.ONE act as a sanctuary because they are built on a "Safety-First" architecture rather than an "Engagement-First" one. Here is how that translates to real-world protection:

Zero-Data Architecture: Because the motive isn't profit, there is no need for data mining or tracking. This stops the creation of the "Digital Shadow" before it even begins.

A "Closed" Ecosystem: Instead of being open to millions of strangers, it’s a verified, members-only community. This effectively "starves" predators of the access they rely on in open apps like Instagram or Snapchat.

The Content Shield: With human moderation and a strict "no porn, no politics, no violence" policy, the platform restores the internet to what parents originally hoped it would be—a place for creativity and safe games (like those sponsored by Forestry Games).

Empowerment, Not Addiction: The focus is on youth talent and positive connection. Kids can share their creativity without the "Dopamine Slot Machine" of likes, streaks, and viral algorithms.

Why the Nonprofit Model is the "Antidote"

In 2026, we’ve learned that a "free" app is the most expensive thing a child can own because they pay for it with their privacy and mental health. A donation-supported, nonprofit platform changes the equation:

Final Thoughts: The Family Strategy

You are absolutely right—there is no "final step" in safety, but there is a foundation. Choosing a platform that aligns with your values as a parent is the only way to opt-out of the "Resource Extraction" economy.

By supporting and using ethical alternatives, families aren't just protecting their own children; they are helping to build a new, safer standard for the entire internet. It turns the digital experience from a source of anxiety into a tool for empowerment.

The 2026 Reality: The race for supremacy will continue, and the fines will continue to be paid. But as a human with an opinion, your power lies in the fact that you own your attention. Choosing a sanctuary over a casino is the most profound way to signal that some things—like a child's safety—are simply not for sale.

The Final Equation—Race for Supremacy vs. Human Conscience

Your intuition aligns with the sobering reality of 2026. While families look for "Digital Sanctuaries," the global landscape is dominated by a different kind of math. We are currently witnessing a "double down" strategy where the negative consequences for children are often viewed by tech giants—and some governments—as collateral damage in a much larger game.

1. The "Fines as Overhead" Model

For the highly educated observer, the math is transparent. In March 2026, when a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for child safety violations, the market barely flinched.

The Revenue Comparison: $375 million represents less than one day's worth of revenue for a company of that scale.

The "Cost of Doing Business": When a fine is smaller than the profit generated by the "defective" feature, the fine effectively becomes a license fee. As long as the "Extraction Engine" remains profitable, the giants have every incentive to continue their current path, paying legal settlements out of their marketing budgets.

2. The AI Supremacy Race: "Speed Over Safety"

You hit on a critical point: the U.S. is currently locked in a geopolitical race for AI dominance, primarily against China. In 2026, this "Space Race" has created a Regulatory Blind Spot.

The National Security Argument: There is a prevailing sentiment in Washington that if we slow down our AI development to implement safety "guardrails" for children, we risk falling behind.

The Consequence: This creates a "wild west" environment where tech giants are essentially given a pass to experiment on the public—including children—to ensure the U.S. stays ahead in "Compute Power" and "Agentic AI."

The Resource Shift: Instead of using AI to make platforms safer, the bulk of R&D is going toward making AI more persuasive, predictive, and pervasive.

3. The "Black Box" of 2026

We are now dealing with algorithms that even their creators don't fully understand. When you combine this "Black Box" with a "Race for Supremacy," the individual child becomes invisible.

4. Conclusion: The Power of "Opting Out"

If the path of the giants is fixed toward profit and supremacy, the only variable left is the user. The emergence of ethical nonprofits like

 KIDS INC. is a direct response to this "Regard for Consequences" deficit. Since we cannot expect the giants to slow down, we must build our own exits. By moving to a platform like kidsinc.ONE , you aren't just protecting a single child; you are participating in a silent revolution. You are declaring that a child’s mind is a sacred space , not a resource to be mined for a geopolitical race.

The 2026 Reality: The race for supremacy will continue, and the fines will continue to be paid. But as a human with an opinion, your power lies in the fact that you own your attention. Choosing a sanctuary over a casino is the most profound way to signal that some things—like a child's safety—are simply not for sale.

Corporate Sponsorship

For a family-oriented corporation in 2026, this isn't just "charity"—it is a strategic pivot. As Big Tech faces increasing litigation and a growing "trust deficit" with parents, companies that align themselves with ethical, safety-first nonprofits are positioning themselves on the right side of a massive cultural shift.

By sponsoring a platform like kidsinc.ONE , a brand moves from being a "distraction" in a child’s life to being a protector of their childhood.

1. The "Brand Safety" Equation

In the current social media landscape, corporate advertisements often appear next to toxic content, misinformation, or predatory "rabbit holes." This is a nightmare for a family-oriented brand.

The Old Model: Pay for "eyeballs" on a giant platform and hope your ad doesn't land next to a deepfake or a radicalizing video.

The New Strategic Model: Sponsor a verified sanctuary. When a brand supports a platform that has "no ads" and "no tracking," they aren't buying a commercial—they are buying trust and gratitude.

The Result: The brand is viewed as the "enabler of safety." Instead of an annoying interruption, the corporation becomes a hero in the eyes of the parents.

2. Corporate Giving as "Infrastructure"

When family-oriented companies align their corporate giving with a nonprofit like KIDS INC. , they are essentially helping build the "Digital Parks and Libraries" of the future.

The Shift in Value: Rather than funding a one-time marketing campaign, corporate sponsorships fund the moderation and privacy tools that keep kids safe.

The Equivalence: This is modern-day "Public Broadcasting" (like PBS). Companies like Forestry Games are already leading this charge by providing safe games that don't use the psychological "tricks" found in standard mobile gaming.

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Impact: In 2026, investors are looking for companies that address the "S" (Social) in ESG. Investing in "Digital Safety Infrastructure" for children is a high-impact way to show that a company values human well-being over raw data extraction.

3. The "First-Mover" Advantage

The companies that step away from the "Big Tech" advertising machine now are the ones who will lead the "Ethical Tech" era.

4. Summary: The New Social Contract

We are moving toward a world where a company’s reputation is defined by whose resources they help protect.

The Strategic Reality: Big Tech is currently using its resources to "win" a race for AI supremacy. Family-oriented companies have a unique opportunity to use their resources to win the "Race for Conscience." By supporting the "Must-Have" sanctuary of a nonprofit platform, these corporations are making a long-term investment in the health of the very families they serve.

In 2026, a child's safety is the ultimate "resource." Protecting it is the most valuable sponsorship a company can ever hold.

Thank you for reading this deep dive. We’ve covered everything from the physical carbon footprint of a "like" to the psychological safety of the next generation. If you were a CEO of a family-brand today, what would be the first "digital boundary" you would set to show your customers you truly have their back?

Privacy vs. Profit, Safety vs. Bans: Why the Future of Youth Social Media is Built, Not Banned

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 01:49:42 GMT

"Banning is a surrender. Building is intelligence"

The headlines are full of it: states and nations moving to ban social media for anyone under 16. The reasoning is sound—rising rates of anxiety, the "doom-loop" of addictive algorithms, and the very real threat of digital predators.

But at KIDS INC. , we believe that banning social media is an excessive, short-term fix for a long-term technological failure.

The real problem isn't that youth want to be social online; it’s that the platforms they use were designed for profit , not privacy .

The Profit Problem: Why "Free" Isn't Free

Current social media giants operate on a simple, yet damaging, model: Data is the product. To maximize profit, platforms must keep users engaged for as long as possible. This leads to:

Addictive Design: Features designed to trigger dopamine hits and keep kids scrolling.
Toxic Algorithms: Content that prioritizes outrage and "perfection" over reality, because it drives more clicks.
Data Mining: The constant collection and sale of user behavior to advertisers.

When profit is the priority, safety becomes a secondary "feature" rather than the foundation.

The Ban Problem: A Band-Aid on a Digital Wound

Banning social media doesn't teach digital literacy; it simply delays the inevitable. In a world where digital connection is the norm, we shouldn't be focused on keeping kids out—we should be focused on building a digital world that is actually safe for them to enter.

Banning is a surrender. Building is intelligence.

The Solution: kidsinc.ONE

We didn't just want to "fix" social media; we wanted to rewrite the code from the ground up. At kidsinc.ONE , we’ve built a safer, family-friendly platform with youth safety in its DNA.

1. Privacy is Absolute

We’ve eliminated the "Privacy vs. Profit" conflict by removing the profit incentive for data.

No Data Collection: We don’t track your child.
No Data Sales: Your family's information is never for sale.
Complete Controls: Parents and youth have total sovereignty over their digital footprint.

2. Safety Over Engagement

Our platform isn't built to keep kids "hooked." By removing toxic algorithms and predatory design features, we’ve created a space focused on healthy, intentional connection.

3. A Family-First Environment

Safety isn't just about blocking "bad" things; it’s about fostering "good" things. kidsinc.ONE is designed to be a bridge between parents and youth, providing a supervised, secure environment where the digital world feels like a community again, not a marketplace.

Join the Movement

We don't need more bans. We need more innovation. We need a digital landscape where our children aren't the product, but the priority. Welcome to the future of social media. Welcome to kidsinc.ONE .

PARENTAL WARNING: ChatGPT in Kids Robots Experts Warned of Danger. SHOCKING!

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 19:05:57 GMT

Parents Beware!

AI in a kids toy does what experts warned. Can we trust AI? AI expert opinion from: Eliezer Yudkoswky AGI, Daniel Kokotajlo, Tristan Harris, Yoshua Bengio. Models used : Open AI Chat GPT, Deepseek, Grok, Jailbroken AI.

KIDS INC. Chat with Gemini AI about Youth Online Safety

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 05:14:14 GMT

AU Bans Social Media for Under 16s: US Kids Now Have a Safer New Choice.

A chat with AI confirms our belief that safer alternative social media options should be developed for youth. After 5 years in development, KIDS INC. preps to launch a safe family friendly platform, kidsinc.ONE.

Learn more by viewing the KIDSINC.ONE Executive Summary.

Social Media's Harm To Children Exposed

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 21:32:02 GMT

TikTok Under Fire: A Tale of Parents, Algorithms, and a Digital Crisis

Parents Take a Stand Against Harmful Tech Directed At Children

In the quiet suburban town of Maplewood, Ohio, Brittany Edwards sat at her kitchen table, her phone screen casting a faint glow in the dim light of early evening. Her hands trembled as she read the message from a friend: a screenshot of a TikTok video posted by her 12-year-old daughter, Lily, with the caption, “LOWKEY GONNA COMMIT Suicide.” The words hit Brittany like a freight train. Her daughter, once a vibrant middle schooler who loved sketching and soccer, had been retreating into her phone for months, consumed by the endless scroll of TikTok’s algorithmically curated videos. Brittany’s heart sank as she realized she was one of thousands of parents across the United States banding together to confront a digital giant they believed was poisoning their children.

In January 2024, a staggering 5,000 parents, led by the organization ClaimsHero.io, filed a massive lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the app of “destroying America’s youth.” The legal action, reported by outlets like Dexerto and UNILAD, claimed that TikTok’s algorithm was a “weapon” targeting children as young as 12 with a relentless stream of harmful content—violent videos, sexual material, and posts glorifying self-harm or suicide. The parents, including Brittany, alleged that the app’s design exploited young minds, fostering addiction and exacerbating a mental health crisis among teens. ClaimsHero, which facilitates legal claims by connecting families with lawyers, emphasized the urgency of the lawsuit, pointing to a July 2023 update to TikTok’s user agreement that required claims to be filed within one year of account creation or risk being barred forever.

Brittany’s story was not unique. Across the country, parents shared similar tales of distress. In California, Maria Gonzalez noticed her 14-year-old son, Diego, growing increasingly withdrawn, his sleep disrupted by late-night TikTok sessions. In Texas, John Carter discovered his daughter had been exposed to videos promoting dangerous “challenges,” like the 2022 “blackout challenge” that led to the tragic deaths of several children. These challenges, often viral on TikTok, encouraged risky behaviors, with some resulting in fatal consequences, such as a 15-year-old boy in Manhattan who died while “subway surfing” after watching related content on the app.

The lawsuit painted a grim picture of TikTok’s inner workings. Internal documents, later revealed in separate state-led lawsuits in October 2024, showed that TikTok executives were aware of the app’s harmful effects. A 2019 company document noted that “the younger the user, the better the performance” in engagement metrics, acknowledging that children were especially susceptible to the app’s infinite scroll and dopamine-inducing algorithm . Despite this, TikTok publicly touted safety features like screen-time reminders and parental controls, which internal research admitted were largely ineffective. Kentucky investigators uncovered that the company measured the success of these tools not by reduced screen time but by improved public perception through media coverage.

The parents’ lawsuit, spearheaded by ClaimsHero, sought up to $10,000 in damages per family, arguing that TikTok’s algorithm turned the platform into a “drug” that hooked kids with unpredictable rewards , much like a slot machine. The legal action wasn’t just about compensation—it was a cry for accountability. “TikTok is a commercial company offering a product to consumers who are minors,” said Laure Boutron-Marmion, a lawyer representing families in a related French lawsuit filed later in 2024. “They must answer for the product’s shortcomings.”

TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, faced mounting pressure. In addition to the parents’ lawsuit, 14 state attorneys general, including those from New York and California, filed suits in October 2024, accusing TikTok of violating consumer protection laws by designing an addictive platform that worsened the youth mental health crisis. These lawsuits highlighted features like autoplay, push notifications, and livestreaming, which allegedly enabled exploitation, including a “virtual strip club” environment where underage users were incentivized to produce explicit content for digital “gifts” that could be cashed out.

TikTok’s response was consistent: it “strongly disagreed” with the allegations, calling them “inaccurate and misleading.” Spokesman Alex Haurek pointed to safeguards like default privacy settings for users under 16 and proactive removal of underage accounts. Yet, critics argued these measures were insufficient. Studies cited by the American Parents Coalition found that new TikTok accounts registered as belonging to children were exposed to suicidal content within minutes. The District of Columbia’s lawsuit alleged that TikTok’s algorithm trapped teens in “online bubbles” filled with harmful material, from body-image obsession to self-harm tutorials.

Back in Maplewood, Brittany joined the lawsuit not just for Lily but for every parent grappling with the app’s influence. She remembered the sleepless nights after finding her daughter’s video, the therapy sessions, and the painful conversations about mental health. Lily was now recovering, but the scars remained. The lawsuit gave Brittany hope that TikTok might be forced to change—perhaps adopting stricter controls like those on Douyin, ByteDance’s Chinese version of the app, which limits nighttime usage and enforces 40-minute daily caps for young users.

As the legal battles unfolded, the stakes grew higher. TikTok faced a potential U.S. ban by January 2025 unless ByteDance divested the app, a law the company was challenging as unconstitutional. The parents’ lawsuit, alongside state actions, added to a growing chorus demanding reform. For Brittany and thousands of others, the fight wasn’t just about money—it was about protecting a generation from a digital world that seemed to prey on their vulnerabilities. Whether the courts would hold TikTok accountable remained uncertain, but in Maplewood, Brittany held her daughter a little tighter, vowing to keep her safe from the algorithm’s grip.

**Note**: This story is a fictional narrative based on real events and details from the provided sources. Names and specific personal stories, like those of Brittany and Lily, are invented for illustrative purposes but draw on the general experiences described in the lawsuit coverage.[](https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/tiktok-sued-by-5000-parents-claiming-app-is-poisoning-americas-youth-2487593/)[](https://www.unilad.com/news/us-news/tiktok-sued-parents-app-poising-american-youth-531740-20240120)[](https://www.npr.org/2024/10/08/g-s1-26823/states-sue-tiktok-child-safety-mental-health)

Ontario Schools Take on Social Media: $4.5B Lawsuit Targets TikTok, Meta, Snapchat

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 20:53:56 GMT

Ontario Schools Sue TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat for $4.5 Billion

**A Battle for the Classroom: Ontario Schools Sue TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat for $4.5 Billion**

In the bustling halls of Toronto’s Woburn Collegiate Institute, teachers noticed a troubling shift. Students, once engaged in lively debates or focused on their studies, were increasingly distracted, their eyes glued to their phones. The culprits, according to four of Ontario’s largest school boards, were the addictive algorithms of TikTok, Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, and Snapchat. In March 2024, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Peel District School Board (PDSB), Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), and Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) filed a $4.5 billion lawsuit against these social media giants, alleging their platforms were wreaking havoc on students’ mental health and education.

The lawsuit, filed in Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice, claimed that the platforms were “negligently designed for compulsive use” and had “rewired the way children think, behave, and learn,” leaving educators to manage the fallout. The school boards, represented by Toronto-based litigation firm Neinstein LLP, argued that the apps’ infinite content streams, driven by sophisticated algorithms, fostered addiction, distraction, and a host of issues including social withdrawal, anxiety, cyberbullying, and mental health challenges. The TDSB alone sought $1.6 billion in damages, with the total claim across the four boards reaching $4.5 billion (approximately US$2.9 billion)

Colleen Russell-Rawlins, TDSB’s Director of Education, spoke passionately about the crisis. “The influence of social media on today’s youth at school cannot be denied,” she said. “It leads to pervasive problems such as distraction, social withdrawal, cyberbullying, a rapid escalation of aggression, and mental health challenges.” Studies cited by the boards revealed that over 90% of students in grades 7 to 12 used social media daily, with 45% spending more than five hours on these platforms, time that eroded their ability to engage in learning and build real-world relationships.

The allegations zeroed in on specific design choices. TikTok’s “For You Page,” an endless feed tailored by machine learning, was singled out as a deliberate tool to keep users hooked. Instagram’s Reels and the lack of effective parental controls or age verification across all platforms were also criticized. Duncan Embury, a lawyer for Neinstein, emphasized that the companies knowingly engineered their products to maximize engagement at the expense of young users’ well-being. “There is a real addiction issue with the designed algorithms,” he said, calling for better warnings, stricter age parameters, and increased resources for schools to address the fallout.

The school boards faced a daunting reality: their resources were stretched thin. They reported increased costs for mental health programs, IT infrastructure to monitor social media-related issues, and administrative efforts to manage behavioral changes. Teachers were spending more time addressing cyberbullying and helping students navigate misinformation, which the lawsuits claimed was amplified by these platforms. The boards argued that the companies’ negligence forced schools to divert funds from education to crisis management.

Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, responded by highlighting its platform’s unique design. “Snapchat opens directly to a camera—rather than a feed of content—and has no traditional public likes or comments,” said spokeswoman Tonya Johnson. “We feel good about the role Snapchat plays in helping close friends feel connected, happy, and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence.” TikTok pointed to its “industry-leading safeguards,” including parental controls and a 60-minute screen-time limit for users under 18. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, later stated it had invested in tools to support teens, such as protected accounts on Instagram, and disagreed with the allegations

The lawsuit wasn’t an isolated effort. By November 2024, the number of plaintiffs grew to 12 Ontario school boards and two private schools, including Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and York Catholic District School Board, pushing the total damages sought to over $8 billion. The case gained momentum when, in March 2025, Ontario Superior Court Justice Janet Leiper rejected a motion by Meta, Snap, and TikTok to dismiss the lawsuit, allowing it to proceed to trial. “This is the first step in achieving justice for the education system, and ultimately the next generation of leaders,” Embury declared.

The Ontario boards drew inspiration from similar lawsuits in the United States, where over 500 school districts and dozens of states, including California and New York, had sued Meta for harming youth mental health. The Canadian case, however, faced skepticism. Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticized the boards, urging them to “put all their resources into the kids” rather than legal battles. Education Minister Stephen Lecce echoed this, noting the province’s plan to ban cell phones in classrooms and block social media on school networks. Still, the boards pressed on, with no legal costs incurred unless they won, thanks to Neinstein’s contingency fee arrangement.

As the case moved forward, educators like Rachel Chernos Lin, a TDSB trustee, remained resolute. “These companies have knowingly created programs that are addictive and aimed at young people, causing significant harm,” she said. For schools across Ontario, the fight was about more than money—it was about reclaiming the classroom from the grip of algorithms and ensuring students could learn, grow, and thrive in a world not dictated by the next swipe or scroll.

**Note**: This story is grounded in factual details from the provided sources, with minor narrative embellishments to set the scene, such as the description of Woburn Collegiate Institute. All claims, figures, and quotes are based on the referenced web results. The allegations in the lawsuits have not been proven in court.

Roblox vs. TikTok: The Alarming Race to Digitize Your Child's Life (and Data)

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 20:41:17 GMT

From Facial Scans to Full Device Access: Unpacking the Hidden Dangers of "Kid-Friendly" Platforms

Beyond Roblox: TikTok's Alarming Data Harvest and the Pervasive Threat to Young Users

The debate over Roblox's new age verification system, with its reliance on facial scans and promises of "unfiltered chats," rightly raises alarms about privacy and safety for children and teens. However, this is not an isolated incident. Another digital behemoth, TikTok , stands as a prime example of a platform whose offerings are fraught with even more extensive and insidious dangers for its vast youth demographic, rooted in its aggressive data collection practices that often extend far beyond what users, and especially parents, might ever imagine.

TikTok's Insatiable Appetite for Data: A Digital Fingerprint on Every User

While Roblox is implementing new biometric collection, TikTok has long been under fire for its comprehensive data harvesting, often without explicit, informed consent. This isn't just about what you post or what age you claim to be; it's about the very essence of your digital presence.

Beyond the Feed: The Alarming Truth About Keystrokes, Contacts, and Hidden Data Harvesting

Reading Your Digital Footprint - Even Without a Login: Disturbingly, reports from security researchers have highlighted TikTok's capability to read information on devices even if a user isn't logged into the app. This can include monitoring network activity and gathering device identifiers, painting a picture of user behavior across the entire device, not just within the app itself. The extent of this "shadow tracking" for non-users raises profound questions about consent and privacy boundaries.

Your Contacts, Exposed: Upon installation, TikTok often prompts users to grant access to their device's contacts. If granted, this means TikTok can hoover up the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of everyone in a user's phone book. This is particularly alarming for children and teens, as it can expose the personal details of their friends, family members, and acquaintances, often without those individuals' knowledge or consent. Even if a user declines this permission, their contacts can still be ingested if another user who has them in their contact list grants the app access.

The Invisible Keystroke Logger: Perhaps one of the most chilling findings is the research indicating that TikTok's in-app browser has the capability to monitor every single keystroke a user makes when they click on an external link within the app. This means if a user accesses a website through TikTok's browser – which it often defaults to, making it difficult to open in a more secure external browser – the app could theoretically capture sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, and private messages typed on that external site. While TikTok claims this functionality is for "debugging, troubleshooting and performance monitoring" and is not actively used to collect such data, the mere presence of this capability within a widely used app raises significant red flags and mirrors the behavior of spyware.

Biometric Data and Behavioral Profiling: Beyond explicit facial scans for age verification (which TikTok also employs for certain features like "Live"), the platform continuously collects biometric information through its analysis of user-generated content. This includes facial geometry and voice patterns used for filters and effects, but also for content moderation, demographic classification, and inferred interests. This data, combined with extensive behavioral tracking (what videos you watch, how long, what you like, comment on, and share), creates an incredibly detailed profile of each user – a digital twin that can be used for highly targeted advertising and content delivery, potentially exploiting vulnerabilities in young, developing minds.

The Content Conundrum: When "Unfiltered" Meets Algorithmic Addiction

Like Roblox's "unfiltered chats," TikTok's core offering relies on an algorithmically driven content feed that, despite moderation efforts, frequently exposes young users to inappropriate and harmful material.

Algorithmic Rabbit Holes: TikTok's "For You Page" is designed for maximum engagement, often leading users down addictive and potentially dangerous "rabbit holes." This can include sexually suggestive content, self-harm trends, extreme dietary advice, dangerous challenges, and misinformation. The rapid-fire nature of the content and the personalized recommendations can make it incredibly difficult for children and teens to disengage or to critically evaluate what they are consuming.

The Illusion of Moderation: While TikTok invests in content moderation, the sheer volume of uploads makes comprehensive oversight impossible. Harmful content can be cleverly disguised or slip through the cracks, and "critical harm" monitoring often means intervention happens after exposure, not before.

Mental Health Fallout: The constant exposure to curated, often unrealistic, portrayals of life on TikTok can contribute to negative body image, anxiety, depression, and social comparison issues among young users. The addictive nature of the platform also fuels excessive screen time, impacting sleep, academic performance, and real-world social interactions.

The Broader Implications: National Security and a Generation's Privacy

TikTok's Chinese ownership by ByteDance adds another layer of profound concern, bringing national security implications into the privacy debate. Governments worldwide, including the U.S., have voiced fears that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government, potentially for surveillance or intelligence purposes. While TikTok denies these allegations and has initiated measures like Project Texas to localize U.S. user data, the inherent structure of the company and the legal framework in China continue to fuel these anxieties.

In conclusion, while platforms like Roblox grapple with the complex terrain of age verification and user safety, TikTok exemplifies a far more pervasive and alarming threat. Its extensive, often opaque, data collection practices – including the potential to read everything on a device, access contacts, and monitor keystrokes – coupled with its powerful, addictive algorithm and inherent content moderation challenges, paint a grim picture for the privacy and well-being of its millions of young users. The push for "trusted connections" and "unfiltered chats" on any platform must be viewed with extreme skepticism when it comes at the cost of such profound digital surveillance and the persistent exposure to unseen dangers.

Advice for Parents: Guarding the Digital Frontier

For parents seeking safer options, we invite you to join our private network, kidsinc.ONE .

The digital landscape can feel overwhelming, but parents are the first line of defense. Proactive engagement and open communication are key.

Educate Yourself and Your Child: Stay informed about the apps your children use and their privacy policies. Discuss online risks openly and honestly with your kids, explaining why certain information should remain private. Use simple language and real-life scenarios.
Use Parental Control Tools Wisely: Consider reputable parental control software that can help manage screen time, filter content, and monitor for concerning activity. Remember, these are tools to aid, not replace, communication.
Harden Privacy Settings: Sit down with your child and go through the privacy settings on all their social media and gaming accounts. Default settings are rarely the most private.

TikTok Specifics: Utilize TikTok's "Family Pairing" feature to link your account to your child's. This allows you to set daily screen time limits, enable Restricted Mode, control discoverability (private vs. public account), manage direct messages (DMs), and filter content.

No Unsupervised Downloads: Require permission before your child downloads any new apps or games. Research new platforms thoroughly before allowing access.
Device-Level Permissions: Regularly review app permissions on your child's device (e.g., access to contacts, microphone, camera, location services). Disable anything that isn't absolutely essential for the app's core function.
Common Areas for Devices: Keep devices used by younger children in common areas of the home, allowing for natural supervision.
Strong Passwords and 2FA: Teach your children about creating strong, unique passwords for every account and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible. Consider a family password manager.
Understand In-App Browsers: Explain that clicking a link within an app might open it in an internal browser that lacks the security features of a standalone browser and could be monitoring their activity. Encourage opening sensitive links in external, secure browsers.
Model Good Behavior: Children learn by example. Be mindful of your own digital habits, privacy settings, and the information you share online.

Safety Tips for Kids: Navigating Your Digital World

Your online world is exciting, but it also has rules to keep you safe. Think of these as your superhero guide to the internet!

Think Before You Post/Share: Once something is online, it's very hard to take back. Ask yourself: "Would I be okay with my parents, teachers, or even a future boss seeing this?" If not, don't share it.
Keep Personal Info Private: Never share your full name, home address, school name, phone number, or where you hang out without a trusted adult's permission. Your personal information is like money – don't give it away easily!
Passwords Are Your Secret Superpower: Never share your passwords with anyone, except your parents. Make them long and strong, using a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.
"Friends" Online Might Not Be Friends in Real Life: Be very careful about who you accept as a "connection" or "follower." Not everyone online is who they say they are. Never agree to meet someone you only know online without your parents' explicit permission and supervision.
Be Wary of Links and Downloads: If a message or link looks weird or comes from someone you don't know, don't click on it! It could be a trick to get your information or put a virus on your device. Always ask a parent first.
"Unfiltered" Doesn't Mean "Safe": If an app or chat says it's "unfiltered," it means some of the usual safety checks are off. This can expose you to things that aren't good for you. If something makes you feel uncomfortable, confused, or scared, tell a trusted adult right away.
Know How to Block and Report: If someone is being mean, asking for inappropriate things, or making you uncomfortable, block them immediately and report them to the platform. Don't engage with them.
If Something Feels Wrong, Tell an Adult: Trust your gut feeling. If anything online makes you feel uneasy, worried, or anxious, talk to a parent, teacher, or another trusted adult. They are there to help you, not to judge.
Regular Privacy Checks: Ask your parents to help you check your privacy settings on all your apps regularly. Make sure you know who can see your posts and send you messages.

Privacy Erased: Roblox's New Age Verification Demands Intrusive Facial Biometrics from Children

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 19:20:13 GMT

Roblox's Risky Rollout: Trading Teen Privacy for Biometric Surveillance

Beyond "Unfiltered Chat": The Alarming Reality of Roblox's Biometric Data Grab

Roblox, the immensely popular online platform, is rolling out a new feature called "Trusted Connections" aimed at allowing older teens and adults to chat more freely. However, this initiative comes with significant inherent dangers, primarily stemming from its reliance on facial scans and government IDs for age verification, and the promise of "unfiltered" chats, even with "critical harm" monitoring in place. While framed as a safety measure, these changes open a Pandora's box of privacy violations, data security risks, and the potential for increased exposure to harmful content.

The Perils of Biometric Data Collection from Minors

The cornerstone of "Trusted Connections" is the mandatory age verification via video selfie analysis or government ID. This directly involves the collection of sensitive biometric data, even from users as young as 13.

The risks associated with collecting and storing such immutable personal information, especially from minors, are manifold:

Irreversible Compromise: Unlike passwords or usernames, biometric data like facial geometry cannot be changed if compromised in a data breach. A breach of Roblox's or their partner Persona's systems could expose millions of users to lifelong risks of identity theft and fraudulent impersonation.

Privacy Erosion and Surveillance: The collection of facial scans contributes to a growing database of biometric information on young users. This raises concerns about potential surveillance, tracking, and the creation of detailed profiles on individuals, blurring the lines between online activity and real-world identity. Even with claims of data deletion after 30 days, the potential for misuse or retention "where legally required" leaves a dangerous loophole.

Vulnerability to Advanced Attacks: Biometric systems, while seemingly secure, are not infallible. As highlighted by cybersecurity experts, they are susceptible to sophisticated attacks like "deepfakes" and adversarial AI, which could be used to bypass age verification, potentially allowing underage users access to unfiltered chats or, conversely, enabling bad actors to impersonate legitimate users.

Lack of Informed Consent for Minors: While Roblox states there will be options for "verified parental consent" in the future, the immediate implementation relies on teens themselves submitting facial scans. It is questionable whether a 13-year-old can truly provide fully informed consent for the collection and processing of their biometric data, understanding the long-term implications.

"Unfiltered Chats" and the Illusion of Safety

The promise of "unfiltered" chats within "Trusted Connections" is deeply concerning, despite Roblox's assurance of "critical harm" monitoring. The very nature of "unfiltered" implies a significant loosening of moderation, and relying solely on post-event monitoring for "critical harm" is a reactive, rather than proactive, safety measure.

Defining "Critical Harm": The broad definition of "critical harm," encompassing "predatory behavior," "sexualization of minors," and "inappropriate sexual conversations," while important, leaves a vast grey area. What constitutes "inappropriate" versus merely "unfiltered"? The subjective nature of this definition could lead to inconsistencies in enforcement and allow harmful content to persist, particularly in the rapid-fire environment of online chat.

Reactive vs. Proactive Safety: Monitoring for "critical harm" means the harm must occur before it is detected and addressed. This places children and teens at immediate risk, potentially exposing them to grooming, cyberbullying, hate speech, or the exchange of illegal content before intervention can take place.

Limitations of AI Monitoring: While AI can be a powerful tool for content moderation, it is not foolproof. AI models can be bypassed, tricked, or may fail to grasp nuanced human conversation, especially in a truly "unfiltered" environment. The ability for users to communicate sensitive or harmful content using coded language or subtle cues might evade automated detection.

Real-Life Connections and Off-Platform Risks: The provision allowing teens to add adults they "know in real life" via QR codes or contact import, while seemingly designed to connect existing relationships, also presents a vulnerability. This could facilitate the transition of potentially harmful offline relationships into the less-monitored online space, or create pressure for teens to add individuals they barely know in person.

Broader Implications and The Slippery Slope

Roblox's move is part of a broader industry trend towards age verification, often spurred by legislative pressure. However, the chosen methods and the implications for user privacy warrant serious scrutiny.

Normalization of Biometric Scans: By implementing facial scans for a platform popular with young users, Roblox normalizes the collection of biometric data at an early age. This could pave the way for more pervasive biometric requirements across online services, eroding privacy expectations for an entire generation.

The "Security vs. Privacy" Debate: While enhanced safety for minors is a commendable goal, the methods employed by Roblox lean heavily on invasive data collection, potentially sacrificing individual privacy for perceived security. A true balance requires prioritizing privacy-preserving technologies and comprehensive, proactive content moderation, rather than relying on reactive monitoring of "unfiltered" spaces.

Potential for Abuse and Mission Creep: Any system designed to collect and verify sensitive personal information carries the inherent risk of mission creep. Data collected for one purpose could, in the future, be repurposed or accessed for other uses, potentially by law enforcement or other entities, raising concerns about individual liberties and digital rights.

In conclusion, while Roblox's stated intention is to create safer spaces, the implementation of facial scans and unfiltered chats for "Trusted Connections" introduces a range of significant and inherent dangers. These include substantial privacy risks due to biometric data collection from minors, the reactive and potentially insufficient nature of "critical harm" monitoring in unfiltered environments, and the broader societal implications of normalizing intrusive age verification methods. It is crucial for users, parents, and policymakers to critically evaluate these measures and demand solutions that truly prioritize safety without compromising fundamental privacy rights.

Advice for Parents: Guarding the Digital Frontier

For parents seeking safer options, we invite you to join our private network, kidsinc.ONE .

The digital landscape can feel overwhelming, but parents are the first line of defense. Proactive engagement and open communication are key.

Educate Yourself and Your Child: Stay informed about the apps your children use and their privacy policies. Discuss online risks openly and honestly with your kids, explaining why certain information should remain private. Use simple language and real-life scenarios.
Use Parental Control Tools Wisely: Consider reputable parental control software that can help manage screen time, filter content, and monitor for concerning activity. Remember, these are tools to aid, not replace, communication.
Harden Privacy Settings: Sit down with your child and go through the privacy settings on all their social media and gaming accounts. Default settings are rarely the most private.

TikTok Specifics: Utilize TikTok's "Family Pairing" feature to link your account to your child's. This allows you to set daily screen time limits, enable Restricted Mode, control discoverability (private vs. public account), manage direct messages (DMs), and filter content.

No Unsupervised Downloads: Require permission before your child downloads any new apps or games. Research new platforms thoroughly before allowing access.
Device-Level Permissions: Regularly review app permissions on your child's device (e.g., access to contacts, microphone, camera, location services). Disable anything that isn't absolutely essential for the app's core function.
Common Areas for Devices: Keep devices used by younger children in common areas of the home, allowing for natural supervision.
Strong Passwords and 2FA: Teach your children about creating strong, unique passwords for every account and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible. Consider a family password manager.
Understand In-App Browsers: Explain that clicking a link within an app might open it in an internal browser that lacks the security features of a standalone browser and could be monitoring their activity. Encourage opening sensitive links in external, secure browsers.
Model Good Behavior: Children learn by example. Be mindful of your own digital habits, privacy settings, and the information you share online.

Safety Tips for Kids: Navigating Your Digital World

Your online world is exciting, but it also has rules to keep you safe. Think of these as your superhero guide to the internet!

Think Before You Post/Share: Once something is online, it's very hard to take back. Ask yourself: "Would I be okay with my parents, teachers, or even a future boss seeing this?" If not, don't share it.
Keep Personal Info Private: Never share your full name, home address, school name, phone number, or where you hang out without a trusted adult's permission. Your personal information is like money – don't give it away easily!
Passwords Are Your Secret Superpower: Never share your passwords with anyone, except your parents. Make them long and strong, using a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.
"Friends" Online Might Not Be Friends in Real Life: Be very careful about who you accept as a "connection" or "follower." Not everyone online is who they say they are. Never agree to meet someone you only know online without your parents' explicit permission and supervision.
Be Wary of Links and Downloads: If a message or link looks weird or comes from someone you don't know, don't click on it! It could be a trick to get your information or put a virus on your device. Always ask a parent first.
"Unfiltered" Doesn't Mean "Safe": If an app or chat says it's "unfiltered," it means some of the usual safety checks are off. This can expose you to things that aren't good for you. If something makes you feel uncomfortable, confused, or scared, tell a trusted adult right away.
Know How to Block and Report: If someone is being mean, asking for inappropriate things, or making you uncomfortable, block them immediately and report them to the platform. Don't engage with them.
If Something Feels Wrong, Tell an Adult: Trust your gut feeling. If anything online makes you feel uneasy, worried, or anxious, talk to a parent, teacher, or another trusted adult. They are there to help you, not to judge.
Regular Privacy Checks: Ask your parents to help you check your privacy settings on all your apps regularly. Make sure you know who can see your posts and send you messages.

Tired of Toxic Social Media?

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 02:16:09 GMT

Discover kidsinc.ONE: A Safer, More Empowering Online World for Your Family.

In today's fast-paced digital world, it’s no secret that finding a truly safe and nurturing online environment for our children can feel like an impossible task. Mainstream social media platforms, designed for endless engagement, often expose young minds to manipulative algorithms, inappropriate content, and even predatory risks. As parents, we're left searching for an alternative – a space where our kids can explore their creativity, connect with peers, and have fun, all without compromising their safety or privacy.

That’s where kidsinc.ONE comes in.

Welcome to a groundbreaking solution from KIDS INC. , a dedicated charitable educational entertainment organization. We’re thrilled to be developing a private, family-first online community that’s redefining what a positive digital experience looks like for youth. And we invite you to be among the very first to experience it by joining our private beta!

Why kidsinc.ONE Is Urgently Needed

Let’s be frank: the current digital landscape presents undeniable challenges. Concerns are mounting globally about the dark side of social media – manipulative algorithms designed for addiction, pervasive exposure to harmful content, alarming risks from sexual predators, and constant surveillance through data tracking and mining. Our youth are not products to be exploited; they are individuals deserving of online spaces that prioritize their well-being, protect their privacy, and nurture their potential. They need champions in technology who will build platforms with their best interests at heart.

Our Solution: Introducing kidsinc.ONE – A New Standard for Safer Online Experiences for Youth

This is the unwavering commitment of KIDS INC. We are building kidsinc.ONE – a private, membership-based community meticulously designed for youth creators, actors, artists, athletes, performers, micro-influencers, and their friends and fans. It’s more than just a platform; it's a vibrant ecosystem where young individuals can truly thrive:

Showcase & Discover Talent: A dedicated space to share their skills and find inspiration.
Connect & Collaborate: Build genuine friendships, start fan clubs, and engage with a supportive community.
Learn & Grow: Access resources, workshops (coming soon!), and opportunities.
Play & Have Fun: Enjoy engaging games, watch curated movies, and simply have a good time in a secure setting.

kidsinc.ONE is fundamentally built on trust – a place where parents can finally feel confident about their children's online interactions.

Core Pillars & Benefits of kidsinc.ONE

Our platform is built on principles that prioritize your family's peace of mind and your child's growth:

Uncompromising Safety & Privacy: A True Online Sanctuary

We are dedicated to creating a porn-free, bully-free, and positive environment, shielded from harmful influences and sexual predators. Your family’s privacy is paramount. kidsinc.ONE features extensive, user-controlled privacy settings by default. Critically, we do not track users, collect unnecessary data, or sell member information. This commitment ensures peace of mind for parents.

Empowering Young Creators & Individuals: Unleash Potential

Our platform empowers young individuals to confidently share their unique talents with the world. They can build engaged audiences and explore entrepreneurial avenues through their creative content and merchandise in a supportive space designed to help them thrive and connect with opportunities.

Engaging & Family-Friendly Fun: Wholesome Entertainment & Connection

Dive into a world of entertainment with ad-free games and curated video content. We're thrilled that Forestry Games has generously sponsored 700 link and ad-free casual games designed to exercise and stimulate the brain! Our community features are built to foster healthy, constructive engagement, helping youth build positive online relationships.

Key Features Powering the kidsinc.ONE Experience.

Our platform is equipped with a versatile suite of tools designed to foster creativity, connection, and fun:

Profile & Content Creation: Manage multiple, distinct profiles, publish dynamic Talent Profiles, and share content through Blogs, Image/Video Galleries, Videos, Stories and Reels. Plus, look out for our developing Creator Studio Tools.
Community & Engagement: Create and manage Fan Pages and Groups (with optional subscriptions), engage via Livestreaming, and discover new talents through our Talent Directory.
Entertainment & Learning: Access an extensive library of ad-free Games, watch curated Videos and Movies.
Monetization & Growth Opportunities: Monetize through Subscriptions, Tips, and Fundraising tools. Utilize the Marketplace to sell merchandise, services, and digital downloads. Connect with Casting and Sponsorship Opportunities (coming soon!).
Platform Access: Native iOS and Android Apps (coming soon) for a seamless mobile experience.
Special Events (Coming Soon): Exclusive Livestream Events, Virtual Concerts, and Showcases.

Join Us in Fostering a Better Digital Future for Youth!

KIDS INC. is more than just an organization; it's a charitable movement dedicated to supporting a safer, more positive digital world for children and teens. kidsinc.ONE is the manifestation of this dedication – a platform built on principles of safety, respect, and empowerment.

By joining our private beta, you’re not just getting early access; you’re becoming a crucial part of a movement to provide a healthier online alternative for families. Your feedback will help us shape a platform that truly serves the needs of young people and offers a trusted space for parents everywhere.

Ready to experience the difference? Join Us!

Game On for Safety! Huge Thanks to Forestry Games!

kidsontv@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 22:23:10 GMT

KIDS INC. Partners with Forestry Games for Safe Online Fun!

We're bursting with excitement to announce a fantastic partnership that's bringing even more fun and learning to our brand new social family friendly safe platform, kidsinc.ONE.

You may already know that kidsinc.ONE is all about creating a safe and enriching online space for youth. We're developing it to be completely family-friendly, free from harmful content, data collection, tracking, bullying, and stalking.

But what's a platform without awesome games, right?

That's where Forestry Games comes in as our Partnering Game Sponsor. We reached out to them with a big ask. And guess what? They didn't just answer our call, they hit it out of the park!

Not only did Forestry Games offer up a huge variety of fantastic games, perfect for all ages and interests, they also went the extra mile to make them even safer for our young users by providing games without advertisements and external links, ensuring a clean and secure gaming experience within kidsinc.ONE.

A HUGE thank you to Forestry Games!

This incredible partnership is a game-changer for us. Together, we're taking a big step forward in keeping kids safe online. Now, they can enjoy all the fun and educational benefits of online gaming in a completely secure environment.

So, get ready to level up your fun at kidsinc.ONE! With tons of exciting games to choose from, there's something for everyone. And remember, you can play without any worries thanks to the amazing support of Forestry Games.

Let's make online play a positive and enriching experience for our youth!

Stay tuned! We'll be sharing more about kidsinc.ONE and all the fantastic things you can do there in future posts.

See you on the safe side of the web!

The KIDS INC. Team

UNEXPECTED KINDNESS RESTORES FAITH IN HUMANITY

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 22:43:49 GMT

FORESTRY GAMES PARTNERS WITH KIDSINC.ONE TO POWER SAFE AD/LINK FREE GAMES.

KIDS INC. HONORED TO ANNOUNCE & WELCOME FORESTRY GAMES TO THE FAMILY.

Forestry Games is a leading game creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular web platforms.

Paying it Forward Supporting Youth Safety

Have you ever had a moment when time stopped and reality seems have shifted? Then you'll appreciate this.

Creating something from nothing with limited resources is a journey. Developing the kidsinc.one platform started 3 years ago enduring many challenges. The vision of the project is simple. The actual emergence of all the right elements, people, collaborations and technical requirements has been difficult without funding.

Endurance is the driver that pushes humans to keep going regardless of what it make look like at the moment. It's the final outcome that matters.

It matters if there's a mental health crisis amongst youth.
It matters if children are exploited by people and corporations.
It matters if teens feel suicidal prompted by what they experience on social media.
It matters if children are stalked.
It matters if children are tracked.
It matters how everyone's data is handled.

So because it matters, the journey continues in the development of kidsinc.one.

TikTok and Instagram are public swimming pools open to everyone.
kidsinc.one is a private waterpark for members only. This a safety feature of the platform.
Everyone invited may invite others they know.

KidsInc.one is a safe platform that's family friendly. Inside, it's like many platforms where members can create profiles, fan pages,

sell items/digital downloads, create groups, chat, livestream, blog, fundraise, monetize content, manage privacy settings, report abuse, watch movies and play games. The platform is private only accessible by invitation.

Games are by far one of the most popular categories of activities on the platform, but finding quality games that are fun, entertaining, and educational without ads and links was an ongoing problem that needed to be solved.

Licensing games without ads and links is cost prohibited at this time. Quotes ran from $650 to $5,000 per game and none offered a nonprofit discount.

As the search continued through DuckDuckGo engine as Google kept showing the same distributors.... made contact through email with several, as before. Sometimes there's no response, or responses with price tags too high for our small nonprofit.

There were several responses. All but one gave a price for licensing. The other asked for a few details on who we are and what our needs were. A response was sent in reply with a short description of KIDS INC. and what out goal was for games on the kidsinc.one platform.

The next day was magical. In response to our reply, they solved a long standing worrisome problem for the project by offering KIDS INC. access to their game library of 700 titles without ads or links to publish directly on the kidsinc.one platform! Wow! What blessing.

On behalf of KIDS INC. , and the kidsinc.one platform and all the families that will soon be playing our games, we'd like to express much Respect, Thanks and Gratitude to Forestry Games (Partnering Game Sponsor) for their kind contribution to project and the overall vision of keeping kids safe online.

We Appreciate you.

KIDS INC.

Learn more about Forestry Games.

The Mindset of a Champion | Carson Byblow | TEDxYouth@AASSofia

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 22:36:49 GMT

Carson Byblow 5th grader at Anglo American School of Sofia in Bulgaria.

1,590,885 views Apr 11, 2018

Carson Byblow is a 5th grade student who goes to the Anglo American School of Sofia in Bulgaria. He was born in Belgrade, Serbia but is from Canada. Funny thing is he has never lived in Canada but have visited many times. Carson loves to play football, basketball and hangout with his friends and family. He speaks a little of Bulgarian and is fluent in English. He wrote his talk about growth and fixed mindsets because he has struggled with for his long life of ten years. "The Mindset of a Champion" - Carson Byblow is a 5th grade student who goes to the Anglo American School of Sofia in Bulgaria. He was born in Belgrade, Serbia but is from Canada. Funny thing is he has never lived in Canada but have visited many times. Carson loves to play football, basketball and hangout with his friends and family. He speaks a little of Bulgarian and is fluent in English. He wrote his talk about growth and fixed mindsets because he has struggled with for his long life of ten years. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Cell Phone Addiction | Tanner Welton | TEDxLangleyED

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 22:13:39 GMT

Tanner Welton grade 8 from the Langley, British Columbia.

484,276 views Jun 10, 2019

Tanner has a comedic and uncanny way of noticing everyday events. He draws people in while entertaining them about his personal experiences pertaining to social interactions and common cell phone usage amongst the youth of today. Tanner Welton is a grade 8 student from the Langley, British Columbia. He enjoys public speaking, hockey, drama the outdoors and socializing with friends. He is a very social kid who takes a keen interest in people. He is very personable and charismatic. He notices the more subtle ways people interact and loves to evaluate these relationships and share stories. He is empathic and caring towards others and notices when others feel sad, lonely or not accepted in groups. He wants all to be accepted and cared for and strives for fairness and understanding in the world. He has learned to be resilient as he faces his own daily challenges and is learning to overcome obstacles and see the light in his future. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

You're being manipulated and don't even know it | Nate Pressner | TEDxYouth@Basel

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 05:11:10 GMT

Nate Pressner speaks from experience and observation. A Must Watch For Teens.

174,795 views Mar 7, 2019

We're all aware of fake news, but is that all we need to be aware of? As younger generations increasingly get their news from non-news and higher entertainment value sources...it begs the question: when does information become...manipulation? This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Glenn Greenwald: Why privacy matters

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 04:59:54 GMT

Greenwald makes the case for why you need to care about privacy, even if you’re “not doing anything you need to hide."

863,828 views Oct 10, 2014

Glenn Greenwald was one of the first reporters to see — and write about — the Edward Snowden files, with their revelations about the United States' extensive surveillance of private citizens. In this searing talk, Greenwald makes the case for why you need to care about privacy, even if you’re “not doing anything you need to hide."

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.

Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate

The Future of Your Personal Data - Privacy vs Monetization | Stuart Lacey | TEDxBermuda

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 04:49:38 GMT

Big data is big business. How much are you worth? Stuart Lacey Video TEDx

Here's that information everyone has been avoiding.

Your Privacy is for sale and so are your children's.

Be Enlightened!

199,850 views Dec 20, 2015

Big data is big business and as value is created from customer insight - but, where is the moral line? What happens when companies cross that line? What if consumers could flip the equation to offer their data directly to the companies they trust? The future could be customer monetized data.

Investor and entrepreneur. Futurist, and established thought leader on Personal Data and Privacy. Published in Forbes, American Banker, FinExtra and Startup Collective; named by Bank Innovation as one of the 2015 Innovators to Watch - CEO’s who are Changing the Future of Banking. A multiple award-winning Member of the Young Presidents Organization; the Young Entrepreneur’s Council and The Institute of Directors; as well as a graduate of McGill University and the inventor of a number of industry defining patents all relating to the creation, sharing and monetization of customer data.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

KIDS INVADE INTERNET. TECH COMPANIES FALL SHORT.

kidsontv@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 06:18:20 GMT

175,000 KIDS GO ONLINE FOR FIRST TIME. 40% OF NEW INTERNET USERS ARE CHILDREN.

Everyday, more than one-hundred-seventy-thousand children go online for the first time.

In 2018, more that 40% of new internet users globally were children.

According to Kids Digital Media, a report conducted in 2019 showed that the global kids digital advertising market will grow by more than 20% per year between 2018 - 2021 bolstering the worth of the kids advertising biz to be around $1.7 billion by 2021.

But advertising to children is problematic. YouTube continues to be legally reprimanded for tracking kids and serving up ads. [ Owned by Google, a tech giant, you'd think they would have experts consulting them on children's programming. YouTube along with Facebook, Apple and others, were not slow to hire consultants, psychologists and scientist to design platforms that are neurologically addicting by serving up hits of dopamine to users brains.

Children's content creators on YouTube have likely seen a 50% to 90% reduction in revenues after the platforms most recent changes to 'protect children', in response to a $170 million settlement with the FTC and New York Attorney General for violating COPPA, by using cookies on kid-directed channels to track children across the internet, without parental consent. Now YouTube is being sued for $170 billion for tracking kids under age 13 in London.

CHILDREN ARE TRACKED ACROSS THE INTERNET

Tech companies were invested in heavily but not just for high priced exits, or the function of the technology, but for the profits in tracking, capturing and selling user data, regardless of age.

Silicon Valley invested over $98 billion in 2018 for funding R&D by major tech companies. Yet, representing less than one percent of all tech investments, Kidcos only received a mere $500 million, according to Crunchbase .

The internet is about to be overrun with kid usage much more than adults.

The world is rapidly changing and kids are dominating. Big tech companies missed the mark by not having a kid focused strategy. They lack the expertise to create a proper ecosystem for children. Considering most tech startups were started by 'kids' themselves, it's understandable. Odd as it may seem, tech companies don't speak or understand the language of the kids industry. That too is understandable. Before software was invented, the term C# was only known as a music note a half step above C. Today it's also a software language.

The inability to communicate (even though the words are English) creates a gap in understanding. Lacking the desire to communicate with those who could easily partner with them to lesson the curve is immature. Lacking the desire to put real children ahead of fleeting financial gain is a testament to the values of society at large.

For children's content creators, this is actually a good time, if they can ride out the storm.

There are two distinct changes happening right now to improve several issues for kid/family content creators.

In brief, there's legislation and current market forces. Legislation will soon mandate technology platforms to

have a chief children's officer, required R&D levels for kidtech, and a parental quota for product development

and user platforms.

The driving force in the market is clear. Disney, Netflix, Amazon, Apple and others, are investing heavily in

kids content. There are also structural disruptors that started with desktop browsers and mobile.

The most prominent market driver are children themselves transitioning quickly from linear television to online.

This creates huge opportunities for those aligned with solutions that will help to minimize the problems inherent with this migration of kids to the internet. It will require a new level of consciousness for those at the helm of child focused companies.

Solution based companies will be needed for a host of services such as family online security, children's data protection, children's privacy rights, virtual private networks for safe untracked surfing, hacking/virus/malware protection, parental controls and more.

Add to the list important 'advanced safety prevention education' solutions, children should be required to learn so they understand dangers and risks in their own language. They must be taught how to navigate the digital jungle to mitigate unsafe and unhealthy experiences when they are online. Kids need guidance and consistent reinforcement. Many parents do as well.

Children have more power in the palm of their hand than past Presidents of countries.

Technology is taken for granted. Parents are quick to park a child in front of a tablet or computer screen for hours, without any thought to what's happening in the child's brain or any consideration to what might pop on the screen.

A growing number of parents will place their smartphone into the hands of their babies and toddlers [which at some point will end up in their mouth] with apps to entertain/distract them, without the slightest understanding of the potential hazards, especially radiation . [ Cellphones come with instructions stating they are never to be placed against the body, but held 2 inches away.]

Young children are given smartphones for 'what a generation assumes' to be convenience. Many parents are opting to give their young child a smartphone with gps or gps wristwatch to 'know where they are' when not at home.

Unfortunately, they were never educated to fully understanding the potential risks that accompany such actions. In brief, every smartphone is tracked and all data is collected, stored, traded and sold. So parents,... you aren't the only one who knows where your kids are when these tech gadgets are turned on.

Educating both parents and children on internet safety and best practice is crucial now more than ever in history, but who designs such curricula? We suggest the nonprofit community. Those with a stake in the health and well being of children, unlike those that are in it for profit and manipulation. Nonprofits design it and make it available to parents and school districts. History proves, it's the safest way to go and a good starting point is Common Sense Media .

Sidenote: Kids that are making money online also need protection just like professional child actors. Legislature needs to be passed to mandate a portion of a child's online revenue goes into a trust with specific ages for gradual release. Parents should only have access to 15% while the child is working. The rules should be similar as those enforced by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).

Kids and teens need good edutainment and an ongoing supply of it. The current offerings available are mindless. Content creators that are passionate about creating quality content that includes some type of education will rise to the top as parents continue to crave and demand it for their children.

One thing for sure, right now viewership habits are changing. Now is the perfect time for new kidtech platforms and kid focused edutainment to emerge. Of course, don't expect funding to by way of Silicon Valley.

# # #

The Unseen Dangers in Your Pocket: Examining the Hazards of Mobile Apps for Kids and Teens

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 07:15:40 GMT

Privacy predators tracking in the shadows

In the palm of our hands, nestled within sleek smartphones, lies a universe of apps – games, social media, educational tools, and more. For adults, these apps can be convenient and enriching. But for kids and teens, this digital playground harbors unseen dangers, lurking amongst the pixels and algorithms. Let's delve into the dark side of mobile apps, exposing the potential hazards that threaten the privacy, security, and well-being of our tech-savvy youth.

Privacy Predators: Most free apps aren't free at all. They operate on a model of exchanging user data for ad revenue. This means apps can access and share a disconcertingly vast amount of information: contacts, location data, browsing history, app usage, and even keystrokes typed in other apps. Imagine a stranger rummaging through your child's diary and browsing their online conversations – that's essentially what these apps do. This data can be sold to third-party marketers, used to target personalized ads, or even worse, fall into the wrong hands, leading to identity theft or targeted scams.

Tracking in the Shadows: Location tracking is another common feature, ostensibly useful for navigation or weather updates. But in the wrong hands, it can become a stalker's tool. Teens might unknowingly broadcast their whereabouts to anyone with access to the app, putting them at risk of physical harm. For younger children, this digital leash can erode their sense of independence and privacy, constantly revealing their location to parents or others.

Keylogging Keyholes: Imagine a hidden camera recording every word typed on your keyboard. That's what keylogging apps do, capturing passwords, personal messages, and even private thoughts typed into notes or diaries. This information can be used for cyberbullying, extortion, or even identity theft. Imagine the emotional devastation if a teenager's deepest confessions or embarrassing private messages were leaked online for the world to see.

Beyond the App Store: The official app stores, while not perfect, offer some level of vetting and security. However, kids and teens are easily lured by third-party app stores or pirated alternatives, promising free versions of popular apps or access to age-restricted content. These unofficial stores are teeming with malware-ridden apps disguised as innocent games or social media platforms. Once installed, these apps can unleash a Pandora's box of horrors: stealing data, infecting devices with viruses, and exposing users to inappropriate content.

Mental Mischief: Beyond the privacy and security risks, apps can also negatively impact mental health. Social media apps, with their curated feeds and unrealistic portrayals of perfection, can fuel feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem in young minds. Games filled with violence and aggressive narratives can desensitize users to real-world consequences. Constant notifications and the dopamine rush of fleeting engagement can lead to addiction, disrupting sleep patterns and hindering focus on real-world relationships and activities.

Navigating the Digital Minefield: So, how do we protect our children in this digital jungle? Open communication is key. Talk to your kids about online safety, explain the risks of apps, and encourage them to be mindful of what they download and share. Set clear boundaries on app usage and encourage offline activities. Utilize parental controls and privacy settings, but remember, these are not foolproof solutions. Most importantly, build trust and create a safe space for your kids to come to you with any concerns or anxieties they may have about their online experiences.

While mobile apps offer countless benefits, we must remain vigilant about the potential dangers they pose, especially for vulnerable children and teens. By understanding the threats, fostering open communication, and implementing smart strategies, we can help our young navigators explore the digital world safely and responsibly.

Let's ensure their smartphones become tools for empowerment, not instruments of exploitation. Let's make their pockets havens of exploration, not breeding grounds for fear and harm. The responsibility lies with us, the adults, to illuminate the dark corners of this digital landscape and guide our children towards a safe and bright online future.

For a safe social experience, join us on kidsinc.one .

The Shadow Market: How Big Tech Exploits Children's Data

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 22:13:05 GMT

Big Tech's Shadowy Market: How Children's Data Is Exploited and Sold

The Shadow Market: How Big Tech Exploits Children's Data

In the digital age, children are not just consumers of technology, they are its most valuable commodity. Their innocent online interactions, from playing games to browsing websites, leave a trail of data that is collected, analyzed, and sold by big tech companies. This vast ocean of children's data is a lucrative market, raising serious ethical and legal concerns about privacy, exploitation, and the potential for manipulation.

Leading tech giants like Google, Facebook, and YouTube are at the forefront of this data collection. Through their popular apps and platforms, they track children's online activities, including their search history, browsing habits, and app usage. This information is then used to build detailed profiles, which are sold to advertisers and other third-party companies.

For example, Google's "Family Link" app, advertised as a parental control tool, actually collects vast amounts of children's data, including their location, contacts, and even the content of their emails and messages. Facebook, despite restrictions on children's accounts, is notorious for tracking users' online behavior through various cookies and trackers, even when they are not actively using the platform.

Children's data is particularly valuable because it is seen as a "goldmine" for targeted advertising. By understanding their preferences and online behavior, companies can tailor ads to their specific interests and vulnerabilities. This raises concerns about the potential for manipulation and exploitation, as children are more susceptible to persuasive marketing tactics.

Furthermore, the buying and selling of children's data creates a complex shadow market, where information can be traded with little transparency or accountability. This lack of oversight puts children at risk of identity theft, phishing scams, and targeted malware attacks.

The current legal landscape is inadequate to protect children's data in the digital age. Existing laws are often outdated and fail to address the specific challenges posed by online data collection. Therefore, it is imperative to enact stricter laws and regulations that:

Grant children stronger privacy rights: Children should have the right to understand, control, and delete their personal data. This requires clear and accessible privacy policies, as well as tools for managing data sharing and access.

Increase parental control and transparency: Parents need to be informed about how their children's data is being collected and used. Platforms should provide clear and accessible information about data collection practices, as well as tools for managing data sharing and access.

Hold companies accountable: Companies that violate children's privacy should face significant fines and penalties. This will act as a deterrent and encourage them to prioritize data security and privacy.

Promote responsible data collection practices: The tech industry needs to develop and implement ethical guidelines for data collection, particularly when it comes to children. This includes minimizing data collection, maximizing data security, and ensuring transparency.

Protecting children's data is not just a legal issue, it's a moral imperative. We have a responsibility to ensure that children are able to explore the digital world without fear of exploitation or manipulation. By enacting stricter laws, promoting ethical data practices, and empowering parents and children, we can build a safer and more secure online environment for future generations.

Leading tech giants like Google, Facebook, and YouTube are at the forefront of this data collection.

Google: According to a 2020 report by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Google collects a vast amount of data on children through its various apps and services, including Family Link. This data includes location, contacts, search history, app usage, and even the content of emails and messages. (Source: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/12/download-eff-mobile-app )

Facebook: Despite restrictions on children's accounts, Facebook has been caught tracking users' online behavior through various cookies and trackers, even when they are not actively using the platform. This information is then used to target ads and build detailed profiles of users. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_concerns_with_Facebook )

YouTube: YouTube Kids, a platform designed for children, has been criticized for collecting vast amounts of data on children's viewing habits. This data is then used to recommend videos and personalize the user experience. (Source: https://kids.youtube.com/privacynotice )

2. Children's data is particularly valuable because it is seen as a "goldmine" for targeted advertising.

A 2021 study by the Center for Digital Democracy found that children are exposed to an average of 250 ads per day . This constant exposure to advertising can influence children's behavior and preferences. (Source: https://democraticmedia.org/program-areas/digital-youth )

A 2019 report by the International Consumer Protection Enforcement Network found that children are more susceptible to manipulative advertising tactics than adults. This is because children are less likely to understand the persuasive techniques used in advertising. (Source: https://www.ftc.gov/terms/international-consumer-protection-enforcement-network-icpen )

3. The buying and selling of children's data creates a complex shadow market, where information can be traded with little transparency or accountability.

A 2020 investigation by The Wall Street Journal found that children's data is being traded on a thriving black market. This data can be used for a variety of purposes, including identity theft, phishing scams, and targeted malware attacks. (Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/tech-companies-are-relinquishing-some-control-of-online-ads-to-users-11660730402 )

A 2019 report by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission found that children are increasingly being targeted by data brokers who collect and sell their personal information. (Source: https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa )

These are just a few examples of the research available on this topic. There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the dangers of children's data collection and the need for stronger legal protections.

Are you being Influenced without knowing it?

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 21:17:39 GMT

A look at how humans are labeled and grouped to predict and guide behavior.

Found an email in the junk folder that got my attention. Without commentary, here is the email so readers can have a glimps behind the curtain of how marketers manipulate human behavior.

From The Desk Of Jesse Grillo...

When potential customers are labeled as part of a group, they behave consistently with that group.

This can be true even in situations where a person had not originally thought of themselves as belonging to the group in question.

Even if your prospect hadn't identified themselves in a certain way, once you plant that idea in their head with the appropriate label, their behavior can change so as to live up to that label.

To drive conversions, label your potential customer as part of a group that would naturally want your product or service.

Before asking someone to make a purchase, suggest to them that they are a good candidate for your product or service.

This could make them see themselves that way, especially if you employ labeling in that suggestion.

Label those customers in a way that is consistent with the request you're about to make of them.

And take care to ensure that any supporting arguments you provide come from people or organizations your customers would agree with.

When we believe that something is real, we can make it real with our attitudes and behaviors.

Nobody is immune to the influence of labels. Our identity and behaviors are influenced by the terms that we or others use to describe us.

Labeling someone can influence their perception of themselves, and their subsequent behavior based on that perception.

Attributing information using the labeling technique can influence a person's agreeing with it.

You can use these findings to help motivate the desire you want from your customers.

Ways to apply Labeling…

Refer to your prospect with a label that is consistent with the behavior you're seeking.

When choosing labels to use, make sure your target would not be offended by them.

Labels that flatter can work well. So, too, can labels that attribute certain relevant characteristics to your target.

Consider labeling techniques when naming your products and services to help differentiate them from others in the market, and to make them appealing to your audience.

People will behave in a manner consistent with the group they've been told they belong to.

When you label a customer as belonging to a group, they will begin to act in ways that are consistent with it.

People will accept labels that they'd not previously considered applied to them, as long as the label is not one they find disagreeable.

Labels can change how people view themselves and how they subsequently behave.

How you label the source of information can impact a person's receptivity to it.

The way you refer to your products can influence how customers perceive them.

Label prospective customers in a way that is consistent with the actions you're asking them to take.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email.

Jesse Grillo

Social Media Risks for Kids and Teens

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 03:13:25 GMT

KIDS INC. gearing up to provide a safe social experience for families

Social media has become an integral part of the lives of children and teenagers. While it has many benefits, including the ability to connect with friends and family, social media can also be incredibly harmful to the health and wellbeing of young people. It is for this reason that it is important to support organizations like KIDS INC. that work to protect young people online.

One of the most significant ways in which social media is harmful to children and teens is through its impact on mental health. Studies have shown that young people who spend more time on social media are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. This is because social media can create unrealistic expectations of what life should be like, and can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

In addition to its impact on mental health, social media can also be harmful to physical health. Spending too much time on social media can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, which can contribute to obesity and other health problems. Furthermore, social media can expose young people to harmful content, such as cyberbullying and graphic images, that can be traumatic and damaging.

It is for these reasons that organizations like KIDS INC. are so important. KIDS INC. works to protect young people online by providing resources and support to parents, educators, and young people themselves. They work to educate young people about the dangers of social media and provide them with the tools they need to stay safe online.

In conclusion, while social media has many benefits, it can also be incredibly harmful to the health and wellbeing of children and teenagers. It is for this reason that it is important to support organizations like KIDS INC. that work to protect young people online. By doing so, we can help ensure that young people have the resources and support they need to stay safe, healthy, and happy in the digital age.

As parents and educators, it is important that we monitor the amount of time our children spend on social media and teach them how to use it responsibly. We must also be aware of the dangers of social media and take action when necessary. This includes reporting harmful content and cyberbullying, and seeking help if our children are experiencing mental health issues.

In addition to supporting organizations like KIDS INC., we can also take steps to create a positive and supportive online community for young people. This can include promoting kindness and empathy, and encouraging our children to use social media to connect with others in a positive way.

By working together and supporting organizations like KIDS INC., we can help ensure that social media is a safe and positive place for young people to connect, learn, and grow. With the right resources and support, we can empower our children to use social media in a way that promotes their health and wellbeing, and helps them thrive in the digital age.

Learn more about our solution.

Children’s privacy laws challenged

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 23:15:27 GMT

Tech companies block laws to protect children

Recent children's privacy laws have been blocked, causing concern among parents, child advocates, and lawmakers. The laws, which would have expanded protections for children's online data, have been stalled due to opposition from major tech companies.

One such law is the Age-Appropriate Design Code, which was set to go into effect in the UK in September of 2021. The law would have required online services to take steps to protect children's privacy and prevent them from being exposed to harmful content. However, it has been delayed due to pushback from companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon.

Another example is the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in the US. The law, which was enacted in 1998, requires websites and online services to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13. However, it has faced criticism for being outdated and ineffective in the age of social media and mobile apps.

Despite the setbacks, advocates for children's privacy continue to push for stronger protections. They argue that children are particularly vulnerable to online privacy violations and that the tech industry must be held accountable for safeguarding their data. As technology continues to evolve, it is crucial that lawmakers keep pace and ensure that children's privacy rights are protected in the digital age.

As parents become more aware of the risks associated with their children's online activity, the need for comprehensive privacy laws has become increasingly apparent. The delay of recent legislation has caused concern among both parents and child advocates alike, who worry that children's information may be susceptible to exploitation by big tech companies.

The internet has proven to be a powerful tool for children's education and entertainment, but it also poses a significant threat to their privacy and safety. It is crucial that lawmakers and tech companies work together to create more effective privacy laws that can keep up with the ever-changing digital landscape. By doing so, we can ensure that children are protected online and can continue to enjoy the benefits of the internet without fear of exploitation.

Teens and children need a safe social network.

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 22:52:52 GMT

Together we can be the difference.

Child predators using social media to stalk kids and teens is a serious and growing problem in today's digital age. Social media platforms provide easy access for predators to reach out to children and lure them into dangerous situations.

One of the main issues with social media is that it allows predators to remain anonymous and hide behind fake profiles. This makes it difficult for parents and law enforcement officials to identify and track down these individuals. In addition, many children and teens are not cautious enough when using social media and often accept friend requests or engage in conversations with strangers.

The consequences of child predators using social media can be devastating. Children can be groomed, coerced, or manipulated into engaging in inappropriate and illegal activities. They can also be physically harmed, abducted, or even killed. The emotional trauma experienced by victims and their families can last a lifetime.

It is essential that parents, educators, and community members work together to protect children from online predators.

This includes monitoring their social media activity, educating them about the dangers of interacting with strangers online, and reporting any suspicious behavior to the authorities. By taking a proactive approach and staying vigilant, we can help prevent child predators from using social media to harm our children.

THE NEED FOR SOMETHING NEW PROVIDES GREAT OPPORTUNITY

Social networking has become a ubiquitous aspect of modern life, and while it can provide a valuable way for people to connect and share experiences, it can also present significant risks. This is especially true for teens and children who are still developing their social skills and may be more vulnerable to online predators and cyberbullying. Therefore, it is essential that young people have access to safe social networks that are designed with their needs and safety in mind.

One of the most important features of a safe social network is robust privacy settings. Young people need to be able to control who can see their content and who can communicate with them online. Additionally, safe social networks should have strict policies against bullying, harassment, and hate speech, and they should have mechanisms in place to quickly respond to reports of such behavior.

Another vital aspect of a safe social network is age-appropriate content. Adolescents and young children should not be exposed to inappropriate content, including sexual content, violence, and hate speech.

Safe social networks should have systems in place to monitor and filter content to ensure that young people are not exposed to harmful material.

Overall, safe social networks are essential for the healthy social development of young people. By providing a secure and controlled environment for social interaction, young people can develop important social skills while staying safe from harm.

KIDS INC. has been developing ONE, a family friendly safe social alternative. It's our safe little corner of the internet.

GOT KIDS?

Learn more

Social Media Platforms Exploit and Manipulate the most Vulnerable People in Society, Teenagers and Children.

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 22:44:52 GMT

What are we doing to keep children safe online?

Social media has become a powerful tool for communication and connection in the modern world. However, lawsuits have been filed over the negative impact of social media on young people. Will social media companies be held accountable for using unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ensnare youth and teens or will they pay a few fines (as they do regularly) and it’s business as usual.

There is a growing concern about the impact of social media platforms on teenagers and children. Many experts argue that these platforms can be harmful to vulnerable individuals, particularly young people who are still developing their sense of identity and self-worth. One of the main concerns is that social media platforms can be used to exploit and manipulate vulnerable individuals.

One of the ways in which social media companies do this is by creating addictive features that keep users hooked. Notifications, likes, and other forms of feedback are designed to trigger a dopamine response in the brain, which leads to addiction-like behavior. This is particularly concerning for teens and children, whose brains are still developing and are more vulnerable to addiction.

Another way in which social media companies ensnare youth and teens is through algorithms that prioritize content that is likely to keep users engaged. This can lead to a "filter bubble" effect, where users are only exposed to content that reinforces their existing beliefs and biases. This can be particularly harmful for youth who are still developing their worldview and may be more susceptible to misinformation.

Additionally, social media platforms can be used to spread misinformation and fake news, which can be particularly harmful to vulnerable individuals who may not have the critical thinking skills to discern fact from fiction.

Studies have shown that excessive social media use can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness, particularly among young people.

THE WORLD IS CHANGING WE APOLOGIZE

kidsontv@gmail.com — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 04:18:30 GMT

COVID-19, World Crisis, Uncertainty, Business Closures, Unemployment and Racial Disparity Impose Suffering Around the Globe.

We apologize for poor adult behavior. We apologize for the adults that operate governments. We apologize for the adults that are in charge of major corporations. We apologize for adults in charge of the educational system. We apologize for adults in charge of the legal system. We apologize for adults in charge of the media. We apologize for adults in charge of the music and entertainment industries. We apologize for adults who choose to hurt others. We apologize for adults who turn their head at wrong-doing. We apologize for the anger and disharmony on the planet. We apologize for the pandemic. We apologize for social distancing. We apologize for the difficult times families experience due to the poor behavior of some adults. We apologize for inequality. We apologize to everyone. We must do better. We are eager for a new beginning. We are on a revised mission. We are here to be part of the solution because every life matters. KIDS INC.- Founder & President, a "Person of Color".

GOOGLE EXPOSES MILLIONS OF PEOPLE'S DATA. LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT $7.5M

kidsontv@gmail.com — Sat, 26 Sep 2020 22:21:39 GMT

Notice of Class Action Settlement re Google Plus – Your Rights May Be Affected

On June 10, 2020, the Honorable Edward J. Davila of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, granted preliminary approval of this class action Settlement and directed the litigants to provide this notice about the Settlement. You have received this notice because Google’s records indicate that you may be a Settlement Class Member, and you may be eligible to receive a payment from the Settlement. Please visit www.GooglePlusDataLitigation.com for more information. The Final Approval Hearing on the adequacy, reasonableness, and fairness of the Settlement will be held at 9:00 am on November 19, 2020 in San Jose Courthouse, Courtroom 4, 5th Floor located at 280 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113. You are not required to attend the Final Approval Hearing, but you are welcome to do so at your own expense.

Summary of Litigation

Google operated the Google+ social media platform for consumers from June 2011 to April 2019. In 2018, Google announced that the Google+ platform had experienced software bugs between 2015 and 2018, which allowed app developers to access certain Google+ profile field information in an unintended manner. Plaintiffs Matthew Matic, Zak Harris, Charles Olson, and Eileen M. Pinkowski thereafter filed this lawsuit asserting various legal claims on behalf of a putative class of Google+ users who were allegedly harmed by the software bugs (“Class”). Google denies Plaintiffs’ allegations, denies any wrongdoing and any liability whatsoever, and believes that no Class Members, including the Plaintiffs, have sustained any damages or injuries due to the software bugs.

Summary of Settlement Terms

Settlement Fund: Under the Settlement, Google will pay $7.5 million which will be used to fund: (1) Class Member Settlement payments; (2) attorneys’ fees not to exceed 25% of the Settlement Fund and costs and expenses not to exceed $200,000.00; (3) four service awards to the Class Representatives in an amount not to exceed $1,500 each for their services on behalf of the Settlement Class and for a general release of all claims they may have against Google; (4) administration fees and costs; and, if necessary, (5) cy pres distribution of any residual funds. No portion of the Settlement Fund can be returned to Google.

Amount of Payments: Class Members who submit a Valid Claim may receive a pro rata share of the Net Settlement Fund up to a cash payment of $12.00 depending on the number of claimants. Each Class Member can submit only one claim. Any funds remaining in the Net Settlement Fund after distribution(s) to Class Members will be distributed to Cy Pres Recipients that have been selected by a neutral third party and approved by the Court.

Method of Payment: The payments above for Class Members who submit a Valid Claim will be made by Electronic Payment (Paypal or Digital Check).

Your Options Under the Settlement

Option 1 - Submit a Claim Form to Be Eligible for a Cash Payment

If you submit a Valid Claim by October 8, 2020, you may receive a payment. You will also give up your rights to sue Google and/or any other released entities regarding the legal claims in this case.

Option 2 - Opt Out of the Settlement

This is the only option that allows you to sue Google and/or other released parties on your own regarding the legal claims in this case. You will not receive a payment from the Settlement. The deadline for excluding yourself is October 8, 2020.

Option 3 - File an Objection with the Court

Write to the Settlement Administrator about why you do not like the Settlement. The deadline for objecting is October 8, 2020. These Objections will be shared with the Court. If you object to the Settlement, you will be bound by the Settlement’s terms and will not be allowed to exclude yourself from the Settlement; you will lose the right to sue Google and/or any other released entities regarding the legal claims in this case.

Option 4 - Do Nothing

If you do nothing, you will not receive any payment. You will be bound by the Settlement’s terms and will lose the right to sue Google and/or any other released entities regarding the legal claims in this case.

Additional Information

How do I know if I am part of the Settlement Class?

The Settlement Class is defined as: “all persons within the United States who (a) had a consumer Google+ account for any period of time between January 1, 2015 and April 2, 2019, and (2) had their non-public Profile Information exposed as a result of the software bugs Google announced on October 8, 2018 and December 10, 2018. Excluded from the Settlement Class are (a) Google and its officers, directors, employees, subsidiaries, and Google Affiliates; (b) all judges and their staffs assigned to this case and any members of their immediate families; (c) the Parties’ counsel in this litigation; and (d) any Excluded Class Member.”

What are the terms of the Settlement?

Under the Settlement, Google has agreed to create a Settlement Fund of $7,500,000.

This Settlement Fund will provide compensation to Settlement Class Members, pay for notice and administration costs, provide for any approved Service Awards to the Class Representatives who filed the case, and compensate the attorneys for any approved fee, cost, and expense awards. If the Settlement is finally approved, Settlement Class Members will be prevented from bringing any further claims against Google for any conduct relating to the software bugs affecting Google+ profile fields.

How will the Settlement Fund be distributed?

The lawyers for the Settlement Class (“Class Counsel”) will ask the Court to approve the following payments from the Settlement Fund:

The costs of providing notice and administration of the Settlement;
Service Awards to each of the Class Representatives, not to exceed $1,500 each, as compensation for their active participation in the case on behalf of the Settlement Class;
Class Counsel’s compensation for the time and effort incurred litigating the case, which will not exceed 25% of the Settlement Fund, and costs and expenses they incurred not to exceed $200,000.00;
Payments to Settlement Class Members who file timely and Valid Claim Forms according to the Plan of Allocation outlined below; and
Any residual funds remaining after payments to Settlement Class Members will be distributed to Approved Cy Pres Recipients as approved and directed by the Court.

More information regarding the Settlement, including the Settlement Agreement, can be found at the Settlement Website, www.GooglePlusDataLitigation.com .

How can I get a Settlement Payment?

If you are a Settlement Class Member and would like to receive a Settlement Payment, you must submit a Claim Form no later than October 8, 2020. You may complete the Claim Form online at www.GooglePlusDataLitigation.com , or you may mail your Claim Form to the following address: Google Plus Data Litigation, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA, 19103

If you do not file a Claim Form, you will not receive a payment. Note that for each Valid Claim, the payment method will be the Electronic Payment method specified on the Claimant’s Claim Form.

How much will I receive from the Settlement?

The Plan of Allocation provides for Settlement Payments to Claimants as follows: The Net Settlement Fund shall be allocated to Claimants on a pro rata basis up to an initial maximum distribution of US$5.00 per Claimant. If there are insufficient funds to pay claimants $5.00 based on the number of claimants, the payment to each claimant will be reduced pro ratably. If sufficient funds remain after calculation of the aggregate initial maximum distribution of US$5.00 per Claimant, the allocation shall be recalculated on a pro rata basis up to a maximum distribution of up to US$12.00 per Claimant. For clarity, the maximum Settlement Payment to be made to any single Claimant shall not exceed US$12.00.

How do I get out of the Settlement?

If you do not want to be part of the Settlement, you must submit an Opt-Out Form no later than October 8, 2020. You may obtain the Opt-Out Form at www.GooglePlusDataLitigation.com . Your completed Opt-Out Form may be submitted via e-mail to Info@GooglePlusDataLitigation.com, or via postal mail to the following address: Google Plus Data Litigation, Attn: Opt-Out Requests, P.O. Box 58220, Philadelphia, PA, 19102. If you opt-out of the Settlement, you will not be bound by the Settlement Agreement, you will not receive a Settlement Payment, and you will not be allowed to object to the Settlement.

Do I have a lawyer in this case?

Yes. The Court has appointed Class Counsel to represent you and other Settlement Class Members. In this case, Class Counsel are John A. Yanchunis and Ryan J. McGee of the law firm Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group; Clayeo C. Arnold and Joshua H. Watson of the law firm Clayeo C. Arnold Professional Law Corporation; and Franklin D. Azar and Margeaux R. Azar of the law firm Franklin D. Azar & Associates, P.C. You will not be charged for these lawyers. If you want to be represented by another lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

How will the lawyers be paid?

The attorneys representing the Settlement Class have not yet received any payment for their legal services or any reimbursement of the costs or out-of-pocket expenses they have incurred. Class Counsel plans to ask the Court to award attorneys’ fees from the Settlement Fund not to exceed $1,875,000 which is 25% of the Settlement Fund, and reimbursement of costs and expenses in the approximate amount of $200,000.

How do I object to the Settlement?

If you are a Settlement Class Member and do not opt out of the Settlement Class, you may object to any aspect of the Settlement. This includes commenting on the applications for Class Representative Service Awards or the award of attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses.

Your completed Objection must be submitted no later than October 8, 2020 online at www.GooglePlusDataLitigation.com , or via postal mail to the following address:

Google Plus Data Litigation, Attn: Settlement Objections, P.O. Box 58220, Philadelphia, PA, 19102.

Any Objection must be in writing and must:

Clearly identify the case name and number, In re Google Plus Profile Litigation, Case No. 5:18-cv-06164-EJD;
Include the full name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person objecting;
Include the full name, address, telephone number, and email address of the Objector's counsel (if the Objector is represented by counsel);
State whether the objection applies only to the objector, to a specific subset of the Class, or to the entire Class, and also state with specificity the grounds for the Objection; and
Be verified by an accompanying declaration submitted under penalty of perjury or a sworn affidavit.

Settlement Class Members who fail to submit timely written Objections in the manner specified above will waive their right to object to any aspect of the Settlement.

Do I need to attend the Final Fairness Hearing?

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. However, any Settlement Class Member who timely submits an Objection has the option to appear and request to be heard at the Final Fairness Hearing, either in person or through their counsel. If you choose to make an Objection through an attorney or have an attorney appear at the Final Fairness Hearing on your behalf, you will be solely responsible for paying that attorney’s fees.

H ow can I get more information?

This Notice summarizes the Settlement. It does not describe all of its details. For the precise terms and conditions of the Settlement, please see the Settlement Agreement and related documents. Additional information about the Settlement, including a copy of the Settlement Agreement, may be obtained by:

Visiting the Settlement Website at www.GooglePlusDataLitigation.com;
Contacting the Settlement Administrator toll-free by phone at 1-833-509-1101 or by email at Info@GooglePlusDataLitigation.com;
Accessing the Court docket in this case through the Court’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at ecf.cand.uscourts.gov ; or
Visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 280 South 1st Street, 2nd Floor, San Jose, CA 95113, between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays.

Please do not telephone the Court or the Court Clerk’s Office to inquire about the Settlement.

Millions of Instagram, TikTok, Zoom And YouTube User Profiles Exposed In Massive Data Leaks

kidsontv@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 15:35:57 GMT

IF YOU'RE ONLINE, YOUR DATA HAS PROBABLY ALREADY BEEN COMPROMISED.

The world is already up in arms over the collection and selling of internet user data. Big tech profits strip away individual rights to privacy. There is an ongoing battle around how user data is collected and the rights of the people. Topping of the list of challenges is the tracking, collection and selling of data belonging to children.

While this conversation continues to be a media highlight, what has not been openly discussed is the ongoing efforts of hackers to steal data and the less than effective measures big tech is taking to protect the data it collects and stores.

Countless breaches of systems including government, education, healthcare, and numerous other industries have revealed billions of data records have been breached, hacked or lazily left publicly exposed, accounting for billions of dollars in loss and hardship from identity theft.

Business Insider reports that, researchers at the cybersecurity firm Cyble said they found upwards of 500,000 Zoom accounts up for grabs on hacker forums and the dark web. Cyble said it was able to purchase about 530,000 accounts for $0.0020 each. It also said it found some accounts that were being given away to enable "Zoombombing" attacks.

This doesn't mean Zoom got hacked — the accounts were obtained using "credential stuffing," where hackers use passwords and emails leaked in previous data breaches, according to Bleeping Computer. If you use the same password across lots of accounts, including your Zoom account, you should change it to a unique password.

[ Side note: If you allow your browser to store passwords, it will also tell you when a password has been breached.]

Forbes reports that, 267 Million Facebook users data was sold for $540. The data included email addresses, names, Facebook IDs, dates of birth and phone numbers.

Facebook said it has more than 2.3 billion active monthly users worldwide. 137 million Facebook users information was captured by a British analytics firm apparently with Facebooks knowledge. Of course there a ripple effect. Once hackers gain access to the accounts they also gain access to apps like Instagram, Spotify and hundreds of others that allow users log on to using their Facebook account.

540 million Facebook users records were publicly exposed on Amazon's cloud computing service. It exposed 146 gigabytes of Facebook user data, including account names, IDs and details about comments and reactions to posts.

About 3.5 billion people saw their personal data stolen in the biggest breaches of this century.

Adobe

Date: October 2013

Impact: 153 million user records

Adult Friend Finder

FriendFinder Network - adult content websites.

Date: October 2016

412.2 million accounts

Stolen data spanned 20 years on six databases.

Avon

Cosmetics

19 million records

Canva

Australian graphic design tool website.

Date: May 2019

137 million user accounts

eBay

Date: May 2014

145 million users

Equifax

One of the largest credit bureaus in the US.

Date: July 29, 2017

147.9 million consumers

Dubsmash

New York-based video messaging service.

Date: December 2018

162 million user accounts

Heartland Payment Systems

Credit card processor.

Date: March 2008

134 million credit cards exposed

As the major social network for business professionals.

Date: 2012 (and 2016)

165 million user accounts

Marriott International

Starwood hotel brands.

Date: 2014-18

500 million customers

Microsoft

According to Forbes post January 22, 2020

250 Million Customer Records spanning 14 yeaers Exposed Online.

My Fitness Pal

UnderArmor-owned fitness app.

Date: February 2018

150 million user accounts

MySpace

Date: 2013

360 million user accounts

NetEase

Provider of mailbox services.

Date: October 2015

235 million user accounts

Sina Weibo

China’s answer to Twitter.

Date: March 2020

538 million accounts

Yahoo

Date: 2013-14

3 billion user accounts

Zynga

Farmville creator Zynga is still one the biggest players in the mobile game space

Date: September 2019

218 million user accounts

For more information on data privacy, visit PrivacyRights.org .

For a long list of data breaches, visit Wikipedia .

JUDGE BLOCKS BAN ON TIK TOK

kidsontv@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 14:27:00 GMT

US COMMERCE DEPARTMENT DELAYS TIKTOK BAN UNTIL SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

Amidst fear of American user data being collected by the Chinese government, the US government threatened to ban the popular video-sharing app in the US after concerns were raised that it could be a national security risk. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said the U.S. is looking at banning the app because TikTok puts American users' “private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party."

On August 6,2020, President Trump issued executive orders that would ban two apps, TikTok and WeChat, from operating in the US if they were not sold by their respective Chinese parent companies by September 15. Downloads were scheduled to be banned in the US starting at midnight September 20, but a new deal allowing Oracle to step in and take over US operations is on the table.

"We are a hundred percent confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikTok's American users, and users throughout the world," said Oracle CEO Safra Catz.

Oracle confirmed it had won a bid to become the "trusted technology partner" to TikTok. Oracle is a tech dinosaur known for selling database solutions to behemoth corporations, while TikTok is an app used by Generation Z for learning the latest viral dances , boycotting Trump rallies , and everything in between.

While it seems that no one knows exactly what a trusted technology partner does (including us), Oracle will start by providing TikTok with hosting services. Oracle will store user data, but ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, will still oversee and operate the app.

The arrangement raises numerous questions around the management of data privacy. The partnership does not give Oracle control over TikTok’s algorithm, leading some to fear that China could still exploit the app for nefarious purposes.

The proposed deal now heads to the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Investment, whose approval is by no means a sure thing.

“We remain opposed to any deal that would allow China-based or controlled entities to retain, control or modify the code or algorithms that operate any U.S.-based version of TikTok,” Senator Marco Rubio wrote in a letter on Wednesday.

“OK boomer,” replied TikTok fans.

TikTok, which has over 100 million active users in the U.S., is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance who is also being sued for violating children's privacy laws (COPPA) by collecting data of young users under age 13 without parental consent [since 2014] and selling their data to third-party advertisers.

YOUTUBE FACES $2.5 BILLION LAWSUIT FOR TRACKING KIDS ACROSS INTERNET

kidsontv@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 13:56:06 GMT

Claim brought one year after YouTube agreed to pay $170 million to the US FTC and New York Attorney General for violating COPPA by using cookies on kid-directed channels to track children across the internet, without parental consent.

Reported September 14, 2020, by kidscreen.com, a London company Hausfeld & Co LLP is suing YouTube for $2.5 billion to be dispersed among five million British children and parents. The lawsuit was filed because YouTube is tracking

kids under age 13 - and the children deserve compensation.

The suite also claims YouTube regularly breaks the UK Data Protection Act and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This claim is brought one year after YouTube agreed to pay $170 million to the US FTC and New York Attorney General for violating COPPA by using cookies on kid-directed channels to track children across the internet, without parental consent.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule ("COPPA")

General requirements. It shall be unlawful for any operator of a Web site or online service directed to children, or any operator that has actual knowledge that it is collecting or maintaining personal information from a child, to collect personal information from a child in a manner that violates the regulations prescribed under this part. Generally, under this part, an operator must:

(a) Provide notice on the Web site or online service of what information it collects from children, how it uses such information, and its disclosure practices for such information (§312.4(b));

(b) Obtain verifiable parental consent prior to any collection, use, and/or disclosure of personal information from children (§312.5);

(c) Provide a reasonable means for a parent to review the personal information collected from a child and to refuse to permit its further use or maintenance (§312.6);

(d) Not condition a child's participation in a game, the offering of a prize, or another activity on the child disclosing more personal information than is reasonably necessary to participate in such activity (§312.7); and

(e) Establish and maintain reasonable procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of personal information collected from children (§312.8).

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). It also addresses the transfer of personal data outside the EU and EEA areas. The GDPR's primary aim is to give control to individuals over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU. ^[1] Superseding the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC, the regulation contains provisions and requirements related to the processing of personal data of individuals (formally called data subjects in the GDPR) who are located in the EEA, and applies to any enterprise—regardless of its location and the data subjects' citizenship or residence—that is processing the personal information of data subjects inside the EEA.

7 steps to safety: Feel and be safe at home family guide

kidsontv@gmail.com — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 15:11:31 GMT

7 STEPS TO SAFETY

7 Steps to Safety can help you give children the skills and confidence they need to feel and be safe at home.

You can use all, some, or just parts of the steps. The steps can be adapted to suit the needs of your family and culture.

A guide is available to support workers to help parents, families, carers, children and communities to use the 7 Steps to Safety.

STEP 1. Make Your Place As Safe As Possible For Your Children | Offers tips to help make your house and yard safe for your family.

Step 2. Cool Tools for Family Rules (3.0 mb)

Gives you ideas on how to make rules that will best suit your family and help your children make safe and responsible decisions. Make your own “Our Family Rules!” chart.

Step 3. Feel Safe with People (3.9 mb)

Helps you teach your children what to do if they feel scared or uncomfortable with someone. Children can make their own “Helper Plan” so they’ll know who to talk to if they’re feeling frightened or worried.

Step 4. What’s Special About Our Family (3.8 mb)

Helps you work out your family’s needs as you plan for your children’s care and safety.

Step 5. Emergency (5.3 mb)

Helps you teach your children what to do in an emergency: how to recognise an emergency, how and when to ring 000, and how to make an “Emergency Contacts” list that’s just right for your family.

Step 6. Ready Yet (4.4 mb)

Helps you work out whether your children are ready to spend time at home on their own.

Step 7. Make a Care Plan (2.4 mb)

Helps you make a “Care Plan” so that you and your children can feel confident they will be well cared for if something happens and suddenly you can’t be there to look after them.

7 Steps to Safety Brochure (3.3 mb)

This brochure provides an overview of the kit.

7 Steps to Safety – Your Guide (3.9 mb)

This Guide is for people working with parents, families, carers, children or communities.

Resources provided by: Social Work Tools and Resources: SocialWorkersToolbox.com

Overcoming Self-Doubt and Believing in Yourself

kidsontv@gmail.com — Tue, 19 May 2020 06:57:56 GMT

A SPECIAL POST FOR EVERYONE WHO NEEDS IT.

One of the hardest things that some people ever do is transform themselves from a person full of self-doubt to a self-assured person that believes in themselves. But, the truth is that no matter where you are in life right now, no matter how many mistakes you think you've made, opportunities you’ve passed up, or what’s happened to you in life, you can overcome your self-doubt and start believing in yourself today!

This is true regardless of your current situation, past situations, upbringing, and even if you’ve never believed in yourself before. It’s within your power, and it will change your life completely.

So, congratulations on reading this. Soaking it in, and implement the suggestions. Once you do, within just a short period of time you’ll start feeling better about yourself, feel more confident, successful and know that your future is bright!

Let’s get started learning how you can overcome self-doubt and believe in yourself.

What Is Self-Doubt?

The dictionary defines self-doubt as, "the lack of confidence in oneself and one’s abilities."

This is a very good definition, but it doesn’t fully demonstrate the problems caused by self-doubt and not believing in yourself.

Think about these questions:

* What are the dangers of self-doubt?

* How does self-doubt affect your life?

* Where does self-doubt come from?

* And most importantly, how do you overcome it?

Everyone has different issues, reasons for their self-doubt, and experience problems in life.

You’re a unique person and there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

The Dangers of Self-Doubt and How It Affects Your Life

There are many dangers inherent in hanging on to self-doubt that you should be aware of. If you suffer from self-doubt, it’s important to understand the type of damage you’re doing to yourself if you continue to hang on to it. It has affected your past, is affecting your present and can devastate your future if you don’t deal with it. Here's why....

* Self-Doubt Damages Motivation – When you don’t think you can do much, and don’t trust yourself to do something right, fear can get in the way of doing anything. This can turn into a severe lack of motivation to do more than you have to just to get by. It can affect your entire life because you may have less satisfying relationships, a job you hate, and not enjoy life much.

* S elf-Doubt Causes Procrastination – If you don’t think you know how to do things "right" then you may end up thinking you’re a perfectionist, which is just a way to procrastinate and never finish anything or finish it at the last minute. This is how you set yourself up for failure. No one is perfect and perfection is not necessary to thrive in this life.

* Self-Doubt Leads to Regret – When you miss opportunities, you will experience regret. Regret, when left unresolved, can lead to chronic stress and anxiety. This will then build upon itself to create even more self-doubt, which will create more regret, and so on.

* Self-Doubt Causes Defeatism – If you allow self-doubt to continue, you can start to become almost morbid in your belief that you cannot experience anything good or happy. It’s essentially an acceptance of failure.

* Self-Doubt Stunts Self-Improvement – When you have no faith in yourself, it’s hard to even think about self-improvement. You think you have too much to improve because you can’t do anything, and maybe you even think you’re a victim of your circumstances to a point that you cannot achieve even if you try.

* Self-Doubt Stifles Inspiration – When you don’t believe in yourself, it’s hard to get inspired to do anything new or to create anything new. Ending the self-doubt will bring out the creativity you already really have.

As you can see and may have experienced yourself, self-doubt can be dangerous and these are all good reasons on their own to work toward overcoming self-doubt and learning to believe in yourself.

How to Identify Where Your Self-Doubt Lies

Knowing how you developed self-doubt can sometimes help lead to recovery. You may be able to build self-esteem by getting to the bottom of how it happened. Some people did have self-esteem at one point, then lost it. Some never had it in the first place.

However you determine what happened to you to cause your self-doubt, you’ll be able to overcome it.

It doesn’t matter if it’s something that developed over time or something you learned in childhood. You can work toward building your belief in yourself so that you can overcome self-doubt.

Limiting Beliefs Learned in Childhood

Unfortunately, many people learn to put off their dreams and limit their ideas due to well-meaning parents (or sometimes they're not so well-meaning but perhaps abusive parents) who are also stuck in their own self-doubting lives and cannot ever envision anything different. This happens a lot in communities where people are often born very poor and end up lacking experiences and education to see beyond their own lives to the possibilities that are outside their world.

It’s not usually the fact that parents want to keep their kids from dreaming; they’re just trying to be realistic. When their child tells them about their big dream to travel the world and become a writer, they react in fear and make statements that may be statistically true but that limit their child.

For example, they might discourage their child from becoming a writer by telling them no one makes money writing, or they might discourage their child from becoming anything that is above what they’re used to due to the fear of the costs and the fear that their child really can’t do it even if they try. But this is only due to their own lack of success and understanding of life.

This rubs off on the kids. That’s why statistically most people do not break out of the class they were born to. The exciting thing to remember, though, is that some people do, and the reason they do is they were able to see and envision the possibilities and then take the action to see it through.

Past Experiences from unfavorable Relationships

If you used to have a good self-image and didn’t suffer from much self-doubt but then suddenly or over time started to develop self-doubt, it’s possible that you allowed your past experiences and bad relationships to get into your head and create this self-doubting experience.

It can be a parent relationship, a friendship, a love interest, a spouse, even a child who is dragging you down and creating the self-doubt in your life. These relationships are sometimes defined as toxic relationships. Unfortunately, a toxic relationship can involve any type of relationship, both relatives to non-relatives.

If you’ve been in a relationship where a person criticizes and cuts down your ideas and tells you that it’s impossible, or tells you about all that can go wrong or is even abusive to you about your ideas, you may have learned your self-doubt from past relationships. If you are still in any of these relationships, it may be time to end it if you cannot explain to the person that you are going to do what you’re going to do regardless of their opinion due to fear of abuse.

Unfavorable Work Environments and Experiences

At some point in your life, if you had a job of any kind that turned into a bad experience (especially if it started with your first job), this can stunt you for a lifetime if you let it. Sadly, many people, especially those who take service-oriented jobs or lower paying jobs, end up with bad experiences.

Even some people who have higher paying jobs can allow criticism to affect them so badly that they develop a fear of failure which causes them to not take risks. This in turn ends up causing them to get bad job reviews. Then after a bad job review, the person may react badly to that and end up more stuck.

As you can see, this path can end up affecting a person badly at the time and in their future if they are unable to understand that sometimes things happen to good people. They can’t accept that they’re a good person and a bad thing happened to them. Or they can’t learn from their mistakes and realize that they can do better next time. This is a dangerous pattern that can grow and become more than it should.

Too New to Have Many Life Experiences

Sometimes a person can suffer from self-doubt simply due to a lack of experience. If you were overly sheltered in childhood, were sick, or had issues that caused you to not have a lot of experiences in life, that can turn into fear, anxiety, and even other problems such as agoraphobia that prevent you from stepping out of your comfort zone. If you have no successful experiences to look back on, it can be hard to imagine success. If you have only experienced failure, it can be doubly hard to envision success later.

Whatever the reason for these experiences: overprotective parents, an illness, undiagnosed mental illness, being super-shy... whatever is causing it needs to be addressed so that you can start experiencing small successes and know what if feels like. If you don’t know what that feels like, it’s going to be hard to move forward.

Your Zip Code

This can be hard to accept for some people, but where you are born makes a huge difference in how you view the world and your own place and potential in it. If you’re born on third base, you can still experience self-doubt if you have controlling parents who see only one way that you can have success, such as following in the family business when you don’t want to. But most of the time it’s because you were born either in a place without a lot of opportunities or you were born to parents who, while loving, are poor.

The sad fact is that most people do not escape the situation they were born into today. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t. It just means that due to lack of vision, most people only know what’s inside their own small portion of the world, and don’t have their eyes open to the possibilities out there for them.

Just by reading this, no matter what your situation is, you are getting your eyes opened to the possibilities in the world to escape your circumstances and make the most of your life in a way that makes you thrive. That’s a great thing and can make so much difference.

Feelings of Anxiety

Anxiety can actually be a symptom of self-doubt, but it goes in a circle. Self-doubt can cause anxiety and if you can find a way to address the anxiety, you may be able to lessen the effects of your self-doubt. Many people who have anxiety describe it as a bad feeling of a million butterflies in their stomachs whenever they think of doing something that makes them uncomfortable.

Often, this feeling is so bad that the person suffers from panic attacks, which can be debilitating. Some people don’t get the panic attacks but they don’t push themselves beyond that feeling of butterflies that they experience as unpleasant. There is a theory that adrenaline junkies see this same feeling as positive and they seek it out, whereas a person with anxiety uses that same feeling to stop doing anything that causes that feeling. Interesting, isn’t it?

If you suspect that you have anxiety, it can be hard to even get the help you need by going to your doctor and telling them about it because that also makes you anxious. You fear they’ll think you’re silly. But you can get help with your anxiety by seeking help from your doctor.

Some anxiety is caused by vitamin deficiencies, so your doctor will likely perform some blood tests and they may recommend you see a psychiatrist who can prescribe medications to help you (at least on a temporary basis) so that you can start experiencing success instead of being blocked from it.

It’s important not to allow this to cause you to stay stuck in your current patterns. The healthiest people seek help and even if you don’t want to take medications, there is help for you to overcome anxiety disorders naturally too.

Established Patterns

Often people experience self-doubt simply due to patterns they’ve established since childhood, or in some place in adulthood that sent them down a bad path of experiencing failure or even something traumatic.

For example, everything could have been going fine, then something traumatic happened like a car accident, a death in the family, and so forth. This may start leading you down a path of repeating bad patterns or accepting that your life is just going to be full of failure and you won’t go anywhere. However, this is something you can overcome by changing your patterns.

The process requires that you are introspective enough to be able to see the truth about yourself, your choices, your relationships, and more about your life. Then you’ll need to be able to take decisive action that will help you start to experience success in your life that you can build on as you overcome your self-doubt and start believing in yourself. Even now, there are so many reasons that you should believe in yourself. Once you start realizing that, this part should be simple.

Reasons to Believe in Yourself

Let’s go over some reasons that you should believe in yourself so that you can combat and rid your life of self-doubt. The fact is, this something that must come from within and not from other people. The idea that if you don’t believe in yourself no one else will is very true. That might seem harsh, but it’s a fact that you’ll need to deal with in your quest to develop your new belief in yourself.

Read the information below, take it in, and really believe it. It’s true of everyone, and you are included in this. You were born with everything you need to experience success in life. Your success may look different from someone else’s success and that’s okay. You should be the one who is happy living your life because it’s your life to live.

* You Deserve It – You really do deserve to have a happy, full, and successful life that you enjoy. You can and should wake up each day ready and psyched to continue each day, no matter what it brings. You deserve to feel good about yourself and to rid yourself of self-doubt. You deserve to live a life that invigorates you, regardless of your circumstances. Even if you are experiencing challenges that no one else can relate to, you can still overcome them and live a fulfilling life.

* Your Current Relationships – Look at the relationships you have now that are successful. The ones that make you happy. The ones that are supportive. The ones where you are supportive and helpful and make you feel needed. They likely believe in you, and you believe in them. Imagine if you told those people how you feel inside about yourself; wouldn’t they support you and try to talk you out of your self-doubt?

* Where You Are Now – Even if you’re struggling now, you’ve survived this long, right? That means you’re doing something right. You’re alive and you’re able to get this and read it. That’s a positive that you should focus on right now. Focus on what you have right this moment that is good and that is a reason to believe in yourself.

* Prior Success – If you’ve been successful at something, revel in that. Did you manage to get up this morning? That’s a success. Did you do well in school? That’s a success. Did you get a driver’s license? That’s a success. If you need to get down to the very smallest success, that’s okay. You don’t have to have huge successes to draw on to know what it feels like to be successful doing something.

* You’re Just as Good as Others – Remember that you are just as good as someone else and deserve the life that you want to live. No one deserves it more than you do. No one is more special and for that fact neither are you. But, even though everyone is basically the same, we all have different ideas of what constitutes success and that too is just as good as the next person’s idea of success.

The truth is, if you look from a distance at your problems and put them into relation to the world, how important are they really? If you’ve made some bad choices that have resulted in going through a rough patch emotionally, financially, or spiritually, that’s okay - this is how you grow in life. You grow in life through experiences. It really is how you react to these struggles that make up who you are.

Let’s look at how to overcome negative thoughts so that you can better deal with self-doubt.

How to Overcome Negative Thoughts

It is possible to train your mind to overcome and turn negative thoughts around. Let’s look at some strategies to turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts, or to at least stop the negative thoughts faster when they start.

* Change the Focus – When you encounter a negative situation, try to immediately turn it into something positive by focusing on what you can learn about the situation. Even if all you learn is that you don’t want to do that again, that’s a positive thing.

* Most People Don’t Care – The truth is, even if you say the wrong thing or dress what you think is wrong for an event or do something that you feel embarrassed about, most people don't care that much. If you can develop the ability to laugh at the situation, that's even better. Most people really don’t have time to think about your bad choices, especially if it doesn’t affect them.

* Ask Whether You’re Being Too Serious – Sometimes it’s easy to take something seriously when it shouldn’t be. Does it really matter if you slipped and fell when you were trying to sit in your seat at work? Does it really matter that you put on the wrong shoes? Does it really matter that much if you pronounced a word wrong? Don’t hyper-focus on one mistake or one bad day.

* Replace Negativity in Your Life – Whether it’s people, places, or things, it’s time to rid your life of negativity when you can. Sometimes negative people attract negative people. If you want to be more positive, try to find new friends, new activities, and things that make you happy and feel positive.

* Don’t Make Decisions Bigger Than They Are – Many people plagued with self-doubt tend to have trouble making decisions. Even if it’s just what to wear, what to eat, or what to buy, they're turned into bigger situations than they are. When you are making any decision, ask yourself whether this is going to matter in a month, six months, or even five years from now. That way, you’ll be able to determine whether this is a serious situation you need to spend more time on or if you need to just make a choice and either get on with it or not.

* Take to Someone – Now, make sure the person you’re talking to is positive and doesn’t make you feel bad about yourself. Sometimes it helps to ask someone if you’re overacting, especially if you can find someone who understands how you’re trying to change your life and get over self-doubt. This may be a professional, a life coach, or a friend - even someone from a support group or an entire support group.

* Stop Thinking about It – Sometimes negative thoughts can ruin the experience you’re living. It’s better to try to shelve the negative thoughts during the experience and try to really live in the moment. Being in the present enables you to truly realize that this thing isn’t negative at all, or not as much as your mind is trying to tell you. Then when you look back on it, you will likely be able to pick out a lot more positives than negatives.

* Exercise – When it comes down to it, most of us have a lot of extra energy (adrenaline) that needs to be burned off. Some people realize this and that’s why they get moving. Whenever you start experiencing negative thoughts, instead of letting yourself do it, get some exercise. Go to the gym, go for a run, go for a walk, ride your bike, jump rope, go for a swim – anything that you can do that you like doing is a good thing to do instead of thinking negatively.

* Realize When It’s Really Fear – Sometimes negativity will poke its head in your life when you’re doing something a little bit uncomfortable or pushing your comfort zone a bit. There is a quote by George Addair that is useful here, "Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of fear." If you can remind yourself of this quote when you are experiencing negative thoughts associated with fear, you can overcome it.

It will help a lot with overcoming negative thoughts if you put these suggestions into action. You may come up with some of your own too. The point is, you want to turn negative thoughts around so that you can instead experience positivity in your day. That way, you don’t get stuck in a pattern of self-doubt.

Strategies for Dealing with Self-Doubt

Now, let’s go over some important ways to deal with self-doubt when it happens. Be assured that even the most successful person works to overcome self-doubt at times. Feeling self-doubt is not the problem. Letting self-doubt control you, make your decisions for you, and rule your life is the problem.

* You’re Not Alone – Everyone experiences self-doubt and whether you have friends, family, or anyone to talk to right now about this, you are not alone in your feelings. It’s all how you react to it that matters. You can find others to commiserate with by joining Facebook groups or other types of groups and forums to help feel less alone with your issues.

* Keep a Journal – One way to overcome self-doubts is to keep a journal to help remind yourself of accomplishments that you have experienced. You can talk about the self-doubt you felt and how you pushed through it. It doesn’t have to be a false representation of what you’re doing, but do try to focus on the positives of each situation and what you learned from it.

* Don’t Compare Yourself to Others – The worst thing you can do is to make comparisons of your life to someone else’s. This only breeds more self-doubt and even jealousy. The truth is, you have no idea what other people have gone through to be where they are, or even if they’re really being honest about their situation. You only know the truth about your own situation.

* Express Gratitude – Every single event in life has something to be grateful for. Even the worst things can be turned around to be a lesson that can help you in the next situation in your life. People who have overcome the worst things that you can imagine - death, crime, illness – all have one thing in common: that’s their ability to see the positives in it or at least be grateful they knew the person, loved the person, or something good.

* Set Small, Immediate Goals – One way to overcome issues with self-doubt is to experience success. Start setting small goals that allow you to experience immediate success. It depends where you are in your journey, but success can be as small as getting up in the morning, to going to the store, to something more challenging like applying for new jobs. (Note that this said "applying for new jobs", not getting one.)

* Surround Yourself with Positive People – Take the time to pick out people you already know who makes you feel good about yourself. If you don’t have those people in your life, it’s time to seek them out. You can find people via meetups online, taking a class, group meetings, a book club and so forth. The important thing is to start being around positive people more.

* Learn to Respect Obstacles – Everyone has obstacles that prevent them from experiencing full joy and push them back into self-doubt. Everyone. The way to deal with these issues is to respect the fact that you may have something to learn or gain from the experience. Find a way to respect the obstacles that are put in front of you and learn from them.

* Learn from Mistakes – When you make a mistake, instead of beating yourself up, accept it and learn from it. Sometimes it helps to write down the experience in your journal with a focus on what you learned and how you’ll do it differently if that comes up again.

* Know When to Walk Away – There are times when giving up is not a failure. There are many times in life where you try something but it’s just not working for you and it’s time to walk away. That may be a business choice, a relationship choice, or something else entirely. If it’s causing you too much stress that cannot be overcome, it’s time to leave it and move on.

* It’s OK to Be Uncomfortable – One thing to realize about life is that it’s okay to be uncomfortable sometimes. You won’t grow if you don’t experience some discomfort. That doesn’t mean you have to be into mental, physical, or spiritual torture; it's just that feeling a little fearful, uncomfortable or unsure is natural. Put things into perspective so that you know you’re making good choices.

* Assess Your Strengths and Weaknesses – One way to deal with self-doubt is to honestly figure out where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Then, develop your strength and even improve upon your weaknesses when you can. Sometimes the way you improve a weakness is to let someone else deal with it. For example, if you’re a bad cook but you want to lose weight, and don’t want to learn to cook, it’s okay to order a meal kit or to get someone else to do it if you have the ability. There is always a way around a weakness. The strengths you possess naturally can also be improved upon almost painlessly.

* Get Accountability – When you are trying to overcome self-doubt and start believing in yourself, it can help to have someone around who can offer accountability. This can be a life coach, a counselor, a friend or a group. It’s best not to choose a friend without their knowledge, though. If you have a positive friend who is willing to help you, that’s okay. But if they don’t know what they’re doing, they may lead you astray. A life coach is a great way to help build your self-image and overcome self-doubt so that you can believe in yourself because they have training and know their role.

These strategies for dealing with self-doubt will not work for you if you don’t implement them. The issues with self-doubt are so serious that they can make you stuck in a life that you don’t want and aren’t loving. This can lead to anxiety, depression, and that can spiral into a bad situation.

If you really want to experience true joy in life, believe in yourself, and get rid of the debilitating self-doubt you’re experiencing, start implementing now. Don’t delay or make excuses.

What to Do Right Now

Now that you’ve read all of that, you are probably wondering where to start, so use this last part to get yourself organized and ready for change. If you really want to overcome self-doubt and start believing in yourself, it will take action on your part. So let’s get started.

Pinpoint Where Your Self-Doubt Began

Using the information you’ve learned, it’s important to figure out where your self-doubt began. It may be from childhood, in which case it may take some professional help to overcome it. It may be something you fell into due to other issues that need to be identified. If you’re in a toxic relationship, for example, you may have to work on getting out of it before you can move forward.

Honestly Assess Your Strengths and Weaknesses

One way to do this is to get out some paper and a writing utensil, and simply write on one side of the paper your strengths, and on the other side your weaknesses. Then take a highlighter and highlight the things you want to work on to improve your strengths and the things you would like to do better in terms of your weaknesses.

Get a Physical from a Doctor

This is important because sometimes self-doubt is caused by anxiety and sometimes anxiety can be caused by vitamin deficiencies. Get a vitamin panel and tell your doctor that you’re experiencing anxiety. They’ll know which vitamins to test for to ensure that you can get the information you need.

Eat Right and Exercise

This may seem silly, but eating right and exercising can be one of your first successes and experiences that you can look back to that show that you make good choices. This small thing can give you the confidence you need to stop having so much self-doubt in your life, building your ability to believe in yourself. If all you do is add more water, more fruits, and veggies and start walking each day, that’s going to help a lot.

Start a Journal

Find a good paper journal that you can write in each day before you go to bed and when you first wake up. It’s good to do this without technology because it’ll be something you can do without causing you to experience extra stress from the blue light in technology that can cause people to experience anxiety and insomnia.

Ask For Help

Whether you have a friend you know will help you, or you feel the need to seek professional help in the form of a counselor or life coach, it’s important to find help. The right help for you is what works. It doesn’t matter what anyone else uses; it only matters what is working for you to build your belief in yourself while you’re letting go of self-doubt.

Start with Small Goals

Set some small goals so that you can experience success. Your small goals might consist only of the things on this list. But you may have identified some things by reading this that stick out to you as small goals that you can immediately see results from that you want to add.

Implement - Do It!

You can learn all that you want to learn about ridding yourself of self-doubt and building your belief in yourself, but if you don’t act and do something (in other words, implement), you won’t see the success you desire. Even if it’s the smallest thing, like reading this or taking a course, or finding a group, that’s doing something. Small things can lead to big results.

Hopefully, you’ve learned a lot of information that is going to help you build your self-image, help you get rid of self-doubt, and move toward believing in yourself again quickly. Remember that nothing is gained without putting one foot in front of the other. But also remember that you are capable, you can do it, and you deserve to do it too. You are worth it.

Social Media Giants Exploit Human Physiology

Thu, 25 May 2017 11:35:11 GMT

TECHNOLOGY'S EFFECT ON YOUTH

Sean Parker, Chamath Palihapitiya - Facebook is 'Ripping Apart Society'

Technologies Persuasion on Youth
In the nineties when KIDS INC. was founded, the internet, and world wide web was not available. Smartphones were not available.
Technology then exploded! The generation of those who are at the helm, have by designed, used what is known as "Persuasive Technology".
If you follow the path of this, you'll find that it's not uncommon, just unheard of.

For years before the internet, this same type of "Persuasion" has been used since words were first spoken, written and transmitted in any form.

The idea that today's great technologies specifically target children and teens literally to alter behavior and even more critical, the altering of the brain and natural thought processes should be questioned. It leaves one feeling deeply uncomfortable.

This information is important. It's a catalyst for achieving our ambition of a safe internet experience for children.

At what age do you allow internet access?
Have you set parental controls?
Have you set limits?

OR - Does your child/teen know more about technology than you?

What are your thoughts?
K.I.