NEWS$show=/search/label/news

Here's where you'll find all the latest news about technology for children. We love to follow cool new inventions on Kickstarter and we hunt out all the latest announcements about tech toys and gadgets for the coming Christmas holidays. You'll also get our take on children's technology stories in the media.

REVIEWS$show=/search/label/review

Our kids technology product reviews are intended to help you work out whether a toy, gadget or kit is a good fit for your child or family. There's lots of cool stuff available, but is it the right choice for the child or teenager that you are buying for? We'll help you make the right choices and get the best value for money.

GIFT GUIDES$show=/search/label/gift%20guide

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends assemble. We create gift lists to help you make good choices for kids technology which helps them develop the right skills for the future. We research the best in Coding Toys and Games, Making / Craft Tools and Kits, STEM/STEAM related gifts, Programmable Robots, Electronics Kits and Gadgets for Tech Age Kids and Teens.

PROJECTS$show=/search/label/project

Get crafty with technology. Here we'll post all our ideas and projects using technology to get creative and making with kids. You'll find anything from making a lemon battery to a glow-in-the-dark Minecraft sword. Our projects are tried and tested on our own kids or at events we run, so we are sure you can have a go at home with your kids. Some of our projects use specific tech gadgets which we provide links for you to purchase.

STEM$show=/search/label/stem

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In recent years there is an increased focus in these areas of study. We like to include Art and Design too, so we often talk about STEAM (A stands for Art). At Tech Age Kids we believe Coding is a new literacy and children need to understand how technology works, practice making skills and grow in their curiosity to make a better future for us all.

CODING$show=/search/label/coding

Coding is increasingly being recognised as an important skill for children to learn. Some will learn to code at school or at a coding club, but it's brilliant if they get support at home too.

ELECTRONICS$show=/search/label/electronics

We think it's really important for kids to get hands-on with electronics and learn how to make circuits and write code to control hardware. Younger kids can start with conductive playdough. For kids who like to combine craft and tech, littleBits are fab. And we love SAM Labs wireless electronics components for making it easy for kids to make Internet of Things inventions. Lots of electronics kits for kids have support for the Arduino microprocessor environment. The DuinoKit Jr is one of our favourites. Arduino is a fab skill for older kids and teens to develop.

ROBOTICS$show=/search/label/robotics

We love robots at Tech Age Kids, especially programmable ones. We've got lots of them and write reviews and projects that use them. Our programmable robots for kids buying guide is a good place to start if you're not sure what's available. Roby the mBot Meccano robot dog is one of our popular projects and has been with us to lots of events. Our Ozobot LEGO trailer is fab for kids who love LEGO and robots.

MAKING AND CRAFT$show=/search/label/making

We're advocates of the creative use of technology, but this needs to be balanced with developing physical skills such as papercraft, woodwork, clay modelling, technical drawing and soldering. If children don't develop these skills as they grow up then physical making projects can become frustrating rather than fun. The Maker Community uses the term 'making' as a broad term to include all sorts of artisan skills or craft activities. Being able to make things can lead to life-long hobbies or even careers. It's a great feeling to be able to take a project from an idea in your head to a real object that does something. We're particularly interested to explore products that combine maker skills with tech skills such as electronics but others focus purely on the physical making skills that are still important to modern making.

Wise up on Social Media Sites Your Teen Uses


Most teens love social media. And why shouldn't they? Social media is fun, social and provides a platform for self expression. Although social media as a platform is fairly new, teens today don't remember a world without it.

Following the recent release of the "Taking Stock with Teens" study by Piper Jaffray, an investment firm, Tech Age Kids investigates the top 4 social media sites used by teens today. We encourage parents and carers to wise up on modern tech, to have meaningful and positive conversations with their teens.


Like with everything there is an opportunity to use a tool for good or to hurt someone. That's not the tool's fault, but the user and their set of values. Of course if you are on the receiving end of bad social media content it can be very distressing. We'll be writing more about that soon.

**Coming Soon** "Is Your Teen ready for Social Media?" Subscribe to read this post.

The Jaffray research showed Snapchat (28%) as the most popular social media platform among teens. It was closely followed by Instagram (27%) and Twitter (18%). Just a year ago only 13% of teens sided with Snapchat. So what is Snapchat and why do teens love it so much?



Snapchat

Snapchat only came into existence in 2011 as a photo and video sharing platform with a twist.

Basically you take a picture (perhaps a selfie) and then send it to a friend or a group of friends on your list. Once your friend receives your picture they have between 1 and 10 seconds to view it and then it disappears - forever (that is if no-one takes a screenshot or another picture of it).

To some parents, this may seem a terrible waste of time and effort, but to a teen it solves a big problem. Snapchat allows you to have fun, be yourself with playful images and videos without the worry of a permanent scar on your digital footprint.

The TechBoomers have a free course on Snapchat, detailing all the ins and outs of the mobile app. We recommend you read it, if you want more information.

Snapchat is a mobile app available on iOS and Andriod devices.

What Parents Should Know about Snapchat


Snapchat works with law enforcement and online safety agencies to ensure the best use of their application. They have produced a parent guide with ConnectSafely which you can download.

Snapchat has an age restriction of 13 + and provide community guidelines on Snapping. Parents can play a big role in ensuring Snapchat is fun and playful and used with respect of others privacy.

Snapchat's privacy settings allows you to make your Snaps only available to your friends. Talk to your teens about who they send Snaps too. You can also disable geo-location of Snaps.

Snapchat have some newly added features, My Story and Live Story. My Story allows the user to create a story with a number of photos and videos which is available to view for 24 hours, after that it is deleted. Live Story allows a user to contribute to a story hosted by an event, such as a music concert or a football game. You can also Discover Live Stories in a geographical area.

Tech Age Kids Verdict


I've not used Snapchat before writing this article, and unfortunately my teen doesn't use it either. Having downloaded it and used it a bit, I can understand the attraction. It is fast paced, and whimsical. A real platform for self expression. I created a Story of my doggie, Ruby!

As a parent I would talk to my teen about what are appropriate Snaps. We think it is very important to have open and balanced discussions on the use of social media in general.  This will be applicable for other platforms too.

Snapchat can be a really fun and social app for your teen to use with their friends.



Instagram

Instagram is a photo and video sharing site usually showing off beautifully curated images to inspire and allow expression.

In many ways Snapchat and Instagram are very similar. It is a social media platform, where you share photos and videos you have taken. The biggest difference is, Instagram is permanent.

Instagram has been adopted more widely by businesses and adults compared to Snapchat, but it's also been around for a little while longer - first released in 2010.

Check out TechBoomers' free course on Instagram, if you want more information.

Instagram is a free app available on iOS, Andriod and Windows Mobile.

What Parents Should Know about Instagram

Instagram have published guidelines for parents. They state, Instagram is intended for ages 13 and up.

Instagram is a brilliant application for a creative teen. The app has a built in photo and video editor to make your own creations. 

Instagram uses hastags (#) to tag media. This is used to find others who have used the same hashtag.

Tech Age Kids Verdict

I have used Instagram a lot, for both personal and business use. I really like it, and think it is great for creative people who feel the need to share their creativity with others. However, during my use, I have also come across a lot of inappropriate media on the platform. Sure you can block and report, but it still doesn't take away the image you've seen.

Instagram allows the user to be private or public and we would recommend young teens to start using the platform as a private user. They then have control over who can see their media. Unfortunately this doesn't affect the media they can access. As a user of Instagram you can search and find any public user, and there are millions.


Twitter

We're now going back a decade, when Twitter was launched in 2006.  It's a global social broadcast network, which allows the user to convey their message in 140 characters called tweets. You can add pictures and links to videos and content outside the platform.

Twitter is the place you go for breaking news and following specific interests. The beauty of Twitter is the fact you can have access to anyone with a Twitter account. If your teen wanted to send a direct message to their favourite band, chances are they can achieve this through Twitter.

Twitter is available on desktop and as an app for mobile devices.

What Parents Should Know about Twitter

The biggest concern for parents about Twitter is, your teen's posts are not private. Whatever you say on Twitter can be viewed by anyone. Read Twitter's guideline for families.

Twitter is a great tool for "listening" - learning other's opinions; also for asking questions. My teen have used it quite effectively to get answers from experienced developers to questions he had on projects. 

Twitter's limited character space, can make communication difficult and the pace at which information move along can be overwhelming.

Lists are a great way to keep track of people you would like to follow and block out the endless noise of Twitter. The hashtag, like in Instagram is also a powerful tool to find information and other people with similar interests on Twitter.
Use TechBoomers' free course to learn how to use Twitter.
Help your teen to choose a Twitter username that can follow them into adulthood as it is very likely to be a tool they will use to find a job or share information in future.

Tech Age Kids Verdict

I love Twitter and use it every day, as a learning tool and to keep in touch with my interest groups.

When it comes to Twitter, take time to talk to your teen about the sorts of information they consume online and the content they create. Do they know who is sharing their content? Think carefully how your tweets may be interpreted. Twitter takes accusations and malicious content seriously and there have been prosecutions due to hasty tweets.

I would recommend Twitter for teens who are able to see how their interactions on Twitter is part of a broader context and consider everyone who can view their content.



Facebook

Facebook is the grandfather (created in 2004) of social media sites.  It's an online community set up to facilitate people finding and forming friendships with each other through an exchange of different content.  Facebook is one of the biggest social networks because of how much you can do with it.

A couple of years ago it was big news showing teens leaving Facebook in droves, because their parents use it.

Facebook Messenger is far more popular among teens, and provide instant chat and media sharing much like WhatsApp. However you do require a Facebook account to use Messenger.

Facebook is available on desktop and as a mobile app on iOS, Andriod and Windows Mobile.

What Parents Should Know about Facebook

Facebook has come a long way, providing adequate privacy to it's users. You have considerable control over who can see you and what you're posting.

Facebook has a brilliant guide to Help your Teen Play it Safe, packed with great questions for conversation starters.

Facebook among teens, can be good and bad. I've heard parents say, if you want Facebook, I have to be your friend (guilty as charged). Those same friends later discovered their teen have two Facebook accounts. 

My teen got Facebook the day he turned 13 (he felt entitled to have it) and a week later deleted his account. He didn't like the idea of sharing his life online. Now I know, he is definitely in the minority among teens, but it does bring up an interesting point. Why does your teen want to use Facebook and will their use of it be for their benefit or detriment?

Tech Age Kids Verdict

As a family we use Facebook to keep in touch with our friends and family dotted all over the world. It helps us feel connected to the lives of family, who's too far to visit for a weekend. For this reason, I would recommend Facebook. There isn't another social tool that provides this level on connection.

Facebook is great for sharing, something teens love to do. We recommend keeping communication open and sharing tips and tricks of Facebook use with your teen. Facebook is probably the one social media platform parents are most familiar with, which helps to ask good questions about their use.


Social media integral to our digital future and rather than being afraid its impact on our children, let's wise up and help them engage in a meaningful, respectful and thoughtful manner.
24 days of Scratch coding book cover and cute penguin
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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children: Wise up on Social Media Sites Your Teen Uses
Wise up on Social Media Sites Your Teen Uses
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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children
https://www.techagekids.com/2016/04/wise-up-on-social-media-sites-your-teen.html
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