Ipads Archives - MamaBear App

We talk about Instagram quite a bit. The photo and now video sharing app is extremely popular and regularly controversial among parental discussions. Even though it’s known as a photo sharing app, the social media platform exemplifies the debate on children’s privacy and need for monitoring services. It’s a safe bet that the new introduction of Instagram Video service will keep the app in the forefront of the family monitoring debate for a while. You may question if monitoring your child’s social media is going too far or a modern necessity? Here’s some information to consider.

Instagram Stats

Instagram averages 100 million active monthly users or more and is the top photo sharing option for teens in the United States. Access to iPod touches, as well as iPhones and iPads and Android devices, have made it accessible to a huge range of teen and young adult users. Current estimates place Instagram at 1000 comments and 8500 likes per second, making the photo sharing app one of the busiest social media networks in the world. Source: http://www.digiday.com/brands/15-stats-brands-should-know-about-instagram/

The flexibility of use and exposure among its users also makes it extremely popular with celebrities increasing it’s likability among our children. The list of celebs who regularly use the app ranges from names like Miley Cyrus to Michelle Obama. In the last year, stars like Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Justin Beiber have received millions of comments, and hours of real media attention, by posting backstage photos of major events like the concerts and award ceremonies and even personal photos on Instagram.

Kids on Instagram

While Facebook remains popular with adults of all ages, the younger generation of social media users clearly prefers Instagram. Unfortunately through all the fun and connectivity most social media provides, it can also pose a significant risk to unattended kids and teenagers. The most prevalent and often discussed risks are bullying, inappropriate contact with adult content and inappropriate contact with adult users.

The current trend of Instagram beauty pageants encourages teenage girls to post pictures online so the entire Instagram community can rate them. Classmates and thousands of users, including unknown adults, rate these pictures and comment on if the posters are “pretty” or not. It’s a clear example of internet bullying and inappropriate contact with strangers that have no business interacting with a child online.

Even more frightening for many parents is the threat of interaction with strangers that Instagram can present or exposure to photos their kids just aren’t ready to see. Geo-tagging and other photo sharing options lead to some scary realities when it comes to child predators. Our kids may not quite understand how much information they’re actually revealing about themselves with a public Instragram profile and they may not stop to consider that sharing certain things like locations or name of their school with 100 million users isn’t a great idea.

As a modern necessity, MamaBear gives parents the option to monitor their kids’ Instagram and Facebook accounts for worrisome activity giving them an opportunity to discuss and protect their child’s reputation and well being. It saves parents time from scrolling through the fun and innocent photos and presents needed information to parents help keep our kids safe. Using the restricted words feature can inform parents of indications of bullying, hate or inappropriate language. And the follows notification can help parents monitor who their children follow. As always, be sure your children’s account is set to private and keep the conversation going about social media safety. Together we can keep social media the intended fun environment we all enjoy.

Try MamaBear free for Apple devices here and Android devices here.

iPads and smart phones have become the ultimate saviour in modern parenting. Used in moderation, iPads are a fantastic tool for children to play, learn, and develop their skills. More importantly, it is the only toy or educational vice which captures children’s undivided attention for more than five minutes.

Apps are constantly developing and there is plenty of choice on the market directly aimed at children.

Here we take a look at the Top Apps for Children in 2013:

Most addictive app: Anipang

This addictive puzzle game is suitable for children of all ages, and has even become a firm favourite among adults. The simplistic challenge to match as many of the 3 animated characters as possible within the 60 second time span, keeps you on the edge of your seat. While it is not necessarily the best app on the market for learning, it is certainly fun, and will maintain interest. It has become so popular it has attracted over 20 million users.

Best for science: Tickbait’s Universe

This app is aimed at children between the ages of 8-13. It teaches children about the world and beyond. The user can zoom in and out to reveal fun facts and insightful information about our planet and solar system.

As a starting point, we are introduced to Tickbait, the lovable mascot dog lying in his back garden. From here, if user zooms in they will reveal informative pages about DNA and atoms, and if they choose to zoom out, they will learn about the planets and atmosphere. This app provides a multitude of information in easily digestible snippets, making science fun for the user. This app is a great tool to help children learn about the basic science which surrounds them in a fun, light and exciting way.

Best classic app: Peppa Pig – Happy Mrs. Chicken

Children love Peppa Pig, the brand has dominated the market for years whether in television, book, toy or app format; it is a firm favourite and is here to stay. Peppa Pig- Happy Mrs. Chicken provides the user with 6 interactive games.
It’s a true classic which provides variety, familiarity and fun for children. It is targeted towards younger children, and is a great tool for helping children learn hand eye co-ordination and problem solving, while maintaining a high level of fun.

Best for Math: Team Umizoomi Math: Zoom into Numbers

This is a great educational app for younger children. The user is guided by three fun characters who provide clear instructions. The aim of the app is to help children develop their counting skills with the encouragement of the lead characters, who are well known as they also feature on a television show, just like Peppa Pig, which aids its popularity.

The app is simple and fun and has become a firm favourite. The reviews and parental feedback for this app have been extremely positive, most commenting on its ability make learning fun. They also state that the app has really helped their children develop their counting skills which translates into everyday life when they are not using the app.

Apps are a great way to help children learn. While iPads and smart phones are often criticized when used to entertain and teach children, in supervised moderation, they are a fantastic method to encourage children to develop their maths, co-ordination, concentration and reading skills. Not only that, they provide a welcome distraction, providing parents with some solace.

About the author: Kirsten works for top toy and games specialist Letterbox. In her line of work she constantly researches the market to see what is available, and what new apps or toys are proving most popular.

The article above was from a MamaBear guest blogger. The MamaBear blog is now accepting guest post from reputable bloggers on a variety of subjects. If you are interested in guest blogging for MamaBear simply contact us here.