Smart Phones Archives - MamaBear App

August 20, 2013September 19, 2013

Back to School Safety Tips – Staying Safe Online at Home, at School and Everywhere

A new school year is full of excitement and opportunities for children. New activities and new friendships are forged while a whole new learning adventure begins. Along with the excitement and novelty of a new school year, children with smart phones, tablets and classroom computers can be exposed to threats from online predators and bullies as they are also being exposed to a wide world of information and learning.
Thankfully, there are several precautions a parent can take at the start of a school year to keep children safe while allowing them the freedom to enjoy technology. Taking a few back to school tech safety precautions is every bit as important as buying school supplies and new clothes, meeting teachers and doing all the necessary things to prepare a child for the new school year.

Back to School Technology Safety Tips

Here are some back to school tips to help keep your children safe during the school year:

Monitor your children’s online and social media behavior. According to an article at Education World, you can do this in a number of ways: by talking to your children, monitoring their apps and by setting up internet usage rules. You can also install the MamaBear Family Safety App on your child’s Apple or Android device to monitor your children’s behavior on Facebook and Instagram, including when they make new friends and are tagged in posts, photos or at locations. Be aware when inappropriate language or indication of bullying is posted to their profile with restricted word alerts. Also, teach your child that if you wouldn’t say something in person, you shouldn’t say it on social.
Set up parental restrictions on their mobile devices. iPhones have a great parental restriction settings to monitor age appropriate content, music, apps and gives parents the opportunity to restrict in-app purchasing, adding apps or deleting apps. On iPhones go to settings/general/restrictions to set them up. On Android devices, a recent update to the operating system allows for some device restrictions for parents. Right now Android 4.3/Jelly Bean is available on Nexus devices but manufactures of other device types are anticipating a roll-out of the new operating system. Until then check Google Play for other apps that help with device restrictions.
Control internet use at home. Place your children’s computer in a public area so they can’t isolate themselves when online. Limit the amount of time to use the Internet, or simply disable WiFi at certain times of the day to restrict his/her internet access. Set rules for mobile devices too. For instance, charge phones overnight in a common area, not in their bedrooms at night. Check up on their browser history on their phones for use of unacceptable content.
Be aware of your child’s computer use at school. Ask questions about what their computer use is in the classroom. Create an open dialog that holds your child – and his/her teachers – accountable. Also, know your child’s school’s internet policy. Be aware of how your school district handles internet safety by visiting the school’s website and/or talking to school faculty and administration. If you have concerns about the policy, consider working to improve the Internet safety standards of the school district.
Pay attention to warning signs. Be aware of whether your child is spending an increased amount of time online or on their phones, is isolating themselves, appears withdrawn or is exhibiting troubled behavior. These could be signs that your child’s safety is threatened. Awareness is one of the best ways to keep your children safe with their mobile devices.

Going back to school is one of the most exciting times of the year for parents and their children. Keep that time fun and special by following these back to school internet safety tips, protecting your child so that she can safely embark on the adventure of a new academic year.

The MamaBear app helps parents around the world to worry less about their children. Download the app today for iPhone devices here and Android devices here.

May 30, 2013

Top Apps for Children in 2013

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.

November 14, 2012November 14, 2012

The Smart Phone Gift Giving Guide for Your Kids

The holidays are coming. For many families, that means new cellphones and smart phones for the kids. When choosing the best cell phones for kids, there are several qualifiers that parents can look to before making a final decision. Price and functionality tend to be the most important considerations. Finding a balance of the first two options and a phone that meets the requirements the parents and child have in mind is usually going to result in the best cell phones for kids.

Affordability is a pretty important factor in choosing the phone for a child. Finding a phone that won’t break the family’s gift budget is important. Finding a budgeted phone that works effectively and has all the features the parents feel the child needs is also important. Typically one or two year old models fall neatly into a low or median price range while still offering full functionality, making them solid choices. Phones from providers who offer a family plan for calls and information are good choices for affordability as well.

Functionality is an issue with many modern phones. Call reliability is extremely important to parents who expect to use the phone to talk to the child regularly. A phone that is going to be used as information or learning tool will need a strong network card to ensure uninterrupted data. Strong text functionality is typically important to modern kids and parents who use texts to communicate. Reasonably modern phones offer all of this functionality while avoiding the cost of brand new models. This makes slightly older but still modern phones some of the best cell phones for kids.

Many parents find that ensuring the child has a phone with a strong GPS system is the most important factor in functionality in a new phone. This typically means a more modern phone with a functional GPS tracker is ideal. Apps like MamaBear use this modern GPS functionality to track and monitor children, not just lost and stolen phones. Modern GPS is available in many phones, both brand new from lines within a few years old. The Samsung Galaxy SII and the IPhone 4s for example are not new to market but offer full modern GPS functionality.

Another important part of functionality for a child’s phone is parental control. Restricting the ability of the child to surf the web or watch videos is important to many parents. Preventing the child from deleting or modifying controls or parenting related apps is important. In this regard newer models of iPhone do tend of offer better functionality.

The best cellphones for kids fall squarely into a few areas. Affordability, both in terms of purchase and monthly costs, is an important consideration for parents. The phone doing what it is intended for is important for both parents and children. Functionality in certain areas, like GPS and parental restriction, is typically very important to parents. Recently produced, but not brand new, models tend to meet all of these criteria effectively. When loaded with a child monitoring app like MamaBear, they can also help a parent quietly observe more and worry less.

November 2, 2012November 2, 2012

Social Media Monitoring Tool – Perfect for Friday Night After-Game Parties

High school sports are a blast to watch. Especially when your kid’s team gets the win! I love seeing them light up with pride. Of course they want to celebrate with their teammates and friends so Friday night after-game parties are common. But do you ever wonder who they’ll be with and worry about celebratory activities? With their smart phones attached at the hip, chances are good they will post photos on their social media pages and get tagged in photos and in messages with other people. Keeping an eye on their social media profiles can give you a peak inside the party and some insight on who they’re hanging around. The MamaBear App has a social media monitoring tool to lend a helping hand so you don’t have to spend your time snooping around on their profiles.

Trusting your teen to make good choices and behave appropriately is important and giving them the independence to have their own life experiences is necessary. But parenting in today’s world is different. If we aren’t there to teach our children how to manage their reputation online like we do offline, they’ll learn it from others in their social media spaces. Don’t let one Friday night after-game celebration cause a negative digital footprint for your child. Have the right information in hand to help lead a great conversation about social media etiquette and safety. MamaBear can help with our social media monitoring tool to alert parents to keywords, phrases, photos, friends and tags being used. It can save you some time and keep the necessary information in the palm of your hand direct to your phone without always logging in to your child’s social media pages.

So cheer on your team and good luck at the game. And should your kid want to go to the after party, let them! Give them some independence and freedom and get some peace of mind at the same time. Take a look at the MamaBear App to monitor their social media activity, location and driving speed.