FTC: Apps for Kids aka Digital Wild West (WashPost)

Fess up Apple and Google!  And you too, Facebook!

Lets face it - kids these days are just as plugged in to the social networks and app ecosystems as their moms and dads are.  And in this article from Cecilia Kang, she explains that the FTC is looking into privacy leaks where apps DESIGNED FOR KIDS are concerned.  Doesn't seem like all that scrutiny apps get before making it into Apple's app store is having any impact on privacy.

AND THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS ARE IN IT TO MAKE BIG $$$ FROM YOUR PERSONAL DATA!

Wake up, moms and dads!  These apps are NOT the product being sold - YOU and YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION are the product being sold!  Why do you think Facebook is FREE?  Why do you think apps on the app stores only cost a buck, but the shrink-wrapped versions cost $49?

You're being SOLD!  Your identity, your personal preferences, your daily schedule, ANYTHING that can be tracked and might benefit a marketer or advertiser is being collected at YOUR expense and SOLD!

Sleep And Your Kids: Researchers Disagree and get Testy (NPR)

On NPR's Shots Blog, Nancy Shute commented on a study from the University of South Australia, which in a nutshell stated that there was no foundation for the amount of sleep pediatricians have been recommending to parents for their kids.  Then she followed up with a Q&A with Dr. Judith Owens, a sleep specialist and pediatrician at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC.  Dr. Owens had a 'Not-So-Fast' exchange with Shute, and explained that recommendations for sleep have been well researched.  Perhaps the U of South Australia researchers have been pickin' and choosin' their data sets, possibly with an agenda in mind...?

Kudos, Nancy Shute, for doing your background and giving us the straight scoop on what kids really need in amounts of sleep, and steering us in the right direction for sleep info parents can really use.

Links to both of her blog entries are HERE and HERE.  Excellent read if you're concerned about your over-scheduled, tech-overloaded kids - like I am.