Google Play Store to launch 'Teach approved' children-friendly app section

With a lot of parents having their children at home right now, there is a need to keep the young ones entertained when they aren't doing schoolwork or chores. Google hopes to help out with a new Kids section in the Play Store. The apps in the said section will be "Teacher approved," and Google claims these have been rated by teachers and meet the company's quality standards. The apps are evaluated based on how age-appropriate they are, the quality of experience, enrichment, and delight. Google also adds more information about whether the app will be right for their kid. It's first launching in the US, with international countries getting it in the coming months. We're hoping it arrives here sooner than later.

Fitbit Ace wearable for kids is now available globally

Part of Fitbit's focus on making fitness tracking more accessible extends to giving more users access to the benefits of being more active and tracking their health.

Fitbit is the leading global wearables brand, announced today the availability of Fitbit Ace™ at major retailers worldwide for $129.95 CAD. Designed for kids ages 8 and older, Ace motivates with customizable step, active minute and sleep goals, celebratory messages and badges, and challenges for the whole family. With an adjustable, showerproof wristband available in two vibrant colors and up to 5 days battery life,i Ace is designed to keep pace with kids’ busy lives. With Ace, parents are in control and can manage who their children connect with and what information they see in the Fitbit app that will motivate them most.

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Parents can soon block specific shows or movies on Netflix

Netflix just announced new features that will make it easier for parents to monitor and control what their kids watch on the streaming service. At the moment, you can already put a PIN code on shows and movies that are over a particular maturity level or you can mark certain accounts as belonging to a child. But soon Netflix will let you put a PIN behind certain shows or movies to stop them from watching specific titles. On top of this, maturity level ratings are going to be displayed more prominently on the screen when a new title plays. The feature is rolling out in the coming months and the streaming service plans to look into how it can make maturity level ratings more descriptive and easier to understand.

Source: Engadget

Amazon Alexa adds kid-friendly skills, lets your child play with SpongeBob and Elmo

We haven’t really seen kid-related skills because of strict child privacy protection laws but Amazon has found a way to comply with the laws and encourage a new set of users to keep using its smart assistant and home speakers. The new Alexa skills rolling out in the US first will let kids play a SpongeBob game and an Elmo-related skill are debuting alongside a new Verified Parental Consent feature, where parents will need to approve use of the features via the Alexa companion app the first time the “kid skill” is enabled. Parents or guardians will need to enter a one-time password via SMS or phone or verify by credit card. It’s a one-time approval process. This new feature is sure to entice more companies itching to reach out to a younger demographic. And making it easier for children to access this tech will make them more reliant on them in the future

The new skills include a SpongeBob SquarePants game where kids need to take and relay increasingly difficult food orders to the staff that include the likes of SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs. For the Sesame Street’s skill, you get to play hide-and-seek with Elmo using audio clues to find out where he’s hiding. You can also practice the alphabet. On top of that, Amazon is launching its own Storytime skills that can read bedtime stories to kids from ages 5 to 12. The collection features stories read by Saturday Night Live’s Aidy Bryant and Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Source: TechCrunch