Safeguarding Our Tech Savvy Kids

Today's generation of youngsters take technical gadgets for granted. They are brought up alongside mobile phones, tablets, computers and the internet, both in the home and school environment. 

With children being exposed to technology from a younger age than ever before, it is likely they will have mastered the features and functions of many gadgets quicker than a lot of adults can. Even toys given to babies or toddlers introduce them to technology early in life, such as basic touch buttons and big screens that let them explore numbers, words and sounds. Long before many children go to school they will have played games on their parents' phone or tablet, or may even have one of their own.

Research has shown that nearly one in 10 children get their first mobile phone at the age of five, and over half of youngsters own one by the age of 10. A third of children under the age of 15 also have their own tablet.

With children having easy access to the internet via a range of devices it stands to reason that any responsible parent will want to ensure that their child is only viewing information that is appropriate and safe. Although it might not be feasible to keep a constant watch on what children are exposed to online, there are lots of ways that you can help to safeguard them from the risks.

Installing antivirus software to all of your devices should be your first strategy to keep kids safe online. A good antivirus package will keep spam, viruses, dubious content and other potential threats at bay. Make sure to keep your software up to date, however, as the threats can change over time as spammers and viruses alter their tactics.

Many devices now come with handy Parental Control features, so that you can set functions to decide exactly what your child can have access to. This can give you peace of mind that they are not being exposed to content which may be harmful.

Always instil the importance of being safe online to your children. Teach them not to disclose too much personal information online, particularly on social media, and if they come into contact with someone or something that upsets them, they should tell an adult.

Children can get hooked on technical gadgets, which may distract them from doing other things like homework or going outdoors and getting exercise. Consider setting time functions on devices so that they can only use them for a specific amount of time, giving you control over the frequency that they use them.

How much of a role does technology play a part in your life? At home or at work? Aalliyah is a super tech savvy kid and an avid YouTuber so does spend a fair amount of time online but everything she does is monitored and I will quite happily make her take a break if I feel her time spent online has became excessive.

I'd love to hear your thoughts..

*Post published in collaboration with Panda Security

Losing Out To Technology

A couple of days before Christmas, Aalliyah misplaced her iPod and after spending the best part of three days turning the flat upside down and driving myself crazy by searching the same places ten times over, I had to face facts. It was lost. It was frustrating as the only possible way of it becoming lost was in a matter of five minutes walking from one street to the other. She had run home from her nans house, so chances are it fell from her pocket. With Christmas day looming, I thought it was best to just deal with the issue afterwards as I didn't want it to put a cloud over our festivities.  As much as I was annoyed at the time, I really can’t blame Aalliyah for losing it. Since getting it over a year ago she has been amazingly responsible with it. It’s just one of those things and as much as I am sure I will be replacing it for her soon I can’t help feeling slightly pleased that just lately I seem to have got some quality time with her back again. Now don’t get me wrong, we do spend time together as a family whether staying in for game night or going out for a walk somewhere, but there were days when she would literally spend the best part of the evening glued to that iPod. She is an avid gamer (Minecraft in particular) so is ever so slightly addicted to those gaming videos on YouTube.

I came to realise that up until the point she got her iPod, she was a very regular reader. She has always had an exceptional aptitude when it comes to English and reading and her reading level has always been ahead by years. She would literally devour a book in one sitting and loved nothing more than getting a new book. I remember when we joined the library. You would think it was Christmas with how ecstatic she was. She would always mention new books she knew were coming out and I would always do my best to get them for her. I loved her thirst for knowledge and didn't mind paying for books as opposed to toys or games as I knew they were expanding her vocabulary and she was learning through doing something she enjoyed. When Christmas comes around, it is the perfect excuse for me to stock up on reading material.Tesco always seem to have such a wide variety of kids’ books and I am always spoilt for choice when deciding on new ones to purchase. Just look at this beautiful selection of children’s books below. This is just a small selection of the books she actually has. They are just crying out to be read. Aalliyah recently stayed at her nans house for the night and where she is used to a DVD before bedtime she had to take a book as there was no TV. She came back the next day full of excitement and telling how good the book was and how much she was enjoying it. This is what I wanted to see. I want her passion for reading to come back.

Aalliyah has made a commitment to herself to read more. She knows that she will inevitably get a new iPod but has made a promise to not only me but herself to not let it take over her other past times that she loves. In particular, reading!

Are you an avid reader? Do your children share your love of literature? Or are you left out in the cold from technology? I would love to hear your thoughts..

** This post has been contributed by Tesco.

Apps Magazine - Review

One thing I am never without is my iPhone and I am regularly downloading apps to make my life easier to manage and easier to share with all you lovely people. Then there are all those lovely little games which I have downloaded with the intention of passing 5 minutes of the day but end up sucking me right in! Candy Crush and What Saying? spring to mind! 

I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review a fantastic Apps magazine and was giddy at thought of a coffee and and some peace and quite to read it from cover to cover. Yes sad I know, but don't judge me and my mini pleasures in life.

I was thrilled with the quantity of high quality articles featured in the magazine. It was bursting with over 400 app reviews as well as many tutorials to help you get the most from your smart device. So whether you are a budding photographer, a medical student or even an avid gamer, you will be stumped to not find something of interest in this magazine. All genres are catered for and it also gives you a chart of the best paid and unpaid apps. Look out for the odd competition too! You may get lucky. Overall this is a fabulous magazine and one I will definitely be purchasing in the future.

The cover price of this magazine is £4.99 which when you consider the massive amount of content you get, is worth every penny. Why not head over to "Lets Subscribe" where you can save up to 30% with a magazine subscription.

The Snugg - Review

The Snugg offer a wide range of cases and accessories for all your tablet, Ipad and smart phone needs. So weather it's a case for your kindle or a watch strap for your Ipod nano, The Snugg have got you covered.

Nearly all of us own some form of smart phone and or tablet, which means thousands of units being sold every day. Now with all them top of the range gadgets being sold, repairing them is becoming just as big a business, with America being said to have spent over six billion dollars, just on Iphone repairs and or replacements alone. So if you are going to splash out a Kindle or a new Ipad mini, then its imperative that you buy protection for it! No I don't mean those little rubber things in the foil packets.. I'm talking covers!

I had the pleasure of being able to review a fabulous Ipad cover from "Thesnugg.co.uk" and they are the best by far that I have seen around anywhere. The particular cover that I reviewed, was a brown leather case for the Ipad 1, which also doubled up a stand, which was perfect for facetiming/skyping and catching up with my favourite shows on iplayer. 

The quality of the cover was absolutely fantastic, very soft leather and with a super soft lining inside, guaranteed to keep your Ipad scratch free.

Along with the brown leather case and stand I also received a fantastic little case that fits perfectly onto your cards headrest, which when teamed with the case lets you take your Ipad anywhere. Perfect for the kids on road trips, they can play games or watch movies, making for an easy ride for mum and dad.

Overall I was extremely pleased with the covers, they were of the highest quality and so simple and easy to use. What's more they are so sure that you will love their products, they also come with a lifetime guarantee!

Click here to find out more about The Snugg promise

Fancy getting your hands on some great covers and accessories yourself? Check out the following links to be taken directly to their site.

Click here to view the full range of Ipad cases

Click here to view the full range of cases for your smart phone