Study | Gadgets & Technology

Study: 92% of U.S. Children Have An Online Presence By Age Two

baby computer 300x300 Study: 92% of U.S. Children Have An Online Presence By Age Two They may not know how to even walk yet, but according to a recent poll, the majority of U.S. children under the age of two have some form of presence online, with 6% even having their own social network profile and e-mail address.

In an international survey of 2,200 mothers, Internet security company AVG found that 92% of the babies and toddler in the U.S. already have a “digital footprint” with images of them uploaded online. While the average “digital birth” happens at around six months, more than a third (34%) pre-date the child’s actual birth. Of those surveyed, more than 70 percent cited a desire to share with friends and family as the main motivator for posting baby photos online, although nearly a quarter (22%) of mothers in the U.S. said they did it just to add more content to their social network profile.

When asked how concerned they are (on a scale of one to five with five being very concerned) about the amount of online information available on their children in future years, participants reported moderate concern (average 3.5). “It’s completely understandable why proud parents would want to upload and share images of very young children with friends and families,” said AVG CEO JR Smith. “At the same time, we urge parents to think about two things: First, you are creating a digital history for a human being that will follow him or her for the rest of their life. What kind of footprint do you actually want to start for your child, and what will they think about the information you’ve uploaded in future? Secondly, it reinforces the need for parents to be aware of the privacy settings they have set on their social network and other profiles. Otherwise, sharing a baby’s picture and specific information may not only be shared with friends and family but with the whole online world.”

via Mashable

Study: 1 in 4 Women, Half of Parents are Gamers

wii1 300x231 Study: 1 in 4 Women, Half of Parents are Gamers According to a recent survey by the Entertainment Software Association, 40 percent of video gamers in North America are women and half of all parents play video games with their children at least once a week.

The report also shares other findings like the number of American households who game (67 percent), the average age of game players (34 years old), and the average age of game buyers (40 years old).

The numbers may surprise some, considering video games are thought to be targeted at most teenage boys but the female gaming population is gaining, even outnumbering boys in some cases – women over the age of 18 represent a third of all gamers, outnumbering the 20% of boys 17 or younger. Women also account for almost half of the games-buying public and the 42% who play online.

More on GLOSS: E3 2010 – Electronic Entertainment Expo – Preps for Girl Gamers

Despite the violent first person shooter, Call of Duty 2 claiming the top spot, families are enjoying good, clean fun – 13 of the top 20 bestselling video game titles of 2009 were rated “E for Everyone”, 11 of those were for the Nintendo Wii or DS.

Parents with kids under 18 played video or computer games cited fun for the entire family, requests from the kids to play, and an opportunity to bond as the top reasons for joining in.

“Distracted Walking” On The Rise

walkingtexting 300x219 Distracted Walking On The Rise States across the country are banning “distracted driving” — which includes talking on the phone and texting while behind the wheel, but there’s a new problem on the rise: distracted walking.

Citing a recently published study, the New York Times wrote:

Slightly more than 1,000 pedestrians visited emergency rooms in 2008 because they got distracted and tripped, fell or ran into something while using a cellphone to talk or text. That was twice the number from 2007, which had nearly doubled from 2006, according to a study conducted by Ohio State University, which says it is the first to estimate such accidents.

And considering that there are likely more incidents that didn’t bring people into the ER, the number can only get higher. So, what’s a busy, metropolitan city with tens of thousands of pedestrians to do? Initiate a texting while walking ban?

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