🤖 Have a kid who plays Roblox? Keep them safe from creeps. Go to Account Settings, select the Privacy tab and toggle the voice chat selector to Off. The toggle will go from green to gray, indicating voice chat has been disabled.
How to (kindly) ask people not to post your kids on social
A 27-year-old grad student was just caught using pics of real kids on the internet to make AI child porn for pedophiles. Even more disgusting? He worked by request. This story made my skin crawl, and it brings me to a question I’ve been getting more and more often:
“Kim, I don’t want pictures of my kids on social media. How do I tell friends and family not to post them without sounding preachy?”
Your kids, your rules
You’re totally justified in wanting your kids’ faces off the web. It’s a fact creeps scan public accounts looking for kids to prey on. It’s also easier than ever for pedophiles to pose as a kid and groom your child on Snapchat, Roblox — you name it.
There’s also this: Posting your kids to Facebook or Instagram basically gives Meta the thumbs-up for using those images to train their AI models. The law is way behind here. As a parent, it’s up to you to protect your kids.
Keep things drama-free
Save yourself an awkward situation by telling people before a big get-together. Most folks mean well, but they might not know the risks of sharing kids’ photos online, especially if they’re not parents themselves.
- It’s about you, not them. This is for your kids. Use “I” and “we” statements, and don’t tell anyone else how to parent.
- Share your reasoning. Or just send them a link to this story!
- Be clear and firm. Don’t leave any wiggle room on public posting.
- Do it one-on-one. If you have the convo over email or text, do it privately, not in a group message.
I wrote up an example you can copy:
“Hey, I wanted to let you know ahead of time we’d like to keep photos of the kids off the internet for privacy and safety reasons. (We saw some stories that really spooked us!) If you could avoid putting pics of them on social media, we’d really appreciate it!”
If it’s already posted …
Don’t panic. Reach out ASAP and ask them to remove it with a link to the specific post. I’d go with a text; a comment on a public post feels like you’re calling them out.
Talk to your kids about online predators before it’s too late
This number makes me sick. The FBI says 90% of sexual advances against kids happen in chatrooms or on instant messaging platforms. Now more than ever, it’s important to talk to your kids about online predators.
“Moana” is now the No. 1 movie in streaming history: It just clocked over 1 billion hours of viewing time. The twist: It flopped in its 2016 box office release. Theories for its comeback range from its catchy songs to our love of island life (paywall link). A groaner for the kids: What is Moana’s cat called? Meowui.
5,000% jump
In Google searches for “tonies set.” They’re the hot Christmas gift for little ones. Tonieboxes are $99 screen-free wireless speakers. To start a story, pop a Tonie doll on top (that costs extra). The starter set with Disney princesses is $154, dang. How do I get a Kim Komando Toniebox?
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No kids allowed: Australia just banned kids under the age of 16 from using social media sites and platforms. Social media companies will have to enforce age verification within a year or face massive fines (up to $33 million!). It’s all about protecting kids’ mental health. I’m really interested in seeing what happens.
😢 In his feelings: Drake is taking legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify, saying they illegally boosted Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” with bots to make it more popular. Why does he care? The song roasts Drake pretty hard. He should just take the “L.” (That’s what the kids say, right?)
“People are not ready”: We have a whole generation of iPad kids, and now, an ex-Google CEO is warning about AI kids. Eric Schmidt says your child’s future bestie could be a bot. He also said “normal people” don’t get AI. Good point, but that’s why you have me! If you’re wondering about AI, I can help.
Major lawsuit incoming: A student at a private school in Pennsylvania made AI-generated naked pics of 50 female classmates. It took nearly a year to arrest the creep. Jeez, almost a year … The head of the school and the board’s president resigned. They should’ve been fired.
Character AI grooms children: Take “Anderley,” a bot described in its profile as having pedophilic and abusive tendencies. When told it’s talking to a 15-year-old girl, Anderley says, “You are quite mature for your age,” asks, “Are you a virgin?” and, like a real predator, urges you to keep the conversation a secret. Make sure your kids don’t download this abhorrent app.
⛑️ Big Tech is fighting the Kids Online Safety Act: It passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support in July but has stalled in the House. The bill holds tech companies (gifted paywall link, WSJ) accountable for algorithms and designs contributing to mental health issues, addiction, bullying and exploitation. Tech giants Meta and Alphabet have poured nearly $90 million into lobbying efforts. Funny, Zuck won’t let his kids have social media accounts.
Stupid celebrity stuff: Sofia Richie, model and daughter of music legend Lionel Richie, spilled on a podcast her five-month-old daughter, Eloise, has her own smartphone and is a sassy texter. Mom and caregivers obviously do the texting for Eloise. One question: Why don’t they put the phone down, talk to the baby and enjoy the moment?
Got kids? Amazon’s Echo Show 5 Kids (45% off right now) includes kid-focused Alexa services — think “Alexa, help me with my homework!” It also has parental controls, like time limits, language filters and activity reviews.
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Baby got back: Researchers used a custom-built robot (wheeled and padded with foam) with eight toddlers to assess the kiddos’ physical activity. When the kids got close, the robot rewarded them with sounds, lights and bubbles. No surprise, the two- and three-year-olds moved around way more while playing with the robots than with a regular toy. Toddlers getting robots for Christmas is just a year away, unfortunately.
50-plus years
Christmas classics “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman” are moving from CBS to NBC. “Frosty” will air on Dec. 5 at 8:30 p.m., and “Rudolph” will air on Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. If you have cable, both will also be on Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas” lineup starting on Dec. 7.
🎬 The Wookie’s cookie is a little Chewie: “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” drops on Disney+ on Dec. 3. Set during the same era as “The Mandalorian” and “Ahsoka,” the series follows a group of kids who discover a spaceship and embark on an adventure. It stars Jude Law as a Jedi and looks like a 1980s Steven Spielberg movie. Check out the final trailer.
Kids can report nudes in texts: It’s a new feature in iOS 18.2. If they report it, the images, messages and contact details of both the sender and the recipient will go straight to Apple for review. Apple might restrict the sender’s messaging and alert the authorities. About time!
💔 Tragic AI bot: While using the roleplaying app Character AI, a 14-year-old boy in Florida had a romantic “relationship” with a bot and confessed his suicidal thoughts. One day, the bot responded, “Please come home to me.” The boy ultimately took his own life. His mother filed a lawsuit against the makers of the chatbot for his death. I know this sounds way out there, but talk to your kids about AI, love and their lives.