Apps

Middle school student Seth Raphael found that he and his friends were repeatedly late to their Zoom classes last year because of the difficulty finding and keeping track of the different links. So he created an app to help. That app is now known as LinkJoin, which stores and automatically opens Zoom links so you join at the right time.

Looks like TikTok is the now social media app to beat, according to a new study by app monitoring firm App Annie that gathers social media data. The latest data research of Andriod phones has found that the average time per user spent on apps is highest for TikTok and this rise to the top is  "upending the streaming and social landscape." While TikTok is viewed on average more than YouTube, YouTube is still the leader in overall time spent (not per user) and has more users overall. Note, the report only accounts for Android devices.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has partnered with Kindergarten teacher Kim VanBrocklin on developing an app that uses games to detect red flags for dyslexia and assess reading readiness in children ages 4 to 8. The app, called Application for Readiness in Schools and Learning Evaluation, or APPRISE, uses an accessible and scalable method that they hope to make available worldwide at no cost. The screener evaluates response time, working memory, processing speed, executive functioning skills, sound-segmentation and alphabetic recognition through child-centered games. As soon as the games are completed, data is sent in real time to statisticians at MIT. Parents receive information about their child’s performance, and data points can be used by educators to tailor interventions or programming initiatives. Parents and educators can get more information about taking part in the study at www.appriseproject.org.

Unlike most social media platforms, Twitter has never had a delete or edit feature for pubished tweets, but for years users have called on the platform to add an 'Edit' option so that they can correct those annoying grammatical errors. Twitter has repeatedly said that it's not going to happen, but now it looks like Twitter may offer a short window of time after pressing 'Tweet' to recall your missive. Besides correcting grammar or spelling, this may also let users heed misinformation labels that Twitter places on questionable Tweets or decide that those nasty or bullying comments really aren’t the best thing to send.

No matter how you look at it, YouTube has become an essential platform for most kids - potentially more important, and more influential, than any other TV channel or network. But YouTube is risky, with content rabbit holes that can take your kids into dangerous, and potentially harmful territory. That’s why YouTube developed YouTube Kids, its dedicated platform for youngsters that runs separate from the main app, and doesn't facilitate links to all YouTube content. However at some point, older kids will be keen to move on, and that can put parents in a challenging position.

To address this, YouTube has developed a new process that will enable parents to monitor their child's YouTube activity via a connected experience, while also giving them more privacy and independence.. Through this new option, parents will be able to choose from three levels of supervision  for their childrens' activity depending on age and maturity. YouTube says that in-app purchases will be disabled within this new experience, as well as creation and comments features, though parents will eventually have variable controls for each element. YouTube also notes that it will continue to evolve the tool over time to improve the options and tools available.

Tubular Labs reports that US residents spent 56% more time watching social videos on YouTube and Facebook in December 2020 than they did in February, an increase that rises to 97% for those over 45 years old. Influencers commanded the most attention, with 121 billion monthly minutes, followed respectively by traditional broadcasters and digital-first publishers. For the parents out there, it’s probably no surprise that within the kids’ category, Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes commanded the top placement with 59 million unique viewers per month, followed by PinkFong! Kids’ Songs and Stories (51.6 million). Sesame Street was a more distant third (30.5 million).

Looking at top media creators by the age and gender demographics of their audiences, there are some notable differences. For the 13-24 year-old male cohort, the top creators by average monthly unique viewers were Movieclips (14.1 million), WorldStar Hip Hop/WSHH (11 million) and WWE (8.3 million). For women in the same age group, Tasty won out (9.4 million), followed by 5-Minute Crafts (8.5 million) and Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes (6.6 million). 

University of Arizona researchers can test saliva samples for COVID-19 using microscopes linked to smartphones. The scientists hope to train others to conduct the 10-minute tests once they get approval from a review board at the university. There really may be an app for that!

Colleges that were forced to recruit digitally on the fly this past year can now provide a broader picture of possibilities for high-school students, says Angel Perez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Admissions officials are eager to resume making face-to-face connections with potential students, but schools are looking at ways to keep some of the technology-based approaches, including live streaming,  for recruiting as well, says Worcester Polytechnic Institute enrollment official Andrew Palumbo.

TikTok is introducing a new feature to fight the spread of misinformation on its platform by flagging videos that contain unverified information. The update is meant to address a kind of gray area in the fact-checking process: claims that fact checkers are unable to verify. With the update, users who try to share a video that’s been flagged as unsubstantiated by the app’s fact checkers will see a pop-up saying “this video has been flagged for unverified content.” They’ll still be able to go ahead and share it if they wish, but the video won’t appear in other users’ For You page. TikTok will also notify the person who originally shared the video that their post has been flagged. 

In honor of Data Privacy Day recently, Snapchat  launched a digital literacy program that will provide monthly tips from a variety of experts to help users protect themselves online. Called “Safety Snapshot," the new channel appears in Snapchat’s curated content section, called Discover.  Snapchat also is unveiling a filter that features a swipe-up link to access additional privacy resources, produced in connection with the Future of Privacy Forum.