YouTube Kids, Disney promise safe online spaces for kids, but experts say buyer beware

'Tisthe season for new tech gifts, downloading coolapps and seeing everyone kids included gluedto our favourite companions:tablets and smart phones.

A fresh suite ofapps and onlinetools,such asYouTubeKids and Disney's Circle,are promising tohelp busy parents, makingthe online experience safer, for instance, or even limiting your kids' screen time for you.

However, media experts warn that no tool can replaceparental involvement.

"You know where your kids are in the offline world, so youneed to be conscious about where they are spending their time in the digital world,"Ramona Pringle, associate professor at Ryerson University, told CBC News.

It is critical to have an open dialogue with your kids about their digital life, she said.

Parents' little helpers?

Google launched the Canadian version of itsYouTubeKids app inNovember,promoting it as a hub of solely kid-friendly content in one convenient place. The Canadian launch came almostnine months after the app'sU.S. debut, which has been popular but alsofaced criticism from advocacy groupsabout advertising to children.

• YouTube Kids app stuffed with deceptive advertising, say consumer advocates
• Google'sYouTubeKids app now available in Canada
• YouTube Kids app under fire for marketing junk food to children

Then, there isDisney's newCircledevice, which links to your wifi network tomonitorwhat your kids (and, incidentally, the adults in yourhome) are consuming online. It also canblock web access after a period of time specified by parents.

If it all sounds too good to be true, it's because it probably is.

"The internet is full of content that parents need to keep tabs on," saidMatthew Johnson, director of education for MediaSmarts, anon-profit devoted to media literacy and education in Canada.

"We can't trust technology to necessarily provide content that is appropriate for our kids in a lot of different ways."

So what are parents and educators to do?

Rules and education are the key, according to the experts.

"There is an opportunity with each of these interactive tablets,platforms,YouTubeKids, Disneyall of it to have conversations with your kids about media literacy and digital literacy and how that content is being created for them... Butto just plunk them in front of anything a TV,a tablet the rules haven't changed. Youneed to be there," Pringle said.

"I actuallysee it as an opportunity. Weall use these tools, so using them in a balanced and responsible way these are very important skillsfor [kids] to have."

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