Whether you're an 18 year old or you're on your 50's, you are allowed to freely surf on the internet. How about below those kids below 18? The answer is "yes".
They are free to use social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, or search over Google and Youtube everything they want.
And as we know, these websites are not considered harmless for kids, because there are some contents that are only for people ages 18 and above and not appropriate for younger viewers.
For this reason, Google plans to create versions of its popular products specifically for consumers 12 years and younger.
According to USA Today's report on August, Pavni Diwanji, Vice President of Engineering in charge of the new initiative said, "We expect this to be controversial, but the simple truth is kids already have the technology in schools and at home."
"So the better approach is to simply see to it that the tech is used in a better way, he added."
Even though Google itself has been caught in an argument regarding the children-and-technology debate, having to refund $19 million in in-app purchase charges made by kids via Android devices, they still have no plans to stop trying to raise a new generation of technologists.
Diwanji also discussed how her kids motivated her on this project:
"The big motivator inside the company is everyone is having kids, so there's a push to change our products to be fun and safe for children."
"I don't want them to feel like they're going to the back room to use technology," she continued. "We want kids to be safe, but ultimately it's about helping them be more than just pure consumers of tech, but creators, too."
Diwanji says as a parent she "is a big believer in coaching moments for kids, rather than just blocking what they can do. I want to enable trust in them. Thirteen isn't some magical number. I want to teach them what's right and wrong, and bring families together using technology."
The company already targets youngster through virtual Maker Camp, its Annual Doodle 4 Google competition, and Made with Code initiative; it allows kids to remotely animate the trees at the White House's President's Park during the holiday season.
Moreover, there are rules such as Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) that requires parental consent before sites can collect personal information for children under the age of 13. Still, children are able to use the sites because all they have to do is to change their date of birth during the online registration.
