Google products aren’t really just for the “fully formed” adult that uses the Internet on their mobile device. The current generation doesn’t know life without Internet and technology anymore as they have been born into it. Whether that’s for the good or bad depends on what you think about the whole digital revolution. Google has made it their mission to help kids have a semblance of balance between offline and online since they are still forming all aspects of their humanity. Now they are bringing even more tools to help parents understand and guide their tech-savvy children. As for the older kids on their way to becoming adults soon, Google has a new tool to help them too.
Google launched Family Link last year so that parents can keep up with their children who have been given mobile devices whether sharing it with other family members or their very own. It helps them manage how much time they will spend on their phone or their tablet, play games and activities as a family, set digital ground rules at home and outside, and basically keep an eye on your child or children’s digital behavior. So if you yourself is not tech-savvy enough, the app should be able to help you with that since it’s important you understand the digital world that this generation now lives in.
They have added a new card to Family Link and it will show the parents the “nutritious” apps that are being recommended to your kids. Usually, the recommendation comes from the teachers and this card within the Family Link app is to help parents determine if the content is actually appropriate for their children. You can explore the app on your own device and when you’ve given it your seal of approval, you can just tap to download it directly to their device. The card is now rolling out to US users with kids aged six to nine but they’ll be expanding it to more territories soon.
Meanwhile, for the older kids who are trying to figure out which college or university to go to, Google has created something to help you out, all within the Google Search results. When you search for a 4-year US college, you’ll now see more information in the specific school’s result, without even having to go to their official website (although of course you should eventually do that). You’ll get an overview, admissions requirements and schedules, how much it would cost after student aid is already applied, and other information you may need.
You will also get statistics about the student body, which notable alumni came from that school, and similar colleges you may want to look into. It even has information about potential annual income 10 years after you enroll in the school. The information comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), as well as education researchers and non-profit organizations. Obviously, this will work with US colleges for now so try it out on your mobile device or desktop if this is relevant to you.
