But today, one of the biggest dangers of children’s media remains abstract even to us parents. Yeah, it’s the data thing. When your kid picks up a device to play games or watch videos, even with your blessing, they hand valuable data to the game’s developers. One Berkeley study looked into thousands of children’s apps and found that: Still too abstract? Try: kids apps are tracking your kid’s online behavior and selling it as data to produce targeted ads (as well as raising other privacy and security issues)....

Pikachu is an electric-type Pokémon that live in the forest and communicates with other Pikachus using their tails. They can even use their electric power to share messages with other electric-type Pokémon. In the first Pokémon anime series, it was Ash’s first Pokémon that Professor Oak gave him. Pikachu was also a central character in all the Pokémon films and was the star of the 2019 movie Detective Pikachu, which grossed over $500 million....

That said, at age 8 kids are coming into their own identities and kids at this age will be into different types of games. Some want to explore and figure out puzzles, others can’t get enough creative world-building games and others are looking for action and adventure! For that reason, we have put together a list of 27 fun and suitable games for 8-year-olds of all kinds. We’ve got a wide variety of games here, so whatever your kid is into and however advanced they are with their Switch, you’ll find something that will make them squeal in excitement!...

However, 5-year-olds are not all the same, and one child’s gaming delight could be dull for another. That’s why it’s essential to consider the interests of the child you’re buying for and their gaming experience and abilities. Whether your child wants to speed along with Mario, go on missions with heroic pups or live a glamorous movie star life, there is something for them in the list below. We know the games need to be approved by parents and kids alike....

Disney is the monolith of children’s entertainment globally. They’ve been around in some form since 1923, which means we’ve been enjoying their films for a whole century. They came into great success in the late 1930s with the huge commercial boom of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. And that caused the name ‘Walt Disney’ to be instantly cemented in the minds of children and adults around the world. We’ve come a long way since Snow White, with a whopping 62 feature films since 1937 and with hundreds more iconic characters....

Chances are, it’s all of the above, and they can do it in all one colorful place. Whatever the reason, Minecraft is wildly popular among kids worldwide. As video games go, it’s also pretty great for kids, as it helps develop their creativity, problem-solving and math skills (at least in creative mode). That said, you don’t want your kids to be staring at screens all hours of the day, so getting them a Minecraft-themed toy can be a fantastic way to entice them into the real world....

My dad is an engineer and I remember how much I enjoyed lying down by his side while he was reading his engineering books, fascinated by the diagrams. So, I could instantly see the potential in what the creator of Computer Engineering for Babies had created. I’ve had two copies of this book at home for a few months now, so I feel I’m ready to finally sit down to share my impressions as a mum of a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old....

Whether you want to battle zombies, build your dream house or craft whole continents, you can do it in Minecraft – all by combining blocks of just a few different types. The sky is quite literally the limit! Minecraft is a great game for kids because as they explore dungeons and craft their very own worlds, they also practice their creativity along with their spatial reasoning, problem-solving and teamwork skills....

For that reason, 15-year-olds are notoriously difficult to shop for, so I don’t blame you for seeking some help. But never fear, because through extensive research reading feedback from teens themselves, I have put together a list of teen-approved gifts that will make you by far the coolest adult in the room. You’ll have to have a little knowledge about the teen you’re buying for (teen’s are individuals after all), but I’ve included options to suit a wide range of interests and tastes so it shouldn’t be difficult to pick the right one for her....

What I loved ❤️ 👍All the extras that they include, from the tools to the spare chassis clips – it feels like the team behind this RC car really thought about what kids will need to keep driving in the long term 👍The fireproof bag seems simple but was super useful when keeping everything together and when out with the car in the local park 👍Simple controls, it took just 5 minutes to get the hang of it and be driving with confidence...

Of course, this also makes it challenging to choose which games will be best for your 11-year-old. This is why we have made it our mission to go through all the options and weigh them based on genuine customer reviews (weeding out the fake ones along the way) so we can present you with the best of the bunch! At 11, kids begin to develop the identities they’ll continue to forge throughout adolescence....

Sadly, young readers who venture boldly into exotic literature are treading in largely uncharted territory. Despite the multiverse of words and ideas, only 2-4% of books published in English are translations. How can you learn about other cultures if your own culture mostly celebrates itself? Enter the rocketship ‘TheToyZone’! We’ve mapped the most popular books for kids written by a local writer in every country (that is, the highest-rated among the 20 books with the most user ratings....

Why is he so fast? Why is he blue? Is he even a real hedgehog? Stop asking questions and simply accept this speedy blue daredevil and the joy he brings. This list will help you find the best gift for the Sonic fan in your life, whether they are 4, 14 or anywhere in between. You can deck out your little one’s wardrobe, bedroom or desk with awesome Sonic the Hedgehog regalia, or occupy them with a Sonic-themed board game, camera and much more....

The flip side is that with so many excellent options, choosing the perfect Switch game gift can feel nearly impossible. In some ways, it’s harder to select games for 12-year-olds, as the net of what they might enjoy stretches much wider. Tweens can be into lighthearted family games, extremely challenging action RPGs and everything in between. On the other hand, 12-year-olds tend to be pretty vocal about what they enjoy, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to identify something they’ll love from a well-selected list....

But regardless of your favorite iteration, every generation knows that the Ninja Turtles are the world’s most fearsome fighting team. The Avengers and the Justice League can’t hold a candle to these heroic reptiles. So put your pizza down, grab your nunchucks and get ready to take on Shredder and co. with Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michaelangelo. Can we get a Cowabunga? Ninja Turtles toys have been popular ever since the cartoon premiered in 1987....

In fact, fan fiction is the lockdown equivalent of cave painting. Our cave-dwelling ancestors painted their walls with scenes from their daily lives – but today’s daily life involves more binging on prestige series and serials than hunting wild beasts. We at TheToyZone are no strangers to the art of fan fiction. We made Polly Pockets of iconic TV homes. We fawned over classic album covers recreated in LEGO. And now we’ve clicked the two ideas together to recreate scenes from the best Netflix Originals as LEGO screengrabs....

Toys aren’t just for kids, though: one study found that 58% of adults in the U.S. have bought a toy for themselves. And whether those grown-ups are battling it out on a console or zooming around the block on a scooter (does anyone else’s back hurt thinking about it?), one thing’s for sure: play is good for us. No matter your age, there may be one toy that has a very special place in your heart....

The Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974 by a Hungarian sculptor…BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. Okay, we get it. We all know what a Rubik’s Cube is. It’s that toy everyone had which was; A. Played with for about 2 hours then promptly thrown across the room in anger, never to be played with again for at least a year. B. Found after a year, played with for about 2 hours then promptly thrown across the room in anger, never to be played with for at least another year....

If you want to introduce your 4-year-old to the wondrous world of video games, Switch is the way to go, as it supports many games designed with preschoolers in mind. When choosing Nintendo Switch games for 4-year-olds, look for games with simple controls, basic gameplay, bright colors and friendly characters. Before deciding, think about whether you want something your little one can play alone or something you’ll play together. If you want them to be able to play by themselves, look for games explicitly aimed at young kids that don’t require any reading!...

So what better gift could there be for your aspiring ninja than a LEGO set depicting something from the show? It’s hard to be disappointed by Ninjago sets, as everything already looks like LEGO in the show, so it’s likely to look pretty accurate in an actual LEGO set. That being said, there are tons of LEGO Ninjago sets out there, making it tricky to figure out which is best for your Ninjago superfan....