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Google announces Kids Space, more than just YouTube Kids

Google announced a couple of days ago on their blog that Kids Space was coming out this Fall. This is a tablet-centric app/system that’s designed to help kids discover, create and grow. The downside, at least initially, is it seems to be device limited to the Lenovo Tab HD M10 (2nd generation,) and the Lenovo SmartTab M10 HD (2nd generation). So if you’ve got those, you’re in luck, if not expect to see it on many devices later (according to the blog).

It recommends apps, books, and of course videos. Hopefully no more kids playing with surprise toys videos…

The app points you toward some teacher-recommended apps and games, books that are handpicked by experts (evidently in the fields of ballet and long-haul trucking from the website,) and videos.

Boundaries can be set and managed in Google Family Link. You can also see what apps your kids have been using.

While it’s good to see this, this feels like an extremely late start to the Family Link ecosystem that really should at the very least not be device limited on launch. Get it out there Google. I know programming is tough for 5000 different builds of Android, but slap the word “beta” on it and go forth!

Hopefully Google Kid Space will help stop parents having to piecemeal together apps for kid space. We’ll see.

[Google Blog]

Paul King

Paul King lives in Nashville Tennessee with his wife, two daughters and cats. He writes for Pocketables, theITBaby, and is an IT consultant along with doing tech support for a film production company.