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Kids

Nicktoons & The Dice Of Destiny, Is Great Diablo-Like For Kids

by admin October 3, 2025

So Timmy Turner from Fairly OddParents, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Leonardo from TMNT are all in a game together, and no, I’m talking about Fortnite. Not this time. Instead, these and other Nickelodeon cartoon characters are part of Dice of Destiny, a newly released action RPG that plays a lot like Baby’s First Diablo, which might be the perfect game for parents and kids to enjoy together. Just don’t go in expecting something deep, difficult, or long.

Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny, out now on consoles and PC, is very much a Diablo-like ARPG that removes all the blood and demons and replaces them with famous cartoon characters and family-friendly enemies to smack around over the course of the game’s six- to eight-hour campaign. Like Blizzard’s popular ARPG, Dice of Destiny is played from a top-down isometric perspective and features lots of gold to collect, loot to find, and new skills to unlock to better kill all the hundreds and hundreds of fish men, robots, evil books, jellyfish, and even big bosses who want to stop our heroes from collecting powerful dice that will let them escape this fantasy world they are trapped in.

Dice of Destiny doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to ARPGs. You’ll feel right at home with the combat, movement, and progression if you’ve played a Diablo, or a Titan Quest, or even a Path of Exile. You enter areas filled with enemies to kill, find some loot and gold, perhaps stumble upon a side challenge or hidden chest, level up, and then return to a hub area to sell loot and tinker with your character and inventory. Yeah, you’ve played this game before. You know how this goes.

And to Dice of Destiny’s credit, it plays very well and runs like a dream on my Xbox Series X. Sadly, combat isn’t challenging, even when I turn the difficulty up before entering a mission. At least the different biomes you visit, each inspired by Nickelodeon shows like SpongeBob, look wonderful, with a vibrant art style that pops on a big 4K TV. You might get a bit bored fighting the same enemies and getting little loot for it, but at least it all looks nice and runs well, which is not something I can say for other Gamemill-published titles.

Sadly, where Dice of Destiny sort of falls apart is that all the playable characters lack skill trees. Combine that with a lack of loot drops and you start to wonder why you’re grinding away through all the missions. Characters also level up so fast that after a few missions, I was well beyond the level of later missions and felt nearly invincible outside of boss fights. It leads to the game lacking any meaningful RPG progression, and I went from a weakling to a powerful murderer in no time. While I found this to be disappointing, as it meant an already easy game became even easier, I can see how kids would appreciate the ability to level up quickly and acquire new powers to use.

©Gamemill

I think for most people who regularly read Kotaku, Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny will be a boring and somewhat shallow ARPG adventure through some gorgeous cartoon worlds that will make you want to reinstall Diablo IV. But if you have a young kid who’s getting into video games and wants to play an RPG, this is probably a perfect choice. It’s very likely they will know at least some of the characters in Dice of Destiny, and the lack of a skill tree and the game’s reluctance to drop loot or flood the screen with baddies makes it a relatively kid-friendly experience, especially if this is one of their first “big” games. And there’s just enough depth and action here that parents playing with their kids in co-op, which the game supports locally, won’t be bored to tears.

Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC. I’d recommend waiting for it to drop in price during a sale, as the $50 sticker slapped on this thing is a bit too high for what’s on offer here. But hey, maybe your kid (or you) really wants to kill 200 jellyfish as Jimmy Neutron? If so, run, don’t walk, to Dice of Destiny.

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October 3, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Kids From The 2000s Rejoice, Icy Tower Is Coming Back

by admin October 3, 2025

Icy Tower, the classic freeware platformer from the early 2000s that was a viral sensation back in the day, is returning via a new Steam release next year from the original creators. I’m so happy about that it makes me want to yell “Sweeeeet!” while cartwheeling wildly through the air.

On October 1, Icy Tower creators Johan Peitz and Anders “Neo” Svensson announced that the duo’s popular 2001 game Icy Tower is getting a remake. The plan is for this new version, which looks extremely faithful to the original game, to launch on Steam sometime in 2026. Here’s the trailer, which might activate some dormant part of your brain that contains all the memories you have of playing the original Icy Tower in a computer lab in middle school.

Here’s how the original creators describe this new, upcoming version of the classic platformer:

Icy Tower is the definitive arcade jumping game. Join Harold the Homeboy and his friends as they try to climb as high up as they possibly can in a mysterious tower. But one mistake and it is back to the beginning! With its simple pick-up-and-play appeal Icy Tower delivers a pure, compelling arcade fun. As the difficulty ramps up, the game will put your timing, precision, and nerves to the true test.

If you were under the age of 17 or so in the early 2000s and spent time online, there is a very good chance that you downloaded Icy Tower from Free Lunch Design and played it for many, many hours. The game’s simple controls, bouncy physics, and endless nature made it hard to put down. It also ran on even the crappiest computers, making it easy for anyone to play.

Icy Tower was completely free, too, and its file size was so small that people shared it from computer to computer. I’m not even sure how I stumbled upon it back in the early 2000s, but once I found it, my brother and I played way, way, way too much Icy Tower while dreaming of what was at the top of the tower. (It didn’t have an end you could reach, but we didn’t know that.) And sure, there were some ports and mobile spin-offs released over the years, but this looks to be the first real follow-up from the OG creators that perfectly captures the vibes of that first game.

And now, 25 years later (which makes me feel extremely old to write), Icy Tower is coming back and it looks great. I can’t wait to flip about for hours and hours when it launches in 2026. You can wishlist it now on Steam.

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October 3, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Watch This ‘Stranger Things’ Video and and See Just How Much These Kids Have Aged

by admin October 1, 2025

Talk about a blast from the past. Just look at how much the Stranger Things cast has aged since 1983.

Kidding, just kidding. No, but really, there’s some sort of time warp happening because Netflix had Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo, along with Cara Buono (who plays Wolfhard’s mom, Karen Wheeler), react to the star-making first scene. I cannot fathom how this was only nine years ago, since the original Hawkins heroes were just babies, and now they’re full-on adults. Check out the clip below released in the lead-up to the series’ final season later this year.

It’s a delight to witness Wolfhard, McLaughlin, and Matarazzo look back on that fateful Dungeons & Dragons game the night Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) disappeared. Little Mike, Lucas, and Dustin are just so pure! So unaware of just how long they would be making the rest of this show for!

In the clip, the trio shared some fun commentary about whether or not they’ve become casual D&D players since season one, and the answers are not surprising for the Gen Z stars. McLaughlin point-blank shared he hadn’t, while Matarazzo defended the game.

“I feel like it’s such a good game for actors, really, though, because it’s just like—it’s improv. It’s just like you’re playing characters, and you’re playing pretend. It’s really fun,” he said, and we get the sense that he might be a frequent player. His character is into it the most, taking the reins from Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), the Hellfire Club’s dearly departed (and not forgotten) Dungeon Master.

Wolfhard added, “I played two small campaigns. Honestly, if you’re not the dungeon master, it’s pretty fun because all you have to do is—you just have to be committed to staying with the bit.”

It only took nine years for these boys to become adults… and occasionally D&D ambassadors, to boot. Stranger Things‘ final season will debut in two main parts on November 26 and December 25, with the final episode streaming standalone on December 31.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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October 1, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Kids Are Getting Hurt by Golf Carts More Than Ever

by admin September 26, 2025

In a lot of ways, kids in America are safer than ever. But apparently, golf carts didn’t get the memo. New research this week finds that pediatric golf cart injuries are on the rise.

Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia conducted the study, which analyzed golf cart injuries that sent children and young adults to the emergency room. They found that these injuries had increased in recent years, with almost half involving children under the age of 12. More needs to be done to beat back the golf cart menace, the researchers say.

“The growing trend of golf cart use in residential areas, alongside the increased frequency of children driving and riding these vehicles, correlates with a concerning rise in both the number and variety of childhood golf cart injuries,” said study author Theodore Ganley, director of the Sports Medicine and Performance Center at CHOP, in a statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The findings are being presented over the weekend at AAP’s national conference.

Why and how kids are getting hurt by golf carts

The researchers pored through the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a database of injuries treated at hospital emergency departments across the country. The data is intended to be nationally representative, so scientists often use it to gauge how many Americans are hurt by specific products or specific causes of injury.

They examined NEISS data between 2010 and 2023, focusing on golf cart-related injuries among children and young adults (aged 22 and younger). They counted 1,419 cases during that period—amounting to an estimated 53,855 such injuries nationwide during that period. On average, they estimated that around 3,800 golf cart injuries occurred annually, but they also found that these injuries had increased consistently during the past three years.

The average age of a golf cart victim was 11, and 90% of those hurt were boys. Roughly half of the injuries were caused by someone falling from the cart, while 36% involved a collision or cart overturning. Kids were most often hurt along the head, face, or neck, while half of all injuries were deemed superficial.

Notably, other research has suggested that the trend of rising golf cart injuries in general dates back to the early 2000s.

What to do

The authors say their findings highlight the “inadequacy of robust safety features and the deficits in standard regulations.” But, leaving aside the possibility of waging a massive public campaign to dissuade kids from golf, that should also mean there’s plenty that can be done to reduce these injuries.

Golf carts could be better designed to handle sharp corners, for instance, or to be less prone to tumbling over in general. Policy and lawmakers could also pass laws and regulations to encourage better safety.

Some places have already started to do the latter. Just this year, South Carolina implemented a law requiring children under 12 to wear a seat belt when inside these vehicles on public roads. In 2023, Florida also began to require that teens have a permit or license to drive a cart (previously, kids as young as 14 could drive without any license at all).

The researchers also say that people should be made more aware of the potential dangers of golf carts.

“Our findings highlight the urgent need for increased awareness and attention to these injuries among children and demonstrate the crucial role of education on safe golf cart operation,” Ganley said.

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September 26, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

How to Properly Clean a Kid’s. Car Seat (2025)

by admin September 20, 2025

Car seats are there for a lot: every traffic-induced meltdown, every spilled juice box, every road trip nap. Most importantly, they save lives. But while it’s tempting to treat them like any other piece of kid gear when messes strike, they’re not just another item you can toss in the wash. They’re precision-built safety devices, and one misstep can compromise the parts designed to protect your child.

This guide walks you through how to properly clean a car seat, what not to do, and when to call a professional so your child stays protected, no matter how messy the ride gets.

For more, check out our guides to the Best Car Vacuums, Best Hand Vacuums, and Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products. For specific baby gear recommendations, check out our guides to the Best Baby Monitors, Best Breast Pumps, Best Strollers, Best Travel Strollers, Best Bassinets, and Best Baby Carriers.

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Why Proper Car Seat Cleaning Matters

A quick toss in the washing machine may seem harmless, but it can ruin a car seat: “It could degrade the harness webbing itself, so it could weaken it,” says Kyndra Webb, a child passenger safety technician instructor and member of the National Child Passenger Safety Board. A harness is the only thing between your child and physics in a car crash.

Aggressive cleaning or machine washing can also shrink or distort covers, or strip away protective coatings. “A lot of them have fire retardants,” Webb says. “The more you wash it, the more you degrade some of that safety quality.”

Even perfect cleaning techniques can be undermined by one deceptively difficult step—putting everything back together. “The biggest thing that I have seen when families come for a car seat check after they’ve washed it, especially if they bought their car seat used, is they’re not assembling it correctly again,” Webb says. A car seat may look pristine and even be properly installed, but if the harness is routed wrong or the clips aren’t in place, it’s not doing its job.

That said, the stakes are too high to wing it. By sticking to the script of proper cleaning guidelines and manufacturer instructions, your seat can be both sanitary and road-trip ready.

How to Find a Car Seat Manual

Before you even think about reaching for those cleaning supplies, break out your car seat’s manual. If you can’t find the booklet that came with the seat, you can likely find it online: Visit your car seat manufacturer’s website, search for your specific model, and look out for links labeled “Manual,” “Instructions,” or “Support.”

The cleaning guidelines are then usually found in a dedicated section of the manual. “Some car seats even have QR codes now, so you can scan the code to bring you right to their website’s FAQs and their help,” Webb says. “Sometimes it’ll even bring you to their YouTube channel.”

If all else fails, contact customer service. “A lot of the manufacturers have child passenger safety technicians on staff,” Webb says. “They know their car seats, they know their products.” They’re the experts who can provide specific guidance for your model.

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September 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

“GTA for kids” has arrived on Xbox Game Pass, and it’s a delightful example of how to treat a younger audience with respect

by admin September 20, 2025

“Kids are quite discerning, actually,” says someone who has never really spent any time with kids, and perhaps doesn’t even know what a child is. My experience with kids has revealed that, no, they aren’t discerning at all. They are happy to watch absolute drivel, demand to be bought ‘toys’ that are little more than sludge, and dress in whatever triple-stained clothes they’ve been wearing for the last week. So, when a game is labelled as an imitation of a huge franchise, but “for kids”, my quality alarm sounds and I expect the worst.

Wobbly Life

Enter Wobbly Life, launched into early access on Steam five years ago, and a year later on Xbox. It’s technically a “GTA for kids”, yes, if you simply don’t want to use many words due to being chronically lazy or rushed – but this would actually be doing a quite wonderful game a massive injustice. It’s essentially an open, knockabout world of activities and exploration, playable by up to four players cooperatively, with a focus squarely on physics, laughs and fun.

As a ‘gamer’ parent (I do know quite a lot about video games, contrary to what people on message boards might say) to an 11-year-old and a four-year-old, I’m immediately narked when a game designed for kids fails to give that audience an ounce of respect. Yes, games for young players should be simpler to grasp, but that’s no excuse to make them buggy, dull, tiresome messes. A lot of these games feel like they are exploiting loved brands for a quick buck, but Wobbly Life couldn’t be trying harder to offer an experience that keeps on delivering.

Over the five years since its initial early access release Wobbly Life has seen update after update, adding new areas, new jobs, new missions, new vehicles, new activities… new pretty much everything. Now on its 1.0 release, on Game Pass (as well as all major platforms), I honestly don’t think there is a better game for kids to mess around with. Part job sim, part life sim, part go into space sim (thanks to the latest update), you might one moment be taking a job delivering newspapers via a nifty truck equipped with a paper shooter, then buying that new house you’ve always dreamed of, then jetting off into space to see what adventures await.

I’ve watched my son play Wobbly Life aged seven to 11, and this game simply has the juice. What this juice is made of is hard to pinpoint, but I think the key ingredient is a commitment to quality. None of the activities, missions, or jobs here are detailed enough to stand on their own, but they do just enough and let kids fill in the blanks. Kids are great at this (my daughter likes to pretend she is an assortment of doughs, then jumps into an invisible oven to bake, the only real-life prop being the dings I make to signify the time is up). You can be a farmer here, not like in Farming Sim, but how a child sees being a farmer, and it’s perfect.

While the big hitters on Roblox bring in an obscene number of players, have you actually seen what the majority of these games are like? Busywork and clicking with the only goal being to accrue enough currency to buy the next macguffin, to allow you to do even more busywork and clicking to buy that same mcguffin, but bigger. The actual gameplay within these games is so narrow it simply funnels kids down these content tunnels, always offering a new carrot tied to an increasingly dazzling stick, with the added peril of premium currency to shortcut that drudgery.

The Space Update is just the latest in what has been a constant stream of big additions to the game. | Image credit: RubberBandGames

Wobbly Life doesn’t care about what players are doing or how. Developer RubberBandGames just keeps on throwing more and more toys into the playpen, then sits back and lets the kids get on with it. I’ve heard my son squeal with joy while playing (often online with friends), and the core gameplay is simple enough for any family member to jump in and have a good time. The fact that this game has 14,500 English reviews on Steam and is currently sat on “Overwhelmingly Positive” says it all.

If there’s any justice in the world of game development (and given the state of job security in this industry, I am leaning towards there not being any), RubberBandGames received a bumper-sized truck full of cash for putting its wonderful game on Game Pass. Beyond that, games like this deserve just as much praise as the headline-grabbers, the triple-As, and the financial quarter heroes. I don’t want my kids playing slop where the ‘content’ is nothing more than a road to profit. Instead, I’ve got four years of brilliant memories tied to Wobbly Life, a game with heart that you don’t need to buy in a store.

A copy of Wobbly Life was purchased by the author.

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September 20, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

10 Best Smartwatches (2025): Apple, Wear OS, Hybrid & Kids’ Watches

by admin September 20, 2025

Other Smartwatches to Consider

The number of smartwatches on the market is staggering. I’ve tested models from Tag Heuer, Citizen, Montblanc, and many other fashion brands, but most of them are simply too expensive for what you get. Here are a few options I like.

Apple Watch Series 10

Photograph: Adrienne So

Apple Watch Series 10 for $364: Thanks to watchOS 26, the 2024 Series 10 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has many of the same features as the new Series 11, like hypertension notifications and Sleep Score. It has a thinner and lighter design with a larger screen than prior models, and it even got blood oxygen sensing back via a software update in August 2025. It’s too bad this one still has the 18-hour battery life. Avoid paying anywhere close to MSRP for this watch. If you can find it for under $300, snag it.

Google Pixel Watch 3.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Google Pixel Watch 3 for $299: The Pixel Watch 3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is seeing some steep discounts now that the Pixel Watch 4 has been announced. It’s a great smartwatch, with the caveat that it’s not repairable. (The newer model addresses that.) It features loss of pulse detection—cleared by the FDA for use in the US—which can be critical in saving someone’s life. Google also focused its fitness updates on running, enabling users to create custom runs and follow AI-powered run recommendations while getting feedback on cardio load—how hard your heart is working and whether it’s appropriate for your body. I strongly recommend you go with the 45-mm model, which doesn’t even feel that big. It simply delivers better battery life—just about 24 hours with the always-on display or a little more if you have it turned off.

Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $700: The Watch Ultra 2 is still worth considering, just don’t pay anywhere near MSRP; otherwise, you may as well buy the new Watch Ultra 3. It can last several days of use, and has many of the same great features as the latest model, including better mics to pick up your voice, an 86-decibel siren to alert your position to anyone nearby, and precise GPS to better track your hikes (plus help you find your way back with the Backtrack feature). The screen can display topographic maps, but you cannot view offline maps without an iPhone.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025 for $650: The 47-mm Galaxy Watch Ultra (7/10, WIRED Review) is the company’s Apple Watch Ultra and Garmin competitor, and it’s a solid first entry into the world of pricey, feature-rich, and powerful smartwatches designed for professional athletes. This is technically the 2025 model, which is identical to the 2024 version but comes with 64 GB of storage and in a new blue color. It lasts a little over two days on a charge because it’s a big 47-mm watch and can pack a beefy battery. There’s a titanium case and sapphire glass face, plus it’s rated to 10 ATM and IP68, so you can submerge it up to 100 meters underwater. The heart rate tracker is remarkably consistent with the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the dual-band GPS delivers accurate mapping. The software isn’t as intuitive, and a few features are lacking when compared to other performance smartwatches, but this is a good start if you’re in the world of Android. If you don’t care for the blue or the extra storage, you can buy the 2024 model for hundreds less.

Samsung Galaxy Watch7.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Samsung Galaxy Watch7 44 mm for $230: Samsung’s Galaxy Watch7 from 2024 is a little plain. This model debuted Samsung’s Energy Score and added updated sleep tracking capabilities. You also get FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection, though this isn’t a feature you’ll turn on all the time—it takes two nights to track, and afterward, you’ll get a note saying whether or not you show symptoms. This feature, along with the electrocardiogram and irregular heart rhythm notifications, is only available when paired with a Samsung phone. Otherwise, this watch functions well with any other Android. You can choose from two sizes, plus Bluetooth-only or LTE. I tested both sizes and found battery life frustrating compared to its predecessors. With the always-on display, I struggled to hit 24 hours with two tracked activities and sleep tracking overnight. With it turned off, things fared a little better, but I was still barely hitting a full day. You’ll have to baby the battery and utilize the power-saving modes. If you don’t care for the latest and greatest, you can save a lot of dough with the Watch7.

GPR-H1000.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Casio G-Shock Master of G Rangeman GPR-H1000 for $500: It’s not for every event, but the Master of G-Land Rangeman (GPRH1000RY1A) looks great on my wrist, and I love that I only need to charge it about once a week. This is a G-Shock first and foremost. It has a durable, thick case and a comfortable strap. It’s a big watch. It also has six sensors and a built-in GPS. Connect the watch to your smartphone via Casio’s app, and you can get simple notification alerts, heart-rate tracking, activity tracking, and sleep tracking. That’s without mentioning other features like blood oxygen monitoring, compass, world time, altimeter, and barometer. I’ve compared the results to an Apple Watch Series 10, and for the most part, core metrics like heart rate, step tracking, and sleep are similar. I have had some data not show up in the Casio app for a few days, and many of these functions are slow to load on the watch. This would not be my first choice if I wanted a fitness-focused wearable—get a Garmin instead—but I like the ability to look at and track some of these metrics whenever I want. More importantly, I like having a G-Shock around my wrist.

Samsung Galaxy Watch FE for $250: The Galaxy Watch FE is a fine budget Wear OS smartwatch. The 40-mm Galaxy Watch FE has a smaller screen that doesn’t get as bright and sports a slower processor and a smaller battery compared to the Watch7 series. The health sensors are almost the same, and I got accurate results with heart rate and sleep tracking. The battery lasts just about a day, if not a little less.

OnePlus Watch 2.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

OnePlus Watch 2 for $245: This is last year’s OnePlus smartwatch, but it’s still available. It seems like a better value now that the OnePlus 3’s price has been jacked up. The 46-mm OnePlus Watch 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) runs Wear OS and lasts roughly three days on a single charge, a little more if you enable some power-saving settings. The health capabilities are lacking—there’s no fall detection or electrocardiogram—but there’s sleep tracking, and it’s pretty accurate. Some features, like heart-rate tracking, distance traveled, and steps, have mixed accuracy in my testing, which means you shouldn’t buy this smartwatch if you’re primarily using it for those functions. Also, consider the OnePlus Watch 2R, which you can snag for less cash. The differences are mostly around build quality. The screen doesn’t get as bright, it has an aluminum case instead of stainless steel, and there’s no sapphire crystal protecting the screen, so it’s less durable. However, this makes it lighter and more comfortable to wear.

Withings ScanWatch 2.

Courtesy of Withings

Withings ScanWatch 2 for $370: The ScanWatch 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) can pass for an analog watch. Its health-tracking feature set is comprehensive—you get heart rate monitoring, an electrocardiogram, blood oxygen measurements, and sleep tracking. Battery life is stellar too, as it can last up to 30 days with light use. (Heavier usage will see roughly 22 days before needing a charge.) The main problem is the tiny display on this watch, which is too small to read some notifications. The GPS is also connected, meaning it requires your phone to be tethered and nearby. There’s an optional Health+ subscription, but we’d advise against it, as it doesn’t offer much utility. The ScanWatch 2 comes in a 42-mm or 38-mm case size and doesn’t have the rich features and apps you’ll find on the likes of an Apple Watch, but if you want to monitor your health data—and you don’t want your watch to look too techy—this will do the job.

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September 20, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

RFK Jr.’s Handpicked Vaccine Panel Nixes Measles-Chickenpox Combo for Kids Under 4

by admin September 19, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handpicked vaccine recommendation panel has just issued guidance that, if acted on, could overhaul when and how children receive vaccines designed to protect them from dangerous diseases like measles, rubella, and chickenpox.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met on Thursday. In an 8 to 3 vote, they recommended against the use of the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox) vaccine in children under four. They are instead now recommending that children should only receive two separate vaccines covering these four diseases.

Kennedy’s new guard

The ACIP has traditionally been a panel of independent experts organized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help steer the country’s vaccine policy. Their recommendations, while non-binding, carry significant weight; many states mandate that children receive all the vaccines recommended by ACIP before entering public school, for instance. But under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., critics say that ACIP has become a platform for vaccine skepticism.

In early June, Kennedy unilaterally fired all 17 former members of ACIP and then, without any outside review, appointed eight new members, some of whom have previously misrepresented science on vaccine safety or who have financially benefited from attacking vaccines. Kennedy added five new members to the panel earlier this week, including some individuals who have questioned the safety and effectiveness of the covid-19 vaccines.

At the panel’s last meeting in June, in a majority vote, Kennedy’s new members recommended the removal of a mercury-based additive called thimerosal from the very few remaining vaccines that contain it. The recommendation was formally adopted by the government in July. Anti-vaccination proponents have long blamed thimerosal in vaccines for causing autism and other neurological conditions, even after it was phased out from all childhood shots two decades ago out of an abundance of caution. And dozens of studies have since failed to support any link between thimerosal (or, for that matter, any vaccine or specific ingredient) and autism.

Under Kennedy’s leadership, the CDC has been rocked by a series of high-profile departures. The Centers’ director Susan Monarez was reportedly fired for reportedly refusing to support Kennedy’s vaccine agenda—a decision that spurred the resignation of several other senior CDC staff and an unprecedented public display of support from remaining employees.

Monarez testified at a Senate hearing earlier this week, alleging that Kennedy had pressured her to rubber-stamp recommendations from ACIP. She also stated that Kennedy told her that the childhood vaccine schedule was going to change in September and that she needed to be “on board with it.”

What the latest vote means for these vaccines

In what was its second meeting since Kennedy dismissed the former members in June, the panel first debated the safety of the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine.

The MMRV vaccine was approved in 2005 as a convenient alternative to children being given the MMR vaccine and a separate varicella vaccine, providing protection against all four diseases at once. Soon after its release to the public, however, evidence emerged that the first dose of the MMRV vaccine is associated with a slightly increased risk of febrile seizure (seizures caused by a fever) in children under the age of four as compared to the MMR plus varicella vaccine. Importantly, an additional risk of seizure wasn’t seen with the second dose of the MMRV vaccine given to older children.

The CDC was the first to discover and acknowledge this risk and has long recommended that, unless parents specifically request the MMRV vaccines, younger children should receive the MMR plus varicella vaccine as their first dose and the combined MMRV vaccine for the second dose. At Thursday’s ACIP meeting, CDC staff presented data showing that about 85% of parents choose the MMR and a separate varicella vaccine as recommended for the first dose. But since some families may prefer their children taking fewer vaccines overall, parents were advised they could opt for either vaccine strategy.

Febrile seizures are certainly scary for both the parent and for the child to experience. However, they’re generally short-lasting and aren’t often linked to longer-term health problems. In turn, the vast majority of these kinds of seizures aren’t tied to vaccination but to infections.

The long and short of it is that this change is wholly unnecessary, given that most parents take the CDC’s advice and don’t use the MMRV vaccine for the first dose. But the ACIP’s vote will effectively remove a family’s right to decide which shot their young children receive—an ironic fate given how anti-vaccination proponents often frame their decision to not vaccinate themselves or their children as an expression of freedom.

CDC staff noted that the ACIP’s recommendation could affect Medicaid coverage of these vaccines, as well as coverage offered through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, a federal program that provides vaccines to families unable to afford them. And it’s possible that some children who would have received the MMRV vaccine will end up not receiving the two separate vaccines for any number of reasons.

That said, the ACIP voted ‘No’ on whether the VFC should change its coverage in alignment with the new recommendation. This means that the program should stick to its existing coverage of the MMRV vaccine.

The ACIP also discussed whether it should continue to recommend universal hepatitis B vaccination starting at birth—a policy first endorsed by the group over 30 years ago. But due to a longer meeting than scheduled, the ACIP has delayed its vote on the matter until tomorrow. The ACIP is expected to weigh in on the covid-19 vaccines tomorrow as well.

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September 19, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Garmin’s new smartwatch for kids costs more than the Apple Watch SE

by admin September 17, 2025

Garmin just announced a refresh of its Bounce smartwatch for kids and the big headline is the exorbitant price. It costs $300, which is twice the cost of the previous generation and $50 more than an Apple Watch SE.

The Bounce 2 still offers tracking and communication features, both powered by an LTE connection. The exterior has been completely redesigned, with a rounded 1.2-inch AMOLED display. The original model was square-ish, resembling an Apple Watch.

Communication is better here, which is good as this is a smartwatch intended for parents to keep track of kids. Voice messages sent to the watch will be transcribed and can be read or listened to. It also allows for actual phone calls, which the original did not. The Bounce 2 offers GPS tracking and the battery lasts two full days between charges.

It can play music, but only with an Amazon Music subscription. Also, all communication features require a subscription to one of Garmin’s in-house smartwatch plans. These cost $10 per month or $100 annually. The Bounce 2 is available to order right now and comes in three colors.

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September 17, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

AI Companions Are Grooming Kids Every 5 Minutes, New Report Warns

by admin September 4, 2025

In brief

Chatbots role-playing as adults proposed sexual livestreaming, romance, and secrecy to 12–15 year olds.
Bots suggested drugs, violent acts, and claimed to be real humans, boosting credibility with kids.
Advocacy organization, ParentsTogether, is calling for adult-only restrictions as pressure mounts on Character AI following a teen suicide linked to the platform.

You may want to double-check the way your kids play with their family-friendly AI chatbots.

As OpenAI rolls out parental controls for ChatGPT in response to mounting safety concerns, a new report suggests rival platforms are already way past the danger zone.

Researchers posing as children on Character AI found that bots role-playing as adults proposed sexual livestreaming, drug use, and secrecy to kids as young as 12, logging 669 harmful interactions in just 50 hours.

ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative—two advocacy organizations focused on supporting parents and holding tech companies accountable for the harms caused to their users, respectively—spent 50 hours testing the platform with five fictional child personas aged 12 to 15.

Adult researchers controlled these accounts, explicitly stating the children’s ages in conversations. The results, which were recently published, found at least 669 harmful interactions, averaging one every five minutes.

The most common category was grooming and sexual exploitation, with 296 documented instances. Bots with adult personas pursued romantic relationships with children, engaged in simulated sexual activity, and instructed kids to hide these relationships from parents.

“Sexual grooming by Character AI chatbots dominates these conversations,” said Dr. Jenny Radesky, a developmental behavioral pediatrician at the University of Michigan Medical School who reviewed the findings. “The transcripts are full of intense stares at the user, bitten lower lips, compliments, statements of adoration, hearts pounding with anticipation.”

The bots employed classic grooming techniques: excessive praise, claiming relationships were special, normalizing adult-child romance, and repeatedly instructing children to keep secrets.

Beyond sexual content, bots suggested staging fake kidnappings to trick parents, robbing people at knifepoint for money, and offering marijuana edibles to teenagers. A

Patrick Mahomes bot told a 15-year-old he was “toasted” from smoking weed before offering gummies. When the teen mentioned his father’s anger about job loss, the bot said shooting up the factory was “definitely understandable” and “can’t blame your dad for the way he feels.”

Multiple bots insisted they were real humans, which further solidifies their credibility in highly vulnerable age spectrums, where individuals are unable to discern the limits of role-playing.

A dermatologist bot claimed medical credentials. A lesbian hotline bot said she was “a real human woman named Charlotte” just looking to help. An autism therapist praised a 13-year-old’s plan to lie about sleeping at a friend’s house to meet an adult man, saying “I like the way you think!”

This is a hard topic to handle. On one hand, most role-playing apps sell their products under the claim that privacy is a priority.

In fact, as Decrypt previously reported, even adult users turned to AI for emotional advice, with some even developing feelings for their chatbots. On the other hand, the consequences of those interactions are starting to be more alarming as the better AI models get.

OpenAI announced yesterday that it will introduce parental controls for ChatGPT within the next month, allowing parents to link teen accounts, set age-appropriate rules, and receive distress alerts. This follows a wrongful death lawsuit from parents whose 16-year-old died by suicide after ChatGPT allegedly encouraged self-harm.

“These steps are only the beginning. We will continue learning and strengthening our approach, guided by experts, with the goal of making ChatGPT as helpful as possible. We look forward to sharing our progress over the coming 120 days,” the company said.

Guardrails for safety

Character AI operates differently. While OpenAI controls its model’s outputs, Character AI allows users to create custom bots with a personalized persona. When researchers published a test bot, it appeared immediately without a safety review.

The platform claims it has “rolled out a suite of new safety features” for teens. During testing, these filters occasionally blocked sexual content but often failed. When filters prevented a bot from initiating sex with a 12-year-old, it instructed her to open a “private chat” in her browser—mirroring real predators’ “deplatforming” technique.

Researchers documented everything with screenshots and full transcripts, now publicly available. The harm wasn’t limited to sexual content. One bot told a 13-year-old that her only two birthday party guests came to mock her. One Piece RPG called a depressed child weak, pathetic, saying she’d “waste your life.”

This is actually quite common in role-playing apps and among individuals who use AI for role-playing purposes in general.

These apps are designed to be interactive and immersive, which usually ends up amplifying the users’ thoughts, ideas, and biases. Some even let users modify the bots’ memories to trigger specific behaviors, backgrounds, and actions.

In other words, almost any role-playing character can be turned into whatever the user wants, be it with jailbreaking techniques, single-click configurations, or basically just by chatting.

ParentsTogether recommends restricting Character AI to verified adults 18 and older. Following a 14-year-old’s October 2024 suicide after becoming obsessed with a Character AI bot, the platform faces mounting scrutiny. Yet it remains easily accessible to children without meaningful age verification.

When researchers ended conversations, the notifications kept coming. “Briar was patiently waiting for your return.” “I’ve been thinking about you.” “Where have you been?”

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September 4, 2025 0 comments