Talking Tech

Thu Feb 8 2024

Felecia Wellington Radel | Senior Audience and Operations Editor

@fdwellington

Teens are increasingly being targeted online by scammers, Google's new Pixel ad for Super Bowl focuses on life-changing accessibility feature, creating art in Apple's Vision Pro. Here's the week's latest tech news:

Scam alert. Teens may not come to mind when you picture those who are likely to be scammed, but the total money lost by teens in online scams grew by nearly 2,500% between 2017 and 2022. Victims younger than the age of 20 lost a staggering $210 million in 2022 alone.

Read more about common tactics scammers are using to target teens and what you can do to help educate your kids and keep your children safe online.

Life in focus. Mobile phones have become lifelines for so many in the past couple of decades. And several tech companies are prioritizing accessibility for those with disabilities to make sure they are able to enjoy and utilize as many functions as possible.

Google's new Pixel ad for Super Bowl 58, "Javier in Frame," focuses on their Guided Frame feature, which uses AI and facial recognition to generate audio cues along with high-contrast animations and haptic feedback to assist those who are blind or have low-vision with taking photos.

Read more about Google's Guided Frame and other accessibility tools you might not know about that are available for Android and iPhone mobile devices.

What a vision. Apple's new Vision Pro launched last week. The augmented and virtual reality headset, which Apple is calling a "spatial computer," includes many innovative tools for creators, including Adobe Firefly, a text-to-image creator that brings the power of generative AI and allows users to bring their imaginations to life.

See more on creating art with Firefly on the Vision Pro and what else to know about Apple's headset.

Read on for more of the tech news this week.

How to keep your kids away from online scammers

3. California • High schoolers bullied on school property: 23.5% • High schoolers bullied online: 14.7% -- 18th lowest • High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 45.3%-- the highest • High schoolers considering suiide: 26.6% -- the highest

It's a scary digital world out there. From two-factor authentication to parent-to child conversations, here's how to keep kids away from online scams.

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