The Top 5 Family Tech Trends of 2022

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1) Virtual reality will become much more real (thanks to the Metaverse) 

The growing popularity of virtual reality may have led to some hilarious home videos this year (like this one - just try and not laugh), but for Big Tech companies, VR is anything but a joke. This past October, Facebook signaled it’s long-term plan around VR with an official name change to Meta Platforms, a reference to what the company has coined as the Metaverse.

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1) Virtual reality will become much more real (thanks to the Metaverse) 

What is the Metaverse exactly? The concept is both simple and mind boggling: a vision of the future where human interaction exists almost entirely online through augmented and virtual reality (AR & VR).  Imagine a meet-up with friends to “hang out” in a digitally created, immersive 3D virtual world while wearing headsets in separate locations. 

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1) Virtual reality will become much more real (thanks to the Metaverse) 

Or kids attending all their classes with VR headsets, placing them in virtual classrooms surrounded by animated depictions (or “avatars”) of their classmates and teachers.

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1) Virtual reality will become much more real (thanks to the Metaverse) 

This isn’t at all far-fetched, in fact it’s already happening, from elementary schools to sporting events, concerts, and more. And Meta/Facebook’s major push in this direction will only accelerate that trend. 

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1) Virtual reality will become much more real (thanks to the Metaverse) 

With all that said, the adoption of AR and VR as mainstream is likely to keep growing, especially as COVID and variants like delta and omicron variant continue to make in-person operations a challenge.

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1) Virtual reality will become much more real (thanks to the Metaverse) 

What parents need to know: While the new technology can offer many fun and exciting possibilities, whether for new experiences or learning, it also will further blur the lines between the real world and the digital world for kids.

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1) Virtual reality will become much more real (thanks to the Metaverse) 

In a 2018 survey by Stanford University and Common Sense Media, 60% of surveyed parents said they were at least “somewhat concerned” about VR for their children. It also presents even more concerning realities for explicit content online. 

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2) Kids Phones and Family Tech will finally give families better options

2022 might just be the year we remember as the one when parents, educators, health experts and more said “enough is enough.” According to Common Sense Media, over 53% of kids below the age of 11 today have a smartphone…a powerful, fully functioning smartphone made for adults.

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2) Kids Phones and Family Tech will finally give families better options

Sure there are apps and parental control features and screen time limiters, but fundamentally families face a world where safe solutions for kids are slapped on top of existing tech instead of designed differently from the ground up. With ever-increasing amounts of research showing the negative consequences of early screen time, cyber bullying, social media addiction, 

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2) Kids Phones and Family Tech will finally give families better options

and more, it’s about time for something better. The good news? People are starting to listen…but it’s not Big Tech. It’s new and innovative companies (like COSMO Technologies!) that are reimagining what’s possible for families.

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2) Kids Phones and Family Tech will finally give families better options

The Family-First Tech movement that has started to take shape covers a number of product categories that parents and guardians should know in 2022. Expect to hear more about these trends in the year ahead:

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2) Kids Phones and Family Tech will finally give families better options

Kids Smart Watches: These devices have exploded in popularity in recent years as parents look for simple, affordable ways to keep track of kids with features like GPS tracking, calling, messaging, and more. Think of it as a cyber safety belt for kids. It’s the perfect safe first device as an introduction to technology. It just makes sense right?

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2) Kids Phones and Family Tech will finally give families better options

Kids Smart Phones: For slightly older kids who are probably begging for a phone of their own, the emergence of safe kids phones is a game changer. While features and models can vary, most offer a simple user experience that prevents harmful content or open access to apps and internet,

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2) Kids Phones and Family Tech will finally give families better options

Kids Smart Phones: but still lets parents customize the experience to give kids safe features and functions more akin to a normal smartphone.

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2) Kids Phones and Family Tech will finally give families better options

Parental Control Apps & Routers There are now better options than ever for parents who want to keep an eye on their kids’ internet activity or receive alerts when they stray off course. While there are lots of options like Bark and Qustodio, the core features to look for are website traffic monitoring and limitation 

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2) Kids Phones and Family Tech will finally give families better options

Parental Control Apps & Routers settings, as well as content monitoring and automated alerts when questionable content comes up. It’s worth noting that these types of solutions don’t offer the same level of security or content blocking as a closed-ecosystem kids smartphone or kids smartwatch. 

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2) Kids Phones and Family Tech will finally give families better options

Parental Control Apps & Routers Many parents have found that tech-savvy kids are easily able to work around parental controls or router monitoring. However, at the very least it’s a great start for adding guardrails in your home.

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3) Your home will become smarter. Much smarter.

f you thought robots were a thing of the future, think again.  The future is now, friends! Our homes are becoming more wired than ever, from smart thermostats and refrigerators to key locks and garage doors.  More than ever before, your life - your home life - can be controlled from the palm of your hand.

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3) Your home will become smarter. Much smarter.

All this is empowered by the explosion of 5G connectivity that enables more and faster connection more of the time. In fact, according to consulting firm McKinsey, more than 50 billion devices will be connected to the internet by 2025. This is what often gets referred to as IoT or Internet of Things.

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3) Your home will become smarter. Much smarter.

This trend may be amazing when it comes to keeping your energy bill down or keeping your floor clean without thinking (thanks Roomba!).  But this trend also comes with cyber vulnerabilities that families should bear in mind. What basic steps can you take? Here are a few:

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3) Your home will become smarter. Much smarter.

Limit your connected devices to what you need The more you have, the more opportunities there may be for hackers. We recommend being specific and intentional in the IoT devices you bring into your home and limit unnecessary ones.

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3) Your home will become smarter. Much smarter.

Make sure your WiFi is protected This one is simple but probably the most important of all. Make sure your home router has a strong and secure password (sorry, but it’s time to say goodby to Password123)

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3) Your home will become smarter. Much smarter.

Keep your devices’ firmware up to date Your devices will let you know when its time to make an update. For the best security protection, keep those fresh!

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3) Your home will become smarter. Much smarter.

Use two-factor authentication This step is simple but goes a LONG way to securing your devices. Just enable this in your settings to require two separate points of contact (e.g. phone and email) when logging in.

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4) Companies will increasingly target younger and younger kids.

If you thought companies like Facebook (now Meta) were on a mission to keep kids safe, 2021 was the end of that. In a series of stunning reports and congressional testimonies this year, we learned that the company knew about damage being done to kids via its platforms and that it simultaneously was constructing a strategy to target younger and younger audiences. Shocking right?

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4) Companies will increasingly target younger and younger kids.

Sadly, we should expect more of that in 2022. As algorithms become increasingly sophisticated and micro-targeted, and more kids come online at younger ages, companies will push to maximize new markets. How can parents respond? Here are a few simple, but powerful ideas:

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4) Companies will increasingly target younger and younger kids.

– > Consider limiting kids online activity with age-appropriate devices – > Have an ongoing conversation about the role of technology and media (we’ve got some ideas and answers to parent’s most asked tech questions here) – > Incentivize as much activity and time as possible outside of screens

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5) Cheap tech will become more prevalent and dangerous.

It’s never been easier to sell products online. While lots about that is great for consumers (think of all the options and deals out there people!), it also comes with challenges. In recent years, the explosion of third party sellers on online retail platforms like Amazon has made it hard to regulate product safety.

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