Facebook is rolling out Messenger Kids, a video chat and messaging app that helps children connect with friends and family in a fun, parent-controlled space. Available to download from the Apple App and Google Play Stores, Messenger Kids has been designed for children between the ages of 6 to 12 years, with the app including two new features aimed at helping kids connect with their friends and family.
Helping to shape the Messenger Kids app, Facebook has worked closely with Youth Advisors over the years, made up of experts in online safety, child development and media. Ahead of its launch, Facebook also consulted with child safety advocates and educators across Africa to ensure that its providing a service that balances parental control with features that help kids learn how to connect responsibly online.
Messenger Kids is made for Kids but controlled by parents, the app is full of features for kids to connect with the people they love. Once their account is set up by a parent, kids can start a one-on-one or group video chat. The home screen shows them at a glance who they are connected to, and when those contacts are online. Some fun features available in the app, include:
Playful masks, emojis and sound effects bring conversations to life.
In addition to video chat, kids can send photos, videos or text messages to their parent-approved friends and adult relatives, who will receive the messages via their regular Messenger app.
A library of kid-appropriate and specially chosen GIFs, frames, stickers, masks and drawing tools to let them decorate content and express their personalities.
Commenting on the launch, Kojo Boakye, Facebook Public Policy Director, Africa said: “We know that parents are turning to technology more than ever to help their kids connect with friends and family online. With privacy, security and parental control at the heart of the app, Messenger Kids provides a safe, fun space, controlled by parents to do exactly that.”
Safety expert Evelyn Kasina, Family IT Consultant, Eveminet, added:“It is our responsibility to ensure online safety for our children. The greatest sign of success is when our children display responsible independence during their online interaction. The launch of Facebook Messenger Kids is an amazing stride toward child online safety because our young children will enjoy and participate on social media on child developed platforms that have safety parameters to keep them safe.”
Through the Parent Dashboard, parents can control and monitor their child’s activity enabling them to:
Monitor recent contacts, chat history, and reported and blocked contacts: including who your child is chatting with, whether they are video chatting or sending messages and how frequently those conversations happened over the past 30 days. You’ll also see a list of the contacts your child has blocked and/or unblocked, if they have reported any messages as well as any contacts they’ve reported and the reason for their action. Parents will continue to be notified via Messenger if their child blocks or reports someone.
See a log of images and videos in chats: See the most recent photos and videos your child has sent and received in their inbox. If you believe an image or video is not appropriate for your child, you can remove it from your child’s message thread and report it.
EnableSupervised Friending: This feature will enable parents to choose to allow their kids to also accept, reject, add or remove contacts, while maintaining the ability to override any new contact approvals from the Parent Dashboard. When a kid takes a friending action, parents will be notified through Messenger and can override any new connections made by going to the Parent Dashboard, where they will also be able to see a log of recent activities.
Remote Device Logout: See all devices where your child is logged in to Messenger Kids and log out of the app on any device through the Parent Dashboard
Download your child’s information: Request a copy of your child’s Messenger Kids information, similar to how you can download your own information within the Facebook app. The download will include a list of your child’s contacts as well as the messages, images and videos they have sent and received. Your child will be notified through the Messenger Kids app when you request this information.
More Information on Messenger Kids
There are no ads in Messenger Kids and your child’s information isn’t used for ads.
It is free to download and there are no in-app purchases.
Messenger Kids is also designed to be compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA).
Facebook continues to work with parents, safety and security experts to improve Messenger Kids and have also announced new ways to help parents connect kids with their friends.
For more specific information about the app, visit messengerkids.com.
For the latest on how to use Messenger Kids, visit our Help Center
Pandora, the world’s largest jewellery brand, today announced it will entirely stop using mined silver and gold in its jewellery by 2025 and only buy from recycled sources. This will cut carbon emissions by two thirds for silver and by more than 99% for gold.
“Silver and gold are beautiful jewellery materials that can be recycled forever without losing their quality. Metals mined centuries ago are just as good as new. They will never tarnish or decay. We wish to help develop a more responsible way of crafting affordable luxury like our jewellery, and prevent that these fine metals end up in landfills. We want to do our part to build a more circular economy,” said CEO Alexander Lacik.
From 71% to fully recycled
Today, 71% of the silver and gold in Pandora’s jewellery comes from recycled sources. Shifting completely to recycled silver and gold will reduce CO2 emissions, water usage and other environmental impacts, because recycling of metals use less resources than mining new metals. The carbon emissions from sourcing of recycled silver are one third compared to mined silver, while recycling of gold emits approximately 600 times less carbon than mining new gold, according to life cycle assessments.
“The need for sustainable business practices is only becoming more important, and companies must do their part in response to the climate crisis and the depletion of natural resources. For many years, Pandora has used recycled metals in our designs. Now we are ready to take the next step and stop using mined silver and gold altogether. This is a significant commitment that will be better for the environment and make our jewellery more sustainable,” said Alexander Lacik.
Silver is the most used material in Pandora jewellery, accounting for over half of all purchased product materials measured by weight. Pandora also uses smaller volumes of gold, palladium, copper and man-made stones such as nano-crystals and cubic zirconia.
The decision to use only recycled silver and gold covers all use of these metals in Pandora’s jewellery, including grains, semi-finished items such as chains, and other parts from suppliers.
More silver can be recycled
Today, around 15% of the world’s silver supply comes from recycled sources. More than half of the recycled silver comes from industry, where the metal is used in chemical production, electronics and for other purposes.
Pandora will work with its suppliers to guarantee sufficient supply of responsibly sourced recycled silver, certified according to leading supply chain initiative standards such as the Responsible Jewellery Council. Pandora will also engage with key stakeholders in the supply chain to explore opportunities for increasing the availability of recycled silver and improve production standards.
The decision to use recycled precious metals follows Pandora’s ambitious decarbonisation targets announced in January. In 2020, Pandora will source 100% renewable electricity at its two jewellery crafting facilities in Thailand, and by 2025 the company will be carbon neutral across its entire operations. Pandora has also joined the Science Based Targets initiative – the leading corporate collaboration for action on climate change – and will publish a plan next year to reduce carbon emissions in its full value chain in line with the Paris Agreement.
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Note to editors: The following sources were used to calculate the difference in carbon footprint between recycled and mined sources: mined and recycled silver (GaBi database 2019), mined gold (World Gold Council, 2018), and recycled gold (C. Hafner, 2019)
About Pandora
Pandora designs, manufactures and markets hand-finished jewellery made from high-quality materials at affordable prices. Pandora jewellery is sold in more than 100 countries through 7,400 points of sale, including more than 2,700 concept stores.
Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Pandora employs 28,000 people worldwide and crafts its jewellery at two LEED certified facilities in Thailand using mainly recycled silver and gold. The company plans to be carbon neutral by 2025 and has joined the Science Based Targets initiative to reduce emissions across its full value chain. Pandora is listed on the Nasdaq Copenhagen stock exchange and generated sales of DKK 21.9 billion (EUR 2.9 billion) in 2019.
Dit was vroeg en die opgewondenheid was groot toe ons by die hekke uitry. Ons was oppad na ‘n dag buite in ‘n natuurreservaat wat ‘n eerste vir klein Lily is.
Om buite te wees is deel van ons DNA as Suid-Afrikaners en die laaste meer as 80 dae in grendeltyd was verskriklik!
Die gille van opgewondenheid het deur die kar getrek elkekeer as ons langs ‘n trop diere stop. Die hoogtepunt vir die kinders was die renosters en witleeus. Beide kinders het hul neusies plat teen die vensters gedruk om beter te kan sien. Lexa het haar tablet gebruik om foto’s van die renosters te neem.
Ons het 4 ure in die Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve net buite Krugersdorp spandeer. Die, was die hoogtepunt van vlak 3 sover…
The further my car got from the gates of our security complex the more it felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. It felt great to have Google maps navigate us to a destination again. It felt good to see the tar with its white lines in my rear-view. It felt good to have some freedom.
Padkos (ˈpadˌkɒs) snacks and provisions for a journey
An Afrikaans word literally meaning ‘road food’
We had booked tickets to the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve near Krugersdorp. We wanted to go to the Lion Park near Harties, but it’s over a provincial line. It was a great decision tho!
The kids could barely contain their excitement at the gate with the elephant sculpture but once we started seeing the animals grazing in groups they were beside themselves. The Rhinos were a highlight especially with the little one staying closes to its parent – Lexa even tried to take photos on her tablet of them.
This is the first time Lily has seen a Rhino 🙂
Lily growled and miaawed at the white lions with their beautiful coats. They yelled at the ostriches because we shoo away all birds. The cheetach lazily meandered over to our car before finding a new shaded spot to rest in. There were even a few Springbokkies playfully running about.
Lexa was really excited to see Pumba! Can you spot them?
At the end of a 4-hour drive in the park the kids were spent. They had finally been outside the gates of our complex. Did something exciting with their parents. They were out in the wild – and they loved it.
Road trip (ˈroʊd ˌtrɪp) long trip or holiday taken by car
It’s still dark out and very cold when I start work in the morning. I usually snuggle up to a cat and blanket (my mom crocheted) with the light from my monitor streaming down over my hands and face. Somewhere between 6 and 8 the rest of the house wake up and then I take a short breakfast break.
It’s been a long time since the virus from China spread into the world and took our freedom away. For us it has been 78 days (on 1 June). Some days the walls feel too close, the kids too loud, the days too long and the future too uncertain. I’ve had writer’s block before, but this time it’s different, I just don’t have words.
The reality of the fallout to come is a bitter pill. On a daily basis there are retrenchments, businesses like mine close their doors, the infection numbers rise and the daily death toll consistently stays in the double digits. A move to level 3 may stop our economy from completely collapsing, but those daily numbers will snowball even more.
I’m a walking contradiction.
Jason momoa
I don’t know if sending the kids back to school in June or July is the right thing. I know that having them at home and us not being able to have that separate life/work focus is not ideal. Having the nanny coming in fulltime isn’t a solution either as she probably has the same issues with the added concerns of public transport.
I didn’t paint my room and office as planned. I didn’t reorganize my cupboards either. I didn’t win any mom of home school during lockdown awards. I didn’t save anyone. I didn’t go on a diet and posted about it. I didn’t have my freedom. I existed these million days in captivity with my family, holding my breath, just waiting to exhale.
I’ve struggled with the lockdown, the constant rising numbers in COVID-19 infections and deaths. The fact that we don’t have a garden because we wanted to have the penthouse life, travel and be out and about made sense – but being cooped up in a 180m2 space with kids that can’t go out enough… has really hurt us. To top it off yesterday one of our neighbours yelled at us at 8:45 as we came up the stairs with giggling kids because apparently they effing wake him up every Sunday. (We’ve only been out 2 Sundays since lockdown level 4.) I kept my cool and told him to chill because kids will be kids, but just below the surface I wanted to yank him through his security gate and rip his limbs from his body. Going up against a parent that has had to endure what we have is maybe the worst idea this guy has ever had.
On a lighter note… The kids are wearing their masks during our morning walks and cycling time. In fact, when they see them in my hands they know we are going out and all you see is little bodies making a beeline for the door.
On this day Lily ran about 700m.
Yes, that is a pair of Barbie sunnies and yes she is wearing my Zanzibar wrap
I’ve made a few masks for the kids and us, but I think I am proudest of my “colour your mask” with Sharpies invention. I think that was really out of the box thinking and a “I did it first”. Lexa loved doodling on it and I added some more black outlines afterwards. I plan on making her a few more as I found a stash of fabric that I never really knew what to do with because its white. One or two will obviously be Barbie-themed.
While trying out patterns and fabrics I’ve realized that T-shirt material (not the thinnest kind you get) work very well for kids with sports related activities. The 3-layer thin cotton ones also very comfortable and if you replace 1 layer with lining it keeps its shape much better.
I would love to see your self-made and bought masks.
Inspired by Disney’s locally produced live action show Disney’s Cookabout – we are sharing with you some of our healthy and oh-so delicious recipes that were featured on the recent season of the show. The cooking show sees kids learn where our food comes from, visiting farms around the country before heading back to the kitchen to learn to cook with the ingredients. This recipe was inspired by a visit to the Shangana Cultural Village in Hazyview, Mpumalanga.
Mom
– she’s a nurturer and protector, a guardian angel of sorts. She
deserves to be celebrated for her courage and warmth, and that special
touch she brings. Nederburg can help you do so this Mother’s Day (11 May
2020)!
Look
no further for the perfect gesture to make your mom feel like the
heroine she is. Treat her with a specially-prepared classic South
African dish – bobotie – accompanied by a fine wine such as
Nederburg’s very delicate The Beautiful Lady Gewürztraminer 2019. A
favourite pairing of assistant winemaker Zinaschke Steyn, she says
she’ll be spoiling her mom, Michele, exactly this way as soon as she can
following South Africa’s national lockdown. She’s also encouraging
those who are not able to be with their moms on Mother’s Day, to do the
same.
“I’ll be pouring my heart and soul into making my mother some traditional bobotie,
and can’t wait for her to taste the love! It just shouts heritage with
its flavours really reminding me of home. Also, it’s such a hearty and
comforting dish – kind of symbolic, reflecting the qualities of my mom
and how reassured, encouraged and content she always makes me feel.
Also, the meticulous steps involved in preparing this dish makes me
think of one of the key things she taught me over the years: that there
is always a reward for hard work.
“A
chilled glass of The Beautiful Lady will go down a treat with this
richly aromatic and slightly sweet and spicy Cape-Malay-inspired dish,
since both are so fragrant, featuring a sweetness that’s more suggested
than overt. The cherry on the cake is that this is my mom’s favourite
wine,” Zinaschke explains.
The
Beautiful Lady takes its name from a description of Ilse Graue, the
wife of Johann Graue, a German immigrant who bought Nederburg in 1937
and was known for his innovative approach to wine-growing and
winemaking. She brought a gracious sense of hospitality to Nederburg. A
doting mother to the Graue’s only child, Arnold, she was also a very
loyal wife, who helped Johann label his wines in the early years. She
would go with him to try to sell the then unknown brand to hotels in
Cape Town. With the tragic death of their son Arnold in 1953, the
legendary Günter Brözel came to Nederburg, also from Germany, to replace
him as winemaker. It was he who described Ilse as “a great and beautiful lady”.
This
elegant Gewürztraminer, with its subtle sweetness, is great to enjoy as
an aperitif and is the ideal accompaniment to aromatic and spicy dishes
such as fruity curries and fragrant Thai and Indian dishes made with
butter or coconut milk, Cantonese and Schezhuan seafood and poultry
dishes. Or, as suggested by Zinaschke, enjoy it with a South African
favourite such as bobotie!
RECIPE: CLASSIC SOUTH AFRICAN BOBOTIE
Paired with Nederburg Heritage Heroes The Beautiful Lady Gewürztraminer
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
1 piece of white bread
250 ml milk
2 tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tbsp garlic & ginger paste
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp medium strength curry powder
1 tbsp garam masala
500 g mince
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp apricot chutney
1 tbsp white vinegar
60 ml raisins (optional)
2 eggs
3 bay leaves
Rice and chutney to serve
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C and take a sip of Nederburg’s The Beautiful Lady.
Soak the bread in the milk.
Fry the onions in a little bit of oil until translucent
Add the carrots, green pepper, garlic and ginger, salt, sugar and all of the spices and fry for a minute or two.
Add the mince and fry until browned. Take another sip of The Beautiful Lady.
Squeeze the excess milk from the bread (keep the left-over milk aside for later).
Break the bread apart and add to the mince along with the tomato paste, chutney, vinegar and raisins.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove from the stove and transfer to a small oven-proof dish.
Stir together the remaining milk and eggs and pour over the mince. Empty your glass and pour another one.
Top with bay leaves and bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes, until the topping is set and just browned.
Serve with rice and chutney, and of course, The Beautiful Lady!
Nederburg
is currently offering a 20% discount on wines across its multi-tiered
range, including the Heritage Heroes collection of which The Beautiful
Lady forms part of, when you order six bottles or more online.
A delivery fee of R95 is applicable to all orders. Deliveries will
only be dispatched once Nederburg is legally allowed to do so. The team
will keep customers updated on their orders and expected delivery date.
This promotion ends on 15 May 2020. Terms and conditions apply.
