Friday, 29 October, 2021
Parental permission for TikTok; Japan’s flying motorbikes; Macklemore’s six-year-old critic; and it’s World Teacher’s Day.
LINKS
Japan’s hoverbikes: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59065674
Macklemore’s tough critic: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVggYZnBeJ9/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=3e118050-a1f3-4369-8a88-bf79fb11dbfb
Squiz Kids Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squizkids/?hl=en
Got a birthday coming up and you want a shout-out? Send us an email at [email protected]
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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Kids will need permission from their parents to use Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook under new laws being proposed by the Australian government.
The proposed laws, unveiled earlier this week in Canberra, would mean anyone under the age of 16 wanting to set up an account on the popular social media platforms would need a permission note signed by their parents or legal guardian.
And before you start whingeing about how adults are always ruining all the fun .. have a listen to this…
The new laws follow revelations that the big companies who run social media sites deliberately target kids to get them hooked on their apps. And while there’s nothing wrong with making stuff that appeals to kids – the problem is that the way the apps are designed – and the tactics they use to keep kids coming back for more – have been found to be really bad for kids’ health.
Studies have shown that too much time spent on social media can be really bad for self-confidence and self-esteem. Social media sites are often a place where cyber-bullying takes place. And in the most extreme cases, prolonged use of social media can even lead to problems like eating disorders.
Yeah, I know, I’m like the Grinch that stole Christmas. But it’s for your own good. And yes, I know, parents say that all the time: but you know what? Occasionally … just very occasionally … we do know what we’re talking about.
SPIN THE GLOBE
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Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops, and today we’ve landed in Japan .. where a flying motorbike has just been unveiled.
Yes, you heard right. A motorbike that flies – thanks to some pretty nifty new technology.
You’ve seen drones, right? Imagine a drone big enough and powerful enough to carry a human and you get the picture. I’ve stuck a link to a photo in today’s episode notes.
Hoverbikes – as they’re called – have been proposed as one solution to traffic jams in Tokyo which are epic – thanks to the fact it’s a city which has 14 million people crammed into it. That’s Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide all rolled into one big city. Yikes.
The one small catch with these fabulous new hoverbikes? They cost just under a million dollars a piece. Maybe ask Santa to bring one?
POP CULTURE CORNER
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Who needs critics when they have kids to criticise them? That’s the question Macklemore is asking himself, posting a video to Instagram this week of his six year old daughter listening to his new single and suggesting it would be much better if Adele or Taylor Swift had sung it.
Ouch. I’ve stuck a link to the video in today’s episode notes.
Having an altogether easier time is a rock star who is just as big today as he was forty years ago. I’m talking about the ludicrously talented Elton John – who first had a number one album in Australia back in 1973 with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – is on track to once again hit the top of the Aussie album charts with The Lockdown Sessions – which features his all-conquering duet with Dua Lipa, Cold Heart … a song, which I might remind you, I predicted back in August would be the hit of the Aussie summer. Stick with me kiddos, there’s life in the old dog yet.
NEWSHOUNDS
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It’s Media Literacy Week all over Australia this week … so we’ve got Squiz E the Newshound working overtime to sniff out fishy stories on the internet. And he found a good one while he was planning the family roadtrip over the summer holidays. Squiz-E was reading reviews of dog-friendly campgrounds, and was surprised to see two recent five-star reviews of one place, amidst a whole lot of two- and three-star reviews. That seemed a little fishy. So he decided to stop, think, and check.
And lucky he did. Because this week, TripAdvisor—the website where travelers post reviews of hotels, tourist attractions, and restaurants they’ve visited—announced that it removed almost ONE MILLION fake reviews last year. TripAdvisor is visited more than 300 million times each month by people planning trips, so good reviews can mean that a business earns a LOT more customers and money. And some naughty businesses pay for fake reviews, instead of earning them.
Good sniffing, Squiz-E!
SQUIZ KIDS FOR SCHOOLS
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Woohoo! It’s World Teachers’ Day…(CHEER) how lucky are you to have such fabulous teachers? We’re sure you’re planning to be EXTRA nice to your teachers today. And to celebrate World Teacher’s Day, we’re giving away the chance to win a year’s subscription to our brand new offering, Squiz Kids for Schools.
One lucky teacher who signs up to the free trial before midnight tonight will go into the draw. Go to squizkids.com.au … quicksticks!
SK4S is a set of classroom resources – aligned to the curriculum, scaffolded to varying abilities, and tied to each day’s podcast. Plus, we have a weekly shortcut —there’s a super SPOOOKY one available now, all about the origins of Halloween.
THE S’QUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- Which pop star, whose being churning out hits since the 70s, is tracking to have another number one album in Australia?
- In which country has a million-dollar flying motorbike been unveiled?
- Squiz-E the newshound found some online reviews of which travel advice platform were a bit fishy?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s October 29 .. as we’ve already mentioned, it’s World Teachers Day in Australia (CHEER) — and today is also Day For Daniel – remember the life of Daniel Morecomb.
It’s also a Friday – and you know what that means? An extra long birthday shout out segment … for which I’m going to roll out the birthday reggae tune .. hit it ..
And it’s a happy birthday today…Tyson and Ella from Lysterfield, Emma from Cannon Hill, Sophie from Kempsey, Sahibjeet from Gosford East, Aki from Vermont in South Australia, Alicia from Abbotsford and Claire who’s listening all the way over there in San Jose in California.
A belated shout out goes to…Bridgette from Ashtonfield.
Not forgetting of course all of those Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday over the coming weekend …Shynikwa from Goomalling, Aanya from Springfield, Llewy from Kippa-Ring, Dominic from Brisbane, Angelique and Elena from Sydney, Eamon from New Lambton Heights, Clara from Murwillumbah, Sophie from Fadden, Summer from Mackay, Mila from Beecroft, Zara from Gwandalan, Evie from Canberra and Jing listening from Phuket in Thailand.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Elton John
- Japan
- Trip Advisor