In this week’s Plugged In by Wired Parents, Roblox is going green with a digital gardening experience that’s turning playtime into eco-learning and surprising everyone that kids would be loving what most would consider an ‘older’ pursuit. Meanwhile, YouTube is facing fresh criticism as Andrew Tate’s controversial content keeps slipping through age filters, exposing kids younger than ever. And a digital security expert shares how even the savviest parents get outsmarted by their own children’s online curiosity. Plus, in Wired Extra, we dive into the viral “90s kid summer” trend that’s ditching screens in favour of old-school outdoor fun.

TL;DR: Roblox goes green, Tate slips past YouTube, and 7-year-olds hack the system

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Grow a Garden quietly beat Fortnite's concurrent player record earlier this month, attracting more than 16 million users in a single weekend, many of them children.

At first glance, it seems like a wholesome win: kids tending virtual plants, competing with friends for the best produce, and relaxing to soft background music. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find that this “gentle” game shares many of the same monetisation mechanics as faster-paced titles. In-game currency, rewards tied to Robux (real money), and even eBay resale markets for rare virtual items.

So what does this tell us?

Parents may feel reassured by slower, less violent games—but we still need to ask what’s being taught: patience and planning? Or monetised grind? Grow a Garden straddles both.

Games like these aren’t inherently bad. In fact, many families report that it's encouraged real-world conversations about plants, nature and persistence. But we still need to critically evaluate the in-game economies our kids are learning from and the digital values they’re internalising.

Curious about what Grow a Garden really offers and what it doesn’t?
🔗 Source: BBC

A new report has revealed that YouTube still exposes 13-year-old users to Andrew Tate’s most misogynistic videos, despite his official ban from the platform in 2022. Researchers created teen-aged test accounts and found that 100 of Tate’s most-viewed videos, racking up nearly 54 million views, were accessible to young users in both the UK and US, raising concerns for Australia, where a social media ban for under-16s is under debate.

The findings reignite discussion about YouTube’s role in shaping boys’ attitudes toward gender and violence. Some of the videos were monetised, showing ads and generating revenue, highlighting the difficulty of enforcing bans on de-platformed creators. Experts warn of rising teen-on-teen violence against girls and link it to what’s being dubbed the “Tate phenomenon.”

As platforms struggle or refuse to police their content effectively, governments are stepping in. But if YouTube isn’t considered “social media,” what protections really exist?
🔗 Source: The Guardian

Kristin Lewis, Chief Product Officer at Aura, knows online safety better than most. But even she was caught off guard when her 7-year-old son made an unauthorised purchase and ended up chatting with a stranger online while thinking it was his cousin. Despite parental controls, approved apps, and nearby supervision, the incident was a wake-up call: kids are more tech-capable than we think, and they’re curious enough to navigate into trouble before we see it coming.

The real lesson? Online safety isn’t about one-time rules, it’s about constant, open dialogue. Now, Kristin’s family holds weekly “tech check-ins,” asking the kids about their digital lives the same way they’d ask about school or friendships. It’s not about demonising tech. It’s about learning how to live with it safely.

🧠 Parent Takeaway: Even the best tools won’t catch everything. Start the safety conversations early—before you think they’re needed—and keep them going often.
🔗 Source: Business Insider

For more articles from the week, head over to Wired-Parents.com

This year, there’s been a wave of nostalgia about bringing back the low-tech summers of the 1990s. Days filled with unstructured play, aimless bike rides, and screen-free downtime. But in 2025, can we truly turn back the clock?

Millennial parents on TikTok and beyond are embracing the “’90s kid summer” trend, longing for the freedom many remember: unsupervised neighbourhood adventures, hours spent outside exploring, and the simple joys of childhood without screens. Experts agree that unstructured play supports important growth; boosting creativity, social skills, decision-making, and empathy.

Yet, this personal and sharply observed trend reveals real obstacles facing today’s families. Algorithmic feeds, sky-high summer budgets and a world where even boredom has been monetised make the idea of a carefree, screen-free summer seem like a luxury rather than the norm. The biggest barrier is the constant, addictively engineered presence of screens, and the daily, invisible labour parents must do to keep them at bay.

Parenting influencer Kristin Gallant and Michigan State professor Claire Vallotton caution that a sudden switch from modern over scheduling and screen-heavy routines to total freedom could increase anxiety for many children, especially those who thrive on structure or have sensory or neurodiverse needs. For working families, safety concerns, rising childcare costs and urban living conditions also make recreating a ‘90s summer an unrealistic goal.

The trend has sparked important conversations about the pressures parents face online, where “letting kids rot” in front of screens is simultaneously criticised and embraced. The truth? Unstructured time today is a battleground and without a wider cultural shift, even a few screen-free weeks feels like a luxury commodity.

So what’s the takeaway? Maybe the answer isn’t trying to perfectly recreate a past that no longer exists. Instead, it’s about demanding something better from the present. It’s about finding balance, carving out unstructured and supervised playtime that works for your family, and resisting the pressure to be “fun director” every hour of the day.

And while a ’90s summer might not be achievable for all, its spirit of freedom, independence and simple joys can inspire us to rethink how we approach childhood for our children today.

📌 Are you planning to recreate a ’90s summer for your kids? What would that look like in your family?

Here’s some fun things that kids used to do in the summer if we need some reminding!

✅ Word Your Kid Probably Knows: “Sus”
Short for suspicious or shady behaviour. If your kid says someone is “sus,” they mean they don’t trust them or think something’s off.

🔧 Tech Tip for Tired Parents: Family charging station.
Create one place in your home where everyone charges devices overnight. Outside bedrooms if possible. It reduces temptation to check phones late at night.

📴 Offline Challenge of the Week: Draw each other.
Sit down with your child and sketch each other’s portraits on paper. It’s fun, silly, and a great way to focus on each other. No screens involved.

Seventeen-year-old Amara Nwuneli is proving just how far passion, creativity, and determination can go. This inspiring teen from Nigeria won $12,500 in the 2025 Earth Prize for transforming a former dumpsite into a vibrant, flood-resistant community playground built from recycled materials.

What started as a local initiative in the flood-prone area of Ikota has become a bold vision for urban change. Amara’s playground—crafted from scrap metal, tires, and reclaimed wood—opened in March 2025 to the joy of local children, many of whom had never seen anything like it. Her non-profit, Preserve Our Roots, has also planted over 300 trees in the area to help combat the effects of extreme heat and flooding.

Amara’s efforts were sparked by personal experience. Her family was displaced by flooding in 2020, and her parents’ spice business was affected by ruined crops. Since then, she’s been on a mission to make green space accessible in a city where less than 3% of land is green.

Now, with Earth Prize funding, she’s eyeing an even bigger goal: converting a Lagos landfill into a multi-use park. Her dream? A “Central Park” for Lagos.

🔗 Read the full article on Business Insider

Know of an amazing child or young adult? We would love to showcase achievements, resilience and integrity, now matter how large or small.

Get in touch and let us know and we’ll mention them in a future edition.

✈️ We’ve seen the tick that says a carbon monoxide alarm isn’t in our Airbnb apartment. Do we need to take one with us on holiday?

🧊 Why most ice cubes are square

🍓 … and why are strawberries and cream served at Wimbledon?

💦 Staying cool on the job

1️⃣ How can 8 + 8 = 4?

When you think in terms of time. 8 AM + 8 hours= 4 o’clock.

2️⃣ The number 8,549,176,320 is a unique number. What is so special about it?

This is the only number that includes all the digits arranged in alphabetical order.

Answers next week!

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