FocoKidz

Turning Screen Time into Learning Time

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Inspiration

The inspiration behind FocoKidz came from the growing concern among parents and educators about the increasing exposure of children to uneducational and distracting content online. With kids spending more time on platforms like YouTube, it became crucial to create a tool that ensures they stay focused on educational and productive content. FocoKidz aims to foster a safer and more productive online environment for children.

What it does

FocoKidz is a Chrome extension that blocks uneducational and distracting videos on social media platforms like YouTube in real-time. It helps parents and educators ensure that children are exposed only to content that enhances their learning and development. By filtering out non-educational material, FocoKidz supports a focused and distraction-free online experience for kids. We also provide a web dashboard where parents and educators can view their children's viewing history on YouTube. We have a focus points system where for each educational video a kid watches, we award them "foco points" which the kid can then use to watch anything they want for a short time.

How we built it

FocoKidz was built using a combination of web technologies, including:

  • HTML, CSS, and JavaScript: For the front-end interface of the websites and Chrome extension.
  • Machine Learning/AI Algorithms: To analyze and classify content based on its educational value in real time.
  • Chrome Extension APIs: To integrate with the browser and control the content displayed on YouTube.
  • Backend Infrastructure(Google Cloud): To support content analysis and provide updates to the extension.

Challenges we ran into

  • Real-Time Processing: Ensuring the extension can analyze and block content in real-time without - affecting the user experience.
  • User Privacy: Implementing robust privacy measures to protect user data while providing effective content filtering.
  • Platform Integration: Integrating the extension seamlessly with YouTube and other social media platforms.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully launching the initial version of FocoKidz with positive feedback from parents and educators. Developing a highly accurate content classification system that effectively filters out non-educational videos.

What we learned

I learned how to code complex software like this with many different systems and technologies. I learned how to effectively connect the chrome extension to the backend of the web dashboard for detailed analytics.

What's next for FocoKidz

  • Expand Platform Coverage: Develop extensions for other browsers (Firefox, Safari) and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
  • Broaden Content Filtering: Extend support to other social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
  • Get into schools & families to implement FocoKidz in a real world setting.
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