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Advice To Parents Giving iPods To Children

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A University of Minnesota Family Science professor has some advice for parents who may have given the gift of an iPod Touch to their children over the holidays after a 6-year-old Chicago-area girl rang up $400 worth of apps on her new device.

The little girl's parents blame pop-up ads and say it's the gaming companies that are preying on children. But Bill Doherty said it's the parents job to monitor the electronic activity of their children.

"When they receive gifts ... that exposes them to the whole world they are at risk and in this case they were at risk of the family having to pay a lot of money," he said.

Doherty said young children are not ready to handle the responsibilities of owning and operating some electronic devices.

NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Susie Jones Interviews Bill Doherty

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