What is our current obsession with mobile gadgets doing to young children? No one knows -- but that doesn't seem to be discouraging parents from exposing their kids to higher and higher doses of mobile media.

Compared to the first half of 2016, downloads of shopping apps increased by 20% during the first half of 2017, according to fresh findings from App Annie. Among other implications, we can expect to see some massive m-commerce numbers this coming holiday season.

At least on a national level, good news has recently been in short supply. And, from the First Amendment to the Second, folks have more cause for disagreement, with more platforms on which to butt heads than ever before. It should come as no surprise, then, that people aren't in the best mood when using social apps like Facebook and Twitter.

While far more significant matters go unattended at home and abroad, our whiner-in-chief is now bashing American tech companies by name. Yes, from his bully pulpit on Twitter, the "real" Donald Trump took direct aim at Facebook on Wednesday, calling what is arguably the country's most innovative corporation "anti-Trump."

Why aren't consumers downloading new apps? That's the billion-dollar question on which the health of the mobile ecosystem rests. Accepting part of the blame, Apple believes it can do a better job helping people discover apps they likely never knew existed.

Yes, Apple still has a unique ability to create sinfully sexy gadgets with similarly drool-inducing functionality. That was clear this week with the debut of the iPhone X, Apple's forthcoming flagship phone featuring a sleek edge-to-edge screen, a glass back, higher resolution and energy efficiency thanks to an OLED display, 3-D touch technology, facial recognition sensors, and wireless charging.

What does Facebook know that the U.S. Census Bureau doesn't? I ask because the social giant is claiming that its Ads Manager can potentially reach 41 million 18-to-24s within the country, even though the Census Bureau only counted 31 million 18-to-24s last year.

Promotional push notifications drive nearly 10 times as many users to make a purchase compared to customers who did not receive a message.

Despite highly publicized efforts by platforms to curb fraudulent apps, the problem is still costing marketers a ton of green. That's according to new findings from security research firm DataVisor. Like a virus adapting to its host, fraudsters are adjusting to shifting user acquisition strategies, says Ting-Fang Yen, director of research at DataVisor.

It may be a little late in the season for beach-reading recommendations, but -- if you haven't already -- you need to put Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" on your list. In relatively simple terms, the book summarizes the psychologist's Nobel Prize-winning research into decision-making, cognitive biases, and behavioral economics. "Thinking" was published in 2012, but I was reminded of its worth this week, when I read about the release of a report from app marketing and retargeting startup Liftoff.