INDEPENDENT online
When we hear the term ?social media sites? we automatically think of Facebook, Twitter or MySpace. With some of the recent negativity surrounding social networking sites it?s no wonder that parents fear the worst when their children visit such sites. yes, they can be useful for socialising, enhancing creativity and developing technical skills but according to a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, social media can expose children to inappropriate content and cyberbullying. so what is a parent to do?
The Children?s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) prevents websites from covertly collecting personal information about children under the age of thirteen. Fortunately for mums and dads of tweens eager to update their status online, there are many children-friendly social networks available which offer far better options rather than banning your child from the Web. Parents can now adopt a different approach with their children; they can make the experience safer by directing their children to a number of child-safe networking sites. these are ten sites which aim to give children a voice but still allow parents to maintain control and peace-of-mind.
The number one priority of this social network site is Kid Safety. Plainly this means that the site doesn?t allow foul language, inappropriate/sexual/suggestive phrases or any other words that are deemed inappropriate for children. Parents have the ability to make suggestions about the content on the site and they can report actions that seem unsuitable. The site provides a control panel which allows parents to monitor their child?s activity. If a parent becomes concerned about what their child is seeing or who they?re talking to they can easily control it. This keeps certain people away from your children as you can place restrictions on who they accept as friends. Unlike Facebook, parents now have the control over who their child speaks to online.
Tweens (3 to 13 years old).
Allows parents to take control
The network operates very much like Facebook, but requires confirmed parental permission to join. Parents can also select which of their child?s actions on the site they would like to be notified about. Parents also have the option of restricting features like Instant Messaging (IM) and friend suggestions. all activity on the site is monitored 24/7 by the company to prevent inappropriate behaviour. while everyone knows that Facebook isn?t age appropriate for tweens, it?s also clear that the line between ?age appropriate? and ?not cool? is very thin. Everloop strives to make the content of their site more appealing to children as opposed to that designed for adults on other social networks.
8 to 13 years old.
Gives children some level of
What?s what:
This is probably the most secure social network. to be able to sign their children up, parents need to submit their credit card details to verify their identity and they must also submit three mug shots (taken with a webcam) of their child for the site?s records. The site still allows an adult to create a profile and browse friends. however, unlike other sites, What?s what will discover the presence of an adult (since s/he won?t be able to provide 3 mug shots of the same child) within a few hours and will block the profile. while the children are free to interact with people they don?t know, they cannot make friends with people who are out of their age group without parental permission, only those within their grade or one grade below or above theirs. above all, the network functions like the others, whereby users can exchange messages, make friends, join and create groups and view their friends? profiles. Parents are given allowance to edit or delete their child?s profile at any time and everything on the site is monitored.
8 to 14 years old
Very difficult for bad-intentioned people to become members
7 to 13 years old
Children can only befriend
Ever thought that your child?s favourite colour was unimportant, not to the social network ScuttlePad. to sign up, children must provide their favourite colour along with their birthday, first name and parent?s email address. When all this is collected, parents must then approve children are then given access to the site. once they log in they?re free to post messages, make friends, upload photos and make comments. This may not sound as safe but all comments on the site follow a given format and must include a given set of words. Messages are created within a predetermined outline, ?I?m click, click, click,? with each click leading to a choice of words. Photos are manually approved by ScuttlePad and only first names are used. The comment outline feature makes the site more secure. This may allow anyone of any age with harmful intention to sign up, but in reality it?s hard to cause much damage with a list of pre-set options. Additionally, it is impossible to cyberbully or really hurt anyone?s feelings using these filtered options. On the other hand, this may seem restrictive to children, making the online experience boring. The site is intended to teach children about how to use a social media site.
6 to 11 years old
Comments are restricted to a list of pre-filtered words
Imbee promotes itself as the world?s first social networking platform for children. It allows children to join fan zones for celebrities and athletes, create groups with their own friends, share videos and pictures or write their own blog. before children can sign-up, parents must provide credit card authorisation which gives them free reign over their child?s account settings. The site offers a detailed step-by-step guide for parents to navigate the site?s security settings.
8 to 14 years old
Gives children a greater level of independence
This site allows parents to sign up their children through their (parents) own Facebook accounts. along with their children parents can create a profile for the child. Parents can search for other students from their child?s school and add them as friends, they can add family friends from their own Facebook profiles and even send email invites. Children are granted access to selected YouTube videos and games and other creative projects. The site includes other features that are similar to Facebook, such as the ability to ?heart it?, buy and send gifts using a virtual currency (the catch is that parents give the currency to their children free of cost as ?allowance?) and share videos.
What sets this site apart from Facebook and puts parents? minds at rest is that there is no access to external links, no unapproved friends and no private conversations. to post original comments instead of pre-set ones, children must agree to this code of conduct: ?I agree to not say anything mean or hurtful, not say embarrassing things about myself, my friends, or my family and take responsibility for what I say on Togetherville?.
