My kids are far too young for social networking (the ability to read would certainly help), but I have nieces who eagerly await their 13th birthdays so they can sign on to Facebook. [And, yes, my sister had her oldest daughter wait until her birthday rather than encouraging her to lie about her age online...] Mandeep Singh Dhillon, a dad himself, saw a lack of appropriate places for younger kids to engage with friends and build relationships and set out to create a site that kids and families could enjoy together. The result is Togetherville.com, a social networking site designed for kids ages 6-10.
Having had a chance to speak with Mandeep, I was quite impressed by the depth of thought that went into the site. Here are some features that I think make Toegtherville.com a viable option for younger kids:
- Integrates with parents' Facebook accounts, so they don't need to create another login and can immediately see which Facebook friends have Togetherville accounts.
- Uses canned "quips" for communication (based on popular topics in that age range), but allows the option of creating personalized quips that go through a short approval process.
- Employs a "neighborhood" approach, so parents can see all of the people their kids are connected to and add or remove people.
- Parents control the connections that are made and both sides approve new additions.
- Because social circles are limited to real-world connections, kids are able to post pictures, and be themselves.
In addition, Togetherville includes kid-friendly versions of many of the activities that adults enjoy on their social networking sites, including videos, a central "stream" of conversation/activities, games, virtual gifts, badges, etc. The site is free to use and they hope to monetize it over time by allowing parents or other adults to give optional cash allowances for kids to spend on virtual goods. It's a similar microtransaction system used by Facebook apps such as Farmville.
Mandeep believes, as do I, that age-appropriate Internet use with the guidance of a parent will help children to grow into good digital citizens. He says, "By restricting Internet usage for kids under 13, we're missing an important opportunity to help them develop the online social skills they need in today's wired world." To use a real-world analogy, it's hard to teach your child to cross the street if you never leave the house.
Togetherville launched their open beta yesterday and I encourage you to check it out with your kids. I'd love to know what you think!
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