Any time I talk to a parent with tweens, the conversation eventually turns to the kinds of technology they are using, which then eventually turns into a Q&A session of me asking about cell phone usage, social media usage, cyber bullying (gasp!) and anything else that I fear for when my kids hit that age.
Luckily, I’m usually reassured by parents of pre-teens who seem to have a good grasp on what their kids are doing. Which is how I often learn about kid-friendly resources like the Everloop Goobit app that allows them to test the social media waters before being thrown into the real thing.
As you might guess, Everloop Goobit comes from Everloop,
a social network for kids under the age of 13. The app works like
Facebook in many ways, with similar concepts of friending, a news
timeline, “loops” (groups of people with similar interests) and “goobs”
which lets kids send funny pranks, animated messages and more.
a social network for kids under the age of 13. The app works like
Facebook in many ways, with similar concepts of friending, a news
timeline, “loops” (groups of people with similar interests) and “goobs”
which lets kids send funny pranks, animated messages and more.
Your
tweens can add pictures, send private messages and similar to Facebook,
“like” comments and posts. Kids can keep up on the timeline by seeing
what other members are posting, but obviously, the more fun it is for
kids if all their friends are using the app as well.
tweens can add pictures, send private messages and similar to Facebook,
“like” comments and posts. Kids can keep up on the timeline by seeing
what other members are posting, but obviously, the more fun it is for
kids if all their friends are using the app as well.
The
app is clearly geared towards tweens, considering the obvious kid aesthetic and
whoopee cushion humor. But while parents of young kids like me (and maybe you?) question whether kids as young as 8, 9, or 10 have regular access to
mobile devices to even use the app–yes, they really do, through iPod Touch, hand-me-down iPhones and friends’ mobile devices.
app is clearly geared towards tweens, considering the obvious kid aesthetic and
whoopee cushion humor. But while parents of young kids like me (and maybe you?) question whether kids as young as 8, 9, or 10 have regular access to
mobile devices to even use the app–yes, they really do, through iPod Touch, hand-me-down iPhones and friends’ mobile devices.
Logging
into the app is exclusively through your child’s own log-in, so you have to be
prepared to let them be a little more autonomous (gasp again!). However you can have a parental account which offers notifications through the parent
dashboard, allowing you to approve your child before they are
active on the site, and monitor all their activity online.
into the app is exclusively through your child’s own log-in, so you have to be
prepared to let them be a little more autonomous (gasp again!). However you can have a parental account which offers notifications through the parent
dashboard, allowing you to approve your child before they are
active on the site, and monitor all their activity online.
Do keep in mind that the app is meant for direct use by your kids, so there’s
no parental option on the app itself. It’s COPPA-compliant, which
basically means that it takes the measures it needs to ensure the safety
and privacy of your underage child.
no parental option on the app itself. It’s COPPA-compliant, which
basically means that it takes the measures it needs to ensure the safety
and privacy of your underage child.
While I’m still holding my breath for the day my
kids start asking about social networks, at least I know that we can
take it in small steps together. Deep breaths. –Jeana
kids start asking about social networks, at least I know that we can
take it in small steps together. Deep breaths. –Jeana
Everloop Goobit is available for free from iTunes. Also, don’t miss our post on how to make your iPod touch safe for kids.
