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June 2, 2011 | in Nanny Jobs
10 Alternatives to Facebook for Young Kids
June 2, 2011 | in Nanny Jobs
When you sign up for Facebook it will tell you that you should be over the age of 13 to be on Facebook. I know some parents have allowed their kids to get an account earlier than that, but there is a lot out there that is not appropriate for kids to know at 13 let alone under it. Don’t give in to your child that keeps harping that they want to go on Facebook. There are alternatives out there, but they may not be exactly the same. Check out 10 alternatives to Facebook for young kids.
- Scuttlepad: This is a very kid safe environment. Kids can post pictures, but the webmaster reviews them before being posted. They can type their own posts, but what they say is limited to what words are allowed. Many seemingly normal words were blocked. Not very user friendly, but it might take some getting used to. Seems like a good option for little kids. They are aiming this at ages 6-10.
- Togetherville: By the makers of Facebook Togetherville is the kid-friendly version of Facebook. Kids are allowed to chat using pre-scripted phrases. They can go on and play games and compare their scores with their friends’ scores. Everything is run through the parent’s Facebook account so that your child cannot do anything that you are not comfortable with.
- Whatswhat.me: This is a site geared toward tweens. Each child that signs up is required to have a webcam so they be sure that someone is not pretending to be a child and isn’t. There are many articles for parents on the site trying to educate parents about online safety for their child and to help them, in turn, educate their kids about what is appropriate online and what isn’t. The site is very safe and protected against predators. Kids can “friend” other kids in their grade or one grade above or below their grade. Any other friending has to have parental approval. This site costs $29.95 per year, but it is a safe alternative to Facebook.
- Webkinz: This fun virtual world allows you to play games against friends all over the world. You can chat using scripted phrases or upgrade your membership to be able to write more. It’s a virtual world, but it starts by buying a real world stuffed pet. The pet is registered online and no real information is taken about your child so there is a completely safe environment for them to play games and create a virtual world for their pets.
- Yoursphere: A free site that allows you to create your own space or sphere. You can play lots of games and enter contests. You can upgrade your membership to a Gold membership by paying $4.95/mo. That allows an advanced chat feature among other things.
- Club penguin: A great kid friendly site that allows young children to play games against other people and you can use pre-scripted phrases to communicate with them. The environment is very different than Facebook. You cannot upload pictures or anything, but you can name and follow your penguin around. You can buy other characters and things to play with too. You don’t need real money to buy things because you can earn fake money through the game.
- Franktown Rocks: Another free site that has free coloring pages, games and stories. A fun environment for kids to play in safely. You can upgrade the membership by paying $3-$10 more a month to get more “franks” which is the money used in the game. Running out of money would be a limiting factor in playing and enjoying this site. It is very safe and no personal information is taken about your child. Only the parent’s e-mail is needed to get started.
- GiantHello: A fun site created for kids ages 7-13 who can’t or shouldn’t be on My Space or Facebook. Fun social games are available to younger children similar to those available on Facebook. This is a fun site for those kids who are too old for the little kid sites, but not yet old enough for Facebook. Kids are only able to friend their real friends because they have to e-mail them an invitation or hand them one in person. This is a very important safety feature on this site.
- Girlsense: This is such a fun space for girls I wanted to play in it myself. Girls can play with fashions, make-up, room décor and much more. Games are available as well as groups. This site is free to play in and you can earn money called girl cents to buy the things you want on the site.
- Imbee: Sharing videos and pictures is available on this site. It all runs through a webmaster who makes sure that everything is appropriate to share. No cyber bullying is allowed. A lot of work has been done to make sure the site is safe for younger users. You can shout out to your friends or comment on their shouts, but only using scripted or approved words.
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