During the last years and in full technological boom, the debate on minors and the Internet has taken the informative lecture.In this context there are places such as the use (or abuse) that make social networks, the possible dangers to which they may be exposed and other issues related to the appropriate age to introduce them to certain websites.
However, when we raise these types of issues, we tend to forget that children also have their own online spaces ; that is, with virtual communities designed to relate to their peers and that go beyond the popular Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.Today we collect some of them.
Before going into detail, we cannot leave comment that our little access to social networks and the Internet at an earlier age (up to 30% of Spanish children 10 years of age have a smartphone).And not only that, but they prefer them to the traditional toys for a long time.Reason of more to know the alternatives "made to your measure".
Club Penguin Island, for the little ones
We will start with Club Penguin Island, a Disney platform previously known only as Club Penguin and whose origins date back to the year 2000.It started as a game, and in 2003 added its own chat.It was in 2005 when it was launched as a social network, starting with forty users and becoming more than 12 million in a few months.It has its respective apps for Android and iOS and is focused on children between four and nine years, approximately.It is a place of carefully designed and colorful designed to stimulate your imagination and creativity.
The protagonists are peculiar animated penguins that invite them to perform all kinds of activities, from chat , to enjoy different action games, fashion, and others.It includes entertainment sections with music-for those who adore the party and dance-of myths and legends-for little lovers of reading and stories-gourmet surprises and "non-stop action"-dedicated to the most active and designed to take on new challenges daily-.
The site also has awareness sections on the importance of safeguarding the environment and others for parents dedicated to safety, with specific advice on how to deal with and regulate the hours that their children spend in front of the screen, and rules of The content, of course, is in English; but it doesn't involve too many difficulties and offers multiple visual aids.
Clan Community, made in rtve
Following the trail of Club Penguin, in 2009 the Clan Community of RTVE was born, its social network for children between five and ten years old where it is possible to access the videos of the children's and youth series issued by the channels of the Radio Television Espanola , participate in different activities and games, interact with other members of the community, etc.
All in a safe and controlled environment, with different tools focused on avoiding pedophilia ; parental control utilities-which allow parents to access all of their children's actions, give permission or veto certain contacts-and so on.Another of its virtues is that the content is structured by age groups (from zero to four, from five to seven and over eight years) and categories (series, games, English, contests, workshops).It also comes with downloadables for coloring, thinking challenges, improve grammar, locate differences and match words.
LEGO Life, encouraging your creativity
Much more recent is LEGO Life (launched at the end of last year), another safe space for the youngsters of the home, specifically for those who have not yet reached the age of thirteen.It consists of a kind of Instagram of LEGO with restrictions, moderators, and very specific automatic filters on comments, in which our children will be protected from foul words , insults and misuses.
In addition, in order to access they will need our permission and, in no case, will they be obliged to provide images, location data or personal information about themselves.In it they can share the photographs of the toys that have been built, interact and exchange their impressions on everything that has to do with the toy in question.
They will also have the option to include special emojis and participate in the different challenges ; a way to stimulate them and, of course, to encourage them to acquire more pieces.However, it is interesting to encourage creativity, interest in a shared hobby and similar values.Although it is not yet available in our country (it will not take long to arrive), we can access by connecting through a VPN.And despite its early landing, only in the Google Play Store has it been downloaded between 500 thousand and a million times.
Banana Connection, conscious interaction
Banana Connection is a platform dedicated to children between seven and thirteen years old who wish to start with social networks without headaches.Here they will not have to worry about their online security, because the community has of specific systems to protect them, avoid inappropriate comments and behaviors, etc.
To register you will need an authorization from your parents or a code provided by an educational center.You also have integrated parental control to verify invitations and specific sections for teachers to raise educational resources.It is available at English and Spanish.
Another of his great virtues is the protagonist of his educational work ; that is, in it they can learn how to act on social networks, the possible risks of not doing it correctly, their communicative advantages and others.In it they can share photographs, elaborate multimedia albums, create their own section of favorite YouTube videos, play, and join groups.Yes, you should know that it is in the testing phase, so that it can give the occasional problem.
Rich Kids, for young children
In the same way that there are social networks for celebrities and the rich, one could not be missing for posh children .We are referring to Rich Kids, a community born at the end of last year that leads snobbery at its highest level.This example is out of the ordinary, but it is curious to know how far some are willing to go to gain an extra exclusivity.The truth is, whoever participates in it will be forced to pay the negligible figure of thousand euros, obviously on the parents' account.Only thereafter they can do it.
But how do they convince them? Arguing that their children will shine with "the light they deserve" in this place, and that a third of the benefits will be used to educate children in poverty.For those who wish to take a shower to know first hand what it is, you will have the possibility to do it through your Facebook account; but you will not find anything out of the ordinary beyond a simple economic display and hundreds of aspiring model teenagers.
It has worked especially outside our borders and is very exclusive.In the Google Play Store it has been downloaded between 1,000 and 5,000 times.Initially it was only available for apple signature devices, but Apple ended up withdrawing it because it was considered “inappropriate ».
Gaturro and Picapon World, Community and game
With seven years of life behind us, we could stop talking about Mundo Gaturro, which describes itself as the first social network for "boys" in Latin America; a secure network controlled by ferreos moderators .The project was born in Argentina by the company CMD and has not taken long to become popular in other Spanish-speaking countries.The Google Play Store has between 100,000 and 500,000 installations.
It reminds us to some extent of the Penguin Island Club, because not only does it allow them to interact with other children-through their specific Picapon community-but it also allows them to enjoy different games (online or through their mobile apps), create different clubs, score points and place in various rankings, share videos, create your own avatar and other Minecraft activities.
Images | iStock: dolgachov and screenshots of social networks.
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