A new social media platform has been designed and launched for children under the age of 13, and has been dubbed the ‘Facebook for seven year olds’.
The new site is named Go Bubble and is the brainchild of former police chief Henry Platten. The network was created to make social media a safer place for children at a time where the number of internet trolls and cyber bullies is growing.
The main difference between Go Bubble and its social media siblings is that it is schools who are responsible for signing up pupils, after they have received parental permission, instead of allowing the children to sign up themselves, which most mainstream social media sites do.
Once they have been signed up, the children are then free to chat to friends and peers from their class, other pupils at the same school and even children of their own age anywhere in the world. As well as this, they will also be able to share pictures and videos, giving it a similar functionality to regular social networks.
The creation of the site supposedly brings an end to cyber bullying, dubious content and any unwanted friend requests. This will allow the children to experience the better and more enjoyable aspects of social media without having to worry about some of the more negative ones they may encounter on the likes of Facebook and Twitter.
To ensure that no child breaks any of the rules, all posts are to be automatically moderated in line with the system’s inbuilt safety features, meaning that any content that is deemed inappropriate is removed before the post goes live. Furthermore, a team of award-winning moderators are also on hand to review any flagged messages.
With regular social media sites, such as Facebook, there is an age limit in place for signing up, which is currently 13. However, despite this, a recent study revealed that 80% of children in primary schools admit to using at least one form of social media on a daily basis.
The platform is already being used by a number of schools to allow their pupils to learn about new cultures, collaborate on any school projects, find and develop relationships with pen pals and to teach students about social media safety.
Web and app versions of the site are available to schools free of charge. Outside of the classroom, parents and children are also able to access the service for free. However, there is the option of downloading the app onto a mobile or portable device for a small annual charge.
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