It might be hard for many of us old folks to believe, but 39 percent of kids register for a social media account by the age of 11. To keep children entertained and safe from the many dangers of the internet, CNN reports that toy manufacturer LEGO has launched a free social network called LEGO Life that caters to users 13 and under.
LEGO Life launched on Tuesday, and is available on iOS and Android. Like many other social networks, it contains a “news feed”—but instead of browsing selfies or posting status updates, kids can engage in building challenges, watch animated videos, upload pictures of completed LEGO products, and search for—or “like”—images.
More importantly, WIRED reports, LEGO Life is designed so kids can use it without encountering the harassment or bullying that’s common on other social platforms. Randomly generated user names and personalized LEGO avatars protect identities; kids can only share LEGO-themed photos, as images of real people are banned; and comments on other users’ photos are limited to LEGO emoji. (They can, however post regular comments on official, company-sponsored posts.) There is also plenty of adult supervision: Parents have to OK their kids’ accounts via email, and each post must be approved by a LEGO Life moderator.
LEGO Life is currently only available for mobile phones, but a web-based version is reportedly in the works.
[h/t CNN]
January 31, 2017 – 1:00pm