New Facebook Platform has Seven-Year-Olds in Mind

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Facebook is an entity. A powerful platform used by everyone, from those just clearing the age limit, 13, to seasoned veterans of life. It has become the standard of communication, of existence really. And with such an inescapable pull, it's no wonder that four out of five primary school kids have admitted to using social media at least once a day, reports Manchester Evening News.

"We need to accept that our kids love social media and will use it no matter what the age limit is, so my view is, don't ban them, just provide them with a safe alternative that has all of the up sides but none of the down sides," creator Henry Plattan asserts. "Go Bubble is that safe alternative."

Grasping on a need in the market, former police chief and e-safety guru Platten made a new version of Facebook launched specifically for kids aged seven and up. Basically a lite version of Facebook, Go Bubble was created to make social media safe for kids. The app is a product of pupil-led online safety education programme eCadets, of which Platten is the founder. Go Bubble allows students to chat online and share content. However, unlike traditional Facebook profiles, ones powered by this kid-friendly platform will prominently feature school.

Go Bubble

School involvement has a big part in Go Bubble's success as each institution is responsible for signing up its pupils to the social platform. Once a profile is created, with parent approval, the child will have a quick and simple means of communication to interact with classmates in the immediate area or similarly-aged children around the world. As reported by Manchester Evening News, Go Bubble is now being successfully used in schools to aid communication between students for projects, practice cultural exposure, facilitate transnational interactions (i.e. pen pals), teach safe social media use, and exchange messages with parents.

Both versions of Go Bubble, web and app, are free to schools. Parents and children have free access to the web version, but the app costs £3/year.

The platform does away with unwanted friend requests, sensitive content, and cyber-bullying. All posts made on Go Bubble must be approved by the system's safety features which automatically screen for inappropriate video, images, text, audio, and emoji. To ensure that nothing slips through the cracks, a live moderation team monitors content and reviews flagged messages. The Pan European Gaming Information has given Go Bubble a PEGI 3, the safest age rating. This astonishingly safe rating means that the platform is safe for any school age children to use.

"From our experience in supporting schools with their online safety education, we know how important it is that children are given the opportunity for a safe digital playground to connect with all aspects of their life, family, school and sports," Platten told Educate Awards.

In addition to offering children tons of great tools, teachers are given quite a few classroom aids. For example, a teacher can initiate a classroom discussion or facilitate interactive learning through the app.

Jacqui Litvan

Jacqui Litvan, wielding a bachelor's degree in English, strives to create a world of fantasy amidst the ever-changing landscape of military life. Attempting to become a writer, she fuels herself with coffee (working as a barista) and music (spending free time as a raver). Follow her @Songbird_Jacqui

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