Why can't they stay little?
You may have noticed that I have four kids. Four girls actually. The oldest is ten and the youngest is five. Social networking for kids ten and under? This question was a no-brain-er for me…at least until about six months ago. My kiddos were happy playing on Webkinz and I was happy they were on the computer on a site I trusted (we don’t do the premium Webkinz, so I cannot say anything about that feature.). Enter in the new school year with requests for IPOD touches and laptops computers as Christmas presents. Even if we had not given a trip to Disney to the girls for Christmas, we knew that the girls would not get their requested gifts. Why? Am I cheap? Am I mean? Yes and yes. I also don’t want my kids to have unlimited access to the Internet. When they are online it is on the family computer in the study that is open for all to see. We also have the girls on their own desktop, so they cannot access our banking, pictures and anything else they could get on and ruin change.
So when I heard about YourSphere, I honestly didn’t pay much attention to it. I thought I had a few years to worry about social networking and my kids. Well, soon enough the girls started wondering what Twitter and Facebook was. Then the founder of YourSphere, Mary Kay Hoal, contacted me with an offer that was to good to pass up. A family membership for an year…free! Okay why not!
So what is YourSphere? It is a social networking site for kids (tweens through 19) that costs an annual fee, which gets rid of unwanted advertising and provides a safer site to let your kids on. Parents have control of their children’s activities. I can monitor comments, blogs, pictures and what Spheres they are hanging out it. I can even block my child’s access if she is grounded from the computer! I will not pretend to know all about YourSphere and I encourage you to check it out for yourself at YourSphere.com.
The Spheres are groups with a theme. There are a lot of them and the kids can start their own as well. Meg started a sphere about Ethiopia and a lot of kids joined up and learned some things about Ethiopia. One kid said he had to look at a map to find it . I was floored that a child actually looked up something educational while playing!
Meg has also entered a contest and won! She got a $25 gift card to Best Buy and was able to get the sixth Harry Potter movie with it. She was convinced after that! The annual fees help buy prizes.
I like the fact that I can monitor my kiddos more and that they are learning “internet manners” under my supervision. We have had many talks on internet safety since starting on YourSpere and talking to your kids is priceless! I cannot tell you how many times I have told Mita not to change her username and password. She fought me on this and changed it anyway. Then she promptly forgot both of them and I had to help her out. I like that she is learning these things with me at an early age and not doing them at school or college!
The kids get more points the more they play and can buy things with the points they earn. Of course my girls are after the IPOD touch to get…since it will take a few years to earn it, I’m okay with that!
Here are some things my girls have said about YourSphere :
Mita age 10,” YourSphere is really fun, I love listening to the music and watching videos.”
Meg age 10,”It is really fun talking with others and making new friends. I love the contests especially!” ” The Spheres are the best!”
Enu age 7,” I like being able to design my own page, talking with friends and all the games!”
I have to emphasize that letting your kids on YourSphere does not mean you can let your child on line without checking on them. This site is for teens and some teenage music and videos are not for a 10 year old. Mita especially gets lost sometimes and ends up on a YouTube video that she doesn’t need to see. My kids think I have eyes on the back of my head and in the walls of the home, and I keep this theory alive and well with my supervision!
So check out YourSphere and see if it is right for your family. There is a first month trial period that is FREE!
Do you want to win a year long membership for you kids? (Great Valentines gift!) To enter please leave a comment on how you monitor your child’s internet usage or any comments you may have about your experience on YourSphere. Only one comment please. You can get additional entries by Tweeting the following,
” Win a year membership to YourSphere for your kiddo from YourSphere and @FourAgainstTwo”!
and post your tweet to the comments section. You can do this as often as you would like.
Contest ends Friday, February 12th at noon and the winner will be picked at Random.com.
Good luck and have fun!
