Bebo (http://www.bebo.com)

common sense media says

Like all social sites, some iffy content is here.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that although this social networking site is open to anyone 13 and up, it's primarily geared toward college kids, and young teens shouldn't be roaming around. There's a lot going on on this award-winning social networking site -- including sexual slang, pics with underage drinking or suggestive images, mentions of suicide, cartoon graphics of guns, and links to iffy content, just to name a few. Kids can also chat with each other in real time with Bebo's AIM. There are a lot of ads and it's quite confusing to distinguish between free user sites and commercial featured sites. The good news? Kids can make their profile only accessible to friends and family. And, they can block or report people to make things safer.

Educational value: Good skills in graphic design, layout, and site creativity.
Positive messages: Lots of content geared toward college set, not appropriate for the 13-year-old minimum site age.
Violence: Specific to individual home pages. Mentions of suicide, cartoon graphics of guns.
Sex: Specific to individual home pages. Sexual slang, suggestive pics, links to iffy content.
Language: Specific to individual home pages. Occasional swearing, sexual slang.
Consumerism: Blurring of lines between free user sites and commercial featured sites. Ads on a lot of pages.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Specific to individual home pages. Underage alcohol drinking in posted pics.

More on Bebo

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about Internet safety and commercialism. What personal information is okay to post online? Also, which home pages are created specifically to sell you something, like the new Bratz movie or a band's latest album?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Straight-up advertising is posted clearly on Bebo.com's main page. The more subversive advertising, however, comes in the form of "Featured Sponsored Profiles" and videos that look just like the kids' free sites, but when viewed are clearly promoting a product, movie, or other commercial venture.

Good News: Bebo.com's user rules and Internet safety guidelines, posted on the networking site's main page, are some of the most practical and thorough among social networking sites. Bad News: Not a shocker, but not all users follow those safety tips and some explicit sites find ways to get their links onto some pages. Some of the content posted by users includes the standard teen social networking bugaboos like the latest camera phone shots of partying teens downing beers in the rented limo. That said, site creators have established safety tools, like a "Report Abuse" click available on each member's profile. And they've established sound rules and guides, like remembering that your online "friends" are not really friends to be trusted. Probably the best safety feature of all? The Bebo.com option to only allow access to your home page to real-life friends and family.


This review was written by Dana Villamagna
 
 

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What parents & educators say

10

Most useful reviews by all members

MRS_JASMINE
kid, 11 years old
 

Lemons and ...
teen, 15 years old
 
GREAT site, BAD user submitted content

365
parent of 8 , 10 , 11 , 14 , and 16 year old
 
Very iffy
While Bebo is great in enabling people to stay in contact with friends and family members, parents need to be actively supervising their child's use of it. Parents should first be aware that though one must be 13 to have a homepage, all that is required is a birthdate, meaning that children younger then 13 are easily able to sign up by simply lying about the year they were born in. Parents should also be aware of things such as the Daily Babe application, in which the person who has added the application is sent a photograph of a young woman who they then rate according to looks. Most of the photographs are rather pornographic, meaning your 13 year old can now quite easily access porn daily. Users are also able to put "stickers" on their homepage, which are pictures of often quite sexual and/or violent content. And Bebo is a prime location for cyber bullying. It's a great social networking site, and can be heaps of fun for teenagers, it just needs a lot of parental guidance.

cynthia luv terron
parent of 2 year old
 
I Laughed
I Laugh when i seen my baby daddy playing with our one mouth old baby girl. Her name is Da'Shay Talia Henry she wuz born on Feburary the 20,2009, and we luv our child with all our heart.

theasnuts@yaho ...
teen, 18 years old
 
Love it

cinnagurl
teen, 14 years old
 
bebo is better than facebook
i have a bebo facebook is worse than this and its more private

shaineia
teen, 18 years old
 
i think that if a good child want a bebo just check up on their page and chose their friends and make shure you now their password and username

mrs.july 09
teen, 15 years old
 
it's for teens not for kids
it is sometimes hard to be a teen

McCormick Morton
kid, 7 years old
 
people over ten only

Dibil
teen, 14 years old
 
Great site,i have never had a problem with safety and it is much safer than Facebook

bigkid2
teen, 16 years old
 
perfect for teens ,but not for kings
ilove to play basketbal ihate bullies

spokanekyne
parent of 17 year old
 
i don't hate bebo, i love it so please log me in so i could reply back to my friend

kassandrav12
teen, 15 years old
 

antiona
kid, 13 years old
 
APEX GIRL
WHY I SAID APEX GIRL BECAUSE I FROM APEX.

shantay baby
parent of 18 year old
 
hey please unblock bebo please.

alexramirez
teen, 15 years old
 
because is good

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About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age