Parents' Guide to Google Hangouts

Website https://hangouts.google.com/
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Common Sense Media Review

Polly Conway By Polly Conway , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Chat, listen, and learn on Google's communication platform.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 12 parent reviews

 

 

See all 12 parent reviews
age 9+

Based on 37 kid reviews

Kids say that this messaging platform is a great tool for chatting with friends and family, especially for children, as it provides a safe environment where they can only communicate with those they know by sharing Gmail addresses. However, some users have expressed frustrations with website accessibility issues, the absence of moderation for inappropriate content, and occasional technical difficulties, yet many appreciate its simplicity and effectiveness for staying connected.

  • easy communication
  • safe for kids
  • limited features
  • accessibility issues
  • privacy concerns
  • technical difficulties
Summarized with AI
 

 

See all 37 kid reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.
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What's It About?

Google Hangouts are simply that: hangouts that occur online -- through text or video -- with friends, family, teachers, or anyone else in your network. Users can communicate with a single person, a group, or create a \"Hangout on Air\" to broadcast their video to the world. When you're signed in to Google (through Gmail, or one of their other sites), click on \"Try Hangouts;\" you'll be prompted to install a quick plugin onto your computer. Once that's done, it's easy to start a Hangout with someone: Simply hover over their name with the mouse; a small window pops up with clickable icons for a video, chat, or email. Hangouts can also be recorded and archived if you ever want to revisit a conversation or lesson.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 12 ):
Kids say ( 37 ):

Google Hangouts are great! For kids who already use Gmail or Google+, getting acquainted with Google Hangouts should be pretty straightforward. Google knows how to make things user-friendly, and Hangouts is no exception; getting started is very intuitive. The ability to chat with up to 10 people at once is pretty exciting, and there's tons of potential, not only for families, but for school-related projects and group work as well.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Use Google Hangouts to create a family reunion of sorts; see if you can gather up to 10 family members for a five or ten-minute video chat. If it works, make it a monthly or weekly event.

  • Encourage your kids to use Google Hangouts for fun, but also as another way to stay connected with school. They can check in with classmates to talk about school-related stuff, quiz each other, find out about missing assignments, or anything else related to school. The possibilities are endless.

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