Scallyroo (http://www.scallyroo.com)

common sense media says

Social site lets kids track goals -- and request rewards.


parents & educators say
  • 82% say there are positive messages
  • 82% say it's educational

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this social networking site has a handy feature that helps users set goals and manage tasks, but it also has a significant shopping component: Teens use an Amazon-powered search to request "reward" items for completing goals, to create wish lists, or to buy items directly. Users can access anything that's sold through Amazon -- which means some adult content can turn up.

Educational value: The calendar and goal-setting applications can help teens manage tasks and stay on top of commitments.
Positive messages: Parents of users under 13 control their kids' friend requests and other communications. Teens can decide whether to display their real name or just a username, and profiles are only visible to friends.
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: There's no language filter or specific rules against profanity -- although offensive content, hate speech, harassment, and sexual content are prohibited -- but users seem to keep it clean in the public groups.
Consumerism: There's a search powered by Amazon that allows users to add items to wish lists or buy items directly, with a "shop" link at the top of each page.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on Scallyroo

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about setting and accomplishing goals. What motivates you to complete tasks? What steps can you take to make a big project more manageable? When is it appropriate to reward someone for achieving a goal ... and when is performing well its own reward?

 

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Streamlined and user-friendly, Scallyroo's goal-setting feature could be very helpful for teens who need a little nudge getting organized. However, parents may not appreciate that each goal has to be attached to a reward -- even minor ones, like doing chores -- and that the most popular prizes include pricey items like iPods and gaming systems. The site's other social networking features are fine but nothing remarkable.


This review was written by Susan Yudt
 
 

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What parents & educators say

8
Based on 11 parent & educator reviews:
  • 82% say there are positive messages
  • 82% say it's educational
  • 27% say they noticed product placement

Most useful reviews by all members

Sablegirl
teen, 16 years old
 
Totally fun site
Really cool site. I wish I had more friends on it but it's totally cool anyway. I love being able to set goals. I do that all the time at home so this makes it even more fun. Andthe calendar is really neat.

crb9396
teen, 16 years old
 
Best Social Site
Awesome site! I just joined and this is my favorite website. It's much safer than facebook and is strictly for people my age. I mostly use it for the cool calendar and for creating wish lists to send to my folks. Definitely useful.

MediaMommy
parent of 10 year old
 
Two Thumbs Up from a Media Mom
What a great concept. I review sites like Scallyroo* and come across numerous websites that try to be the next "big thing" for teens and tweens. Scallyroo hits on all primary tenets important to a parent like me. It is safe for kids, fun for parents, and gives a direct line of communication between both mediums. My two boys love the site and I highly recommend it.

newsguru1
parent of 10 year old
 
Great tool for Parents and Teachers
My daughter (9yrs old) loves Scallyroo... And so do I. It serves as a great communication tool between a child and a parent. I am an educator by trade and have been using this application in the classroom to motivate my students (setting class goals and motivating my students with rewards). The kids love it and the parents do too as they can check their progress. I give this site an A++++++

fmf2000
teen, 16 years old
 
Love the Calendar and the Ability to Get Rewards
Been on scallyroo* for almost a year. My friends and I love the features. Setting goals and getting rewards is probably my favorite thing to do on the site. I also use the calendar a lot for coordinating school work with classmates. This is one site my parents encourage me to use (lol)!!!

Riley45
adult
 
Breath of fresh air...
What a breath of fresh air. So many websites are vying for my kids attention but this is the one I endorse because it is safe and is grounded in positive values for my two daughters (ages 10 and 12, respectively). The site allows my to monitor their account as they are under the age of 13 and cant sign up w/o my consent. Great idea. Great site.

 
Great site for Teachers and Parents
Fantastic site. I highly recommend. I am a teacher in the Warner School District and our district is beginning to utilize Scallyroo to better communicate with our students. The parent body is also becoming more involved in their child's academic studies using the Parent Dashboard.

wk12
teen, 17 years old
 
Love It
Love it. Great tools for school. Great for shopping too!

tigger11
teen, 14 years old
 
Scallyroo is AWESOME
My FAVORITE site. My brothers and I all use it. It's a lot of fun and they have really cool products.

tracybenkle
parent of 14 year old
 
Very Unique Concept
As a parent, I am a big fan of this site. My son has been on Scallyroo for a few months now and it's really helping him with his school work and overall work ethic. With the Parent Dashboard, I can monitor his schoolwork and social life without being an overbearing parent, yet keep a unique line of communication open with him in a 21st century kind of way. It's a very safe site for kids of all ages, and a great tool for parents. Nothing like I have seen on Internet.

sage10113
teen, 16 years old
 
Great Site. Highly recommend for Teens
Great Site. It is so fun. My friends and I are all on Scallyroo. It is much more teen-friendly then the other social networks I have seen.

 
Perfect Social Media Site For Kids
Scallyroo* is a great resource for getting your child involved in online networking. The site is geared for Teens and Tweens and allows parents to monitor their actions on the site, while also providing parents the tools to better communicate with them. Many schools and institutions are beginning to adopt the Scallyroo platform as learning tool, both inside and outside of the classroom. As a parent, I find this is a great parenting tool, because it gives parents the control over their child's site experience. Scallyroo is the most transcendent website for kids and it I spend much of my professional life in this space as an author, columnist and child advocate. There isn't another site like it.

 
I'm Obsessed With Scallyroo
Use the site every day. Very fun. Love the ability to shop with friends.

my2kids
adult
 
Perfect for Teens and Tweens
I have two kids (ages 12 and 14) and both use this site religiously and I actually encourage it. Scallyroo actually allows parents to join in on the action and connect with their kids on the site. It is really neat. Being a parent of two 'coming of age' teens you would think this might be a detractor, but it's just the opposite. I highly recommend parents with young teens to check out Scallyroo.

knowledgebowl
parent of 13 year old
 
Perfect for Tweens Teens AND Parents
I am a father of three boys and work as a security, privacy and cyberspace lawyer and child advocate. Scallyroo is the only site that I found that truly takes child privacy laws seriously. Parents can monitor their child's actions remotely which is definitely the future of Internet industry as it relates to children under the age of 13. I highly recommend this site for responsible parents.

metsfan16
parent of 12 year old
 
Truly A Great Concept
I highly recommend Scallyroo because it is easy for parents, and fun for kids. It makes goal-setting fun for the whole family. Plus there are other features that parents will like as far as safety is concerned. I have two kids ages 8 and 11 and they are on this site several times a week.

muenessa678
kid, 12 years old
 
Great Website for kids ages 9+
i have been on scallyroo for about a year. i never seen anything bad on the site.

firewire
teen, 15 years old
 
My #1 site right now
Love it. So many cool tools to use. It's exclusively for young people (unlike facebook) which I like, and has really good privacy controls.

 
Breath of Fresh Air for Kids and Parents
This site is a real breath of fresh air. Its a great tool for kids to learn the positives of social networking and gives the parent the ultimate control over what their kids are up to on the site. As a parent you have the control over their friends and can take advantage of many cool features like sharing calendar events and goal setting. My three kids love the site and I give it two big thumbs up.

myagrrl
teen, 15 years old
 
Best site for Teens
LOVE this Site. My favorite place to visit on the web. I get an hour of computer time a day and Scallyroo* is where I go. The new feature called Scallyroo Gmes is totally cool!

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