Parents need to know that this creative writing site is the teen version of respected online indie pub Smith Magazine's Six-Word Memoirs project. Kids will find a largely supportive community of similarly creative teens and a fertile environment in which to exercise their short-form writing skills. The uncensored submissions do contain some offensive language but overall the content is funny and inspiring. Entering a memoir automatically gives the writer a chance to be in a future Smith Teens anthology of six-word memoirs. (The first collection, I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure, is due out September 2009.)
Educational value:Kids learn how to organize their thoughts and write succinctly, always handy skills to have.
Positive messages:Haiku-style writing fun and creativity are the goals of this storytelling site.
Violence:A few submissions are gratuitously violent: "I will f--k you up, bitch."
Language:Kids write the way they speak. In fact, "f--k" is used so frequently it's included in the word cloud of terms you can search on. Watch out for "asshole," "bitch" and "s--t," too.
Consumerism:Advertising is minimal, consisting of one text link to T shirts with the site logo and a couple of Amazon-linked book jackets for the two memoir collections that Smith Magazine, the owner of Smith Teens, has published so far: Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure and Six-word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak by Writers Famous & Obscure.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:Drinking is mentioned only occasionally. There are probably other references we missed (the site lacks a standard search box), but overall, submissions don't glorify these particular activities. They're more likely to mention cutting or suicidal thoughts.
Privacy & safety:Everything kids submit, including photos of themselves, is out there for the world to see. However, most teens use aliases and the site lets authors edit or delete their own submissions and comments.
Parents enjoy some after-the-fact control in being able to contact Smith Teens if they want a child's submission removed.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.
Honestly, I think this site is amazing. I have my own user account. I think it should be used for only teens who know the limit on what content to put, like no full names or stuff like that. But it helps me express my feeling and I get other inputs and other teens relate with me. I think its awesome! :)
May be good for older teens.. no observed security
We're not sure whether to continue letting our daughter use this site (she will be 13 next month). It is a way for some parents to find out issues in their kid's lives, since they often use it for communicating like a social network. However, I don't find any age limitation for Registration, and I see no way to secure the child's threads so that only friends and family can see and respond to postings. A friend of hers was contacted yesterday by an unknown person, who the friend described as "creepy" and displayed the opportunity for inappropriate communications to exist. Not sure, at this point..............
I am currently a member of the smithteens community. and I love it. I've developed friends there and I feel true compassion for the other members on there. It may sound easy but try and some up your greatest triumph into six words, and it's quite difficult. I love this sight and i would recomend it to anyone.