 | ON: Content is age-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. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
ThatsNotCool
Common Sense Media says
Tackles digital dating abuse with videos appealing to teens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this ad-free site helps teens recognize when digital dating behavior becomes dangerous or abusive (stalking, violating privacy, pressure to send nude pictures) and how to deal with it. The site's content is right on target, but there are a few iffy comments that link to users' YouTube profiles, where anything goes.
What's it about?
A project of the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the Office on Violence Against Women, and the Ad Council, THATSNOTCOOL.COM aims to educate teenagers about digital dating abuse. The site features videos that deal with issues like excessive texting and pressure to send risquu photos, and there are lots of "callout cards" to email or post to social networking sites ("Thank you for your thoughtful text every 10 seconds"). Teens who have a YouTube account can post responses about common dating dilemmas, and Need Help? includes guidelines for determining when relationships cross the line.
Is it any good?
With digital violations on the rise -- from nude photos leaked to blogs to a murder sparked by a "single" Facebook status -- Thatsnotcool.com is a much-needed resource for teens -- and for parents who could use a little help understanding this very 21st-century issue. The videos are cool, clever, and interactive; teens see a scenario from the perspective of both partners and choose the best way to deal with the situation. The guidelines for recognizing abuse are right on target, and the additional resources included are reliable. None of the videos feature same-sex couples (though they're racially diverse), but the site does offer a resource for LGBTQ teens.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what is and isn't appropriate with online and mobile communication. What does having constant access to another person mean? What do your kids think is the line between caring and controlling? When
does talking become stalking?" Parents can encourage teens to come talk to them or another trusted adult if they're ever in a dating situation that feels uncomfortable or abusive.
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Parents need to get involved
That's great for the kids to help themselves, I have no problem with Thatsnotcool*. But, I'm looking forward to seeing their resources for parents. That would have been my first step.
Many of the reviews have focused on sexting and the posting of inappropriate photos. But, to their credit, that's not what Thatsnotcool is really concerned about. It's about every day kids hassling kids. It's nothing really new and it is why parents need to "be there,," to help them focus on what is real. So, in the 21st Century parents need to be involved in the electronic message flow, everyday. They are not going to stop it.
If parents add their kind, responsible, caring adult words to the stream of ideas their children are seeing on the tiny cellphone screens, it may help offset the hurtful juvenile junk.
I stumbled on the issue of text abuse last year in my early research for WuduPlz*. This is the reason why we installed tight security on our texting-sending web service. And it's also why we have (a non-advertised) "bad word" filter on WuduPlz. We did not want bad actors using our service. (It is next to impossible to send an anonymous message via WuduPlz, but it's still handy for members.)
In talking about with teachers and others who work with older kids, we found they were eager to have responsible adult voices joining the youthful chatter on the cellphones screen of students, especially for middle school children. "Wuduplz can help inject a reality check," we were told. And we made "add a reality check" a part of our pitch to parents.
Here's the link:
*://*wuduPlz*
Here's our YouTube video:
*://*youtube*/watch?v=rd-8UcdNalU
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Kid, 12 years old
August 10, 2010
AGE
ThatsNotCool! in my opinion,
people over 20 should get an account for ThatsNotCool, not for kids or teens.
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AGE
ThatsNotCool! in my opinion,
people over 20 should get an account for ThatsNotCool, not for kids or teens.
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Kid, 11 years old
August 10, 2010
AGE
ThatsNotCool! in my opinion,
people over 20 should get an account for ThatsNotCool, not for kids or teens.
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AGE
perfect for tweens and older
I think this website has great infomration for young people who are trying to figure out whats ok and what is not...It speaks directly to them, its both serious content but with some humor.
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Kid, 12 years old
August 11, 2011
AGE
give it a chance
this is a good thing for teens and other ages to look in to it changed my life just by reading it changed my brothers to,give it a chance and you will see what i mean. thank you.sarah young
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AGE
Not Drinking
I think drinking is really bad i prefer for my children not to drinking it leads people to all the wrong places.
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| Genre: | Educational |
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