Common Sense Media Review
Social tool gives parents oversight and kids some privacy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Village-Safe Social for Family
What's It About?
VILLAGE-SAFE SOCIAL FOR FAMILY offers parent and kid profiles, both of which require an email address to get started. But, if a parent creates the kid account, the kid account does not need an email address. It’s important to note that kids can set up an account without parent permission. They can connect with friends and family members who use the app, but they’ll need to search using an exact username, phone number, or email address. Kids can also send invites from other social and messaging apps or send an invite via text or email. Social posts, or "stories", automatically expire in an hour, a day, a week, or a month – whichever a user chooses. Parents can link with kid profiles and have access to a fairly comprehensive list of controls. The basics allow parents to be notified of new conversations, give kids permission to send and receive messages and edit their profiles, and set ratings for images (G, PG, etc.) Parents can also set daily limits on messages, receive alerts when kids receive new messages, and receive notifications about content that is flagged as inappropriate. Explicit images are blocked automatically; no parent account needed. There’s an insights section that shows a graphical display of daily total messages as well as a record of who a kid is messaging.
Is It Any Good?
This social networking tool offers many options in terms of parental controls, but since kids are given some privacy, they’ll need to learn to take charge of using it responsibly. It’s a refreshing change to see that public content and feeds are not allowed, nor are likes, follows, or streaks. Parents and kids should work together in order to fully benefit from the safety aspect of Village-Safe Social for Family. The actual content of messages and images isn't shared with parents, and kids can create an account without a parent profile. Although parents have the option to receive alerts, kids can opt to delete social posts within the hour. Therefore, it’s best suited for teens who have knowledge about the potential dangers of social networking and who have demonstrated responsible use of media in the past.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the pros and cons of using social networking apps like Village-Safe Social for Family. In what ways are they useful? What are some of the concerns?
Talk about how you will monitor kids’ use of the app. What are the expectations? What are consequences of sending inappropriate messages or overusing the app?
Encourage open conversations about socializing and the challenges of being a teen. How can we all use social networking in a responsible way? What questions do you have about using the app?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Skills : Communication : conveying messages effectively , friendship building , Tech Skills : social media
- Pricing structure : Free ($1.99 for premium features)
- Release date : November 14, 2019
- Genre : Social Networking
- Publisher : Village Network Inc.
- Version : 1.1.06
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 10.0 or later; Android 4.1 and up
- Last updated : May 21, 2021
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