Zigazoo
Creative challenges, social media for kids with purchases.
Zigazoo
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Zigazoo is a TikTok-style video sharing app for posting short videos of kids completing a variety of kid-appropriate challenges. The terms of service (but not the app description) make it clear that Zigazoo is meant to be used with a parent, and personal data is treated as though it's from those over 13. Users sign in using a Google, Facebook, or Apple account. Challenges are simple investigative or creative projects like "Can you find something that's symmetrical?" or "Can you teach us how to play your favorite sport or physical activity?" Project ideas also come from third-party creators such as zoos, children's museums, and kid-friendly web content creators. Users can subscribe to these in app third-party channels, or to Zigazoo-created topic themes, to get updates when new content is added. After creating a video, users can choose whether the video will be private or public. As of 2022, there are in-app purchases for Zigabucks, gated by a simple multiplication problem, and opportunities for kids to trade NFTs. According to the developer's website, videos go public after passing through human moderation. Read the developer's privacy policy for details on how your (or your kids') information is collected, used, and shared and any choices you may have in the matter, and note that privacy policies and terms of service frequently change.
Community Reviews
Completely built to entice spending of very real $$$
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Zigazoo is great
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What’s It About?
Sign up for ZIGAZOO using a Google, Facebook, or Apple account, and then create a username and choose what grade level of activities interest you. Activities focus on straightforward challenges that ask kids to investigate or create something and then share what they've done with videos up to 30 seconds long. The Home tab automatically generates user-submitted videos; tap the heart to like the video or swipe up to advance to the next one. The Projects tab shows daily featured projects like make-your-own hopscotch design and other projects organized by topic (science, literacy, arts & music, math, social studies, social and emotional, physical education, and challenges). Subscribe to a third-party channel or a topic theme to be notified when new content is added. Tap on a particular project to watch videos of others completing the challenge. Tap on the record icon to record your own video. After recording, a toggle allows kids to choose whether to keep their video private or share it with the Zigazoo community. There are also Zigabucks available for purchase, and kids can trade NFTs.
Is It Any Good?
These fun challenges are a great way to get kids thinking and trying new things, but parents should be aware that they need to actively facilitate. Zigazoo does a nice job of inspiring kids to get involved in off-screen projects. Ideas are varied and range from arts (illustrate a song) to math (make fractions out of food) to social studies (what rights should all kids have?). Parents could easily use these ideas to challenge kids and keep them busy thinking critically and investigating their world -- and stop there. Or, it could be fun to browse videos and see what other kids have come up with, though the endless feed can feel overwhelming. If parents or kids want to post their own videos, they should know that there are no overall privacy options to set and forget. Users decide for each video if they want to keep it private or make it public. Unfortunately, after a 2022 update, the creative experience also includes in-app currency, available for purchase, which changes the feel of the app. Kids can also trade NFTs, which doesn't seem to fit with the original intention. If you can avoid those elements, though, and focus on the potentially educational and creative features, kids can have fun participating in truly kid-friendly challenges.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about social media. Does it matter how many likes a video gets or how many followers you have on an app like Zigazoo? Participating, creating, and learning should be the focus, not followers.
Discuss your family's rules for privacy and social networks. Talk about when it's OK to share information and what kind of information should be kept private.
Browse through videos to find other fun or interesting ways other kids have come up with to solve the challenge.
Talk to kids about in-app purchases and the other elements of the app's marketplace like NFTs: What are they? Why might they be included in this app?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading: presenting to others, Math: counting, measurement, money, Science: ecosystems and the environment, Social Studies: citizenship, global awareness, Arts: drawing, Hobbies: building
- Skills: Creativity: making new creations, producing new content, Self-Direction: achieving goals, Communication: presenting, Tech Skills: social media
- Pricing structure: Free (There are in-app purchases for Zigabucks and verification ranging from $.99-$49.99)
- Release date: April 21, 2022
- Category: Education
- Topics: Science and Nature
- Publisher: Zigazoo
- Version: 6.3.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 11.4 or later
- Last updated: May 11, 2022
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