Common Sense Media Review
By Erin Brereton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Teen site in need of better writing, more filters.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
What's It About?
KIWIBOX.COM features articles and videos about topics like fashion, dating, and music. The site encourages users to share their thoughts via journals, message boards, and by posting article comments. Teens who register can set up profiles with photos, local weather, and more. The site also has gives KiwiPoints for actions like referring a friend, which can be used to get prizes like temporary tattoos or an iPod Shuffle.
Is It Any Good?
Kiwibox.com really seems like it's trying to give teens a lot to read and react to; and the content covers interesting subjects ranging from politics to cell phone etiquette. According to the site, 100% of the editorial content is written by high school and college students. But that also means the article quality is kind of hit or miss; some read more like personal essays, and most don't list any sources for the information and advice being offered. As a result, teens may not learn a ton from every article they read.
The site also has some work to do in terms of controlling what content can be posted. For the most part, the comments on the site's articles aren't too racy, but you can easily post swear words or mean comments (which may or may not be removed later, if they're reported to site administrators). Plus some of the site's message boards -- like the sex topic board -- can get pretty graphic.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why it's important to be careful about giving out your name and email address to a Web site or to any companies that advertise on a Web site. What kind of things might they send you? What does the site get out of offering "cool stuff" from their partners? Why do you think certain products target teens?
Website Details
- Genre : Blogging
- Pricing structure : Free
- Last updated : August 25, 2016
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