Parents' Guide to Skype

Website http://www.skype.com
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Common Sense Media Review

Polly Conway By Polly Conway , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 10+

Video-calling site keeps people connected, most of the time.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 10+?

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Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 6 parent reviews

 

 

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age 10+

Based on 29 kid reviews

Kids say that the app is a useful tool for communicating with family and friends, especially for those whose parents restrict access to other messaging services. However, users emphasize the importance of internet safety, cautioning against accepting requests from strangers and recommending that it is more suitable for older children and teenagers due to privacy concerns and the potential for unwanted contact.

  • useful communication
  • internet safety
  • suitable for older kids
  • caution with strangers
  • privacy concerns
Summarized with AI
 

 

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Privacy Rating Warning

  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

What's It About?

SKYPE is a website that allows users to communicate using video and voice calls. Its basic features are free, but you also can access additional features such as group video calls or SMS, either by paying as you go or subscribing. To begin, download Skype onto your computer; when it's done installing, a log-in screen will appear. You can sign in using a Skype, Facebook, or Microsoft account. To add contacts, click the \"Add Contacts\" button and then type the person's name, Skype handle, or email address into the search box that pops up. Once you've added contacts, click on the name of the person you'd like to call; if there's a green light next to their name, they're already signed in and ready to receive your call. They'll answer, and you should be able to hear them. Turn on your webcam, if you have one, and you'll be able to see the person you're connected to. During your video call, you also can share screens or send files to the person you're talking to.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 6 ):
Kids say ( 29 ):

Skype is an incredible idea, and when it works, it's a world-changing free resource that's opened up communication for millions of people. But it can sometimes seem like one of those modern conveniences that's more trouble than it's worth. It's notoriously buggy; sometimes calls get dropped for no reason, or connectivity is terrible at random. It can be difficult to predict how well a Skype session will go for these reasons, but it's more likely to run smoothly if you have new, high-quality equipment. However, even at its fussiest, Skype has the potential to bring together families and other groups of people. There's nothing like face-to-face communication, and Skype's video calls get close to replicating that experience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the ways people have used technology to communicate through history. What did they do before Skype, before email, before telephones? Explain that, for many years, the only way people could stay in touch was by writing letters. Ask your kids if they can imagine doing that today.

  • Talk to kids about the difference between video calls and regular phone calls. Which do they prefer? Why?

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