If you follow me on Twitter, you know I tweet about Yoursphere. Yoursphere is our family’s go-to social network for my Kid, Preteen, and Teen. Yoursphere has everything a kid…and a parent could need. What is so special about Yoursphere? I’ll tell you.
What Mom and Dad need to know about Yoursphere.com…
- No adult profiles because Yoursphere is just for kids.
- Kids do not need to pretend to be 13 to be a member – Yoursphere wants kids to be themselves.
- There is security through technology and human oversight. — This is a huge plus in my book. I want to know that the site that my child plays on is monitored by an actual person, not a bot.
- Kids not asked to provide information that puts their privacy at risk like other sites do. For example no request such as middle name, last name, IM, email, cell phone number, exact physical location, school, etc. — It’s a good idea to talk to your children often about the need to be supercautious about divulging information on the internet. You’ll find tips for teaching your child how to be safe on @MaryKayHoal’s blog. She founded Yoursphere, too!
- Children taught importance of being kind to others online. — As any parent of a kid, tween, or teen knows, cyberbullying is a huge issue for schools and parents.
- Children taught the importance of learning to think about what they post before they post it. — Many college admissions departments do online searches on prospective applicants. Kids need to watch what they post online.
- Children taught it’s okay to connect with their online friends if their parents are involved. — I can’t tell you how much I worry when I hear that a young friend of one of my kids started an email or social media account without the permission of their parent. Parents need to know what kids are doing online…at all times.
- Kids are taught how to protect themselves from a cyberbully.
What kids want to know about Yoursphere.com…
- Hundreds of free games for kids to play…my son LOVES the one about zombies and vegetables…
- Kids join and make spheres like this one by Animal Planet’s Victoria Stilwell on all things dogs or this one by Wild Recon’s Donald Schulz.
- Kids meet others just like themselves
- Kids earn free gems to get gifts
- Kids enter contests that are easy to win
- Kids earn credits to shop in the gift gallery
- Kids can create their own avatar
- Kids can play in their own virtual world
- Kids can share photos and watch great videos
- Yoursphere is 100% all about kids. Yoursphere is meant for, inspired by, and is created by kids.
As a mom of a 8-year-old, 12-year-old, and 15-year-old I cannot avoid the internet. The big kids want to be online. Even my youngest clamors to be on the computer. Whether kids are home from a day of school or on Spring Break, the lure of the screen is huge. I monitor the TV shows they watch. I decide which movies are appropriate. I encourage all three to go outside, but the reality is that my Preteen and Teen get bored easily when playing outside. So why wouldn’t I do the same for the internet? Yoursphere is the place for my kids.
Why not check out all that Yoursphere has to offer parents and kids?
When you sign your child up for a membership, don’t forget to use my code… YSMA-JILL …when you register. Yoursphere is FREE to join…so no worries about membership fees. Oh, and come back to this blog to leave a comment. I’ll choose a winner every couple of weeks for a super cool Yoursphere Mom t-shirt!
So the basics on Yoursphere…
Sign up for Yoursphere is FREE. Use my code when you sign up — YSMA-JILL. Post a comment on this blog that your child is signed up…I will choose a winner every few weeks for a Yoursphere Mom t-shirt!
Internet Safety Tips for Moms and Dads…read the blog postings of the founder of Yoursphere. Subscribe to Mary Kay Hoal’s Blog.
Yoursphere is free for all kids. Kids can upgrade to a Gold Membership on Yoursphere for more credits and gems, exclusive contests, and scholarship opps. And it’s only $4.95 per month!
Moms and dads can connect with Yoursphere on twitter. And with Yoursphere’s founder @MaryKayHoal for timely and relevant social networking safety tips for your kids and tweens. Yoursphere is on Facebook, too.
Oh, and you can follow me as I tweet about online safety for kids and tweens at @YoursphereMom.
I am a Mom Ambassador for Yoursphere. I was compensated to write this post. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog with Integrity.
