There’s apparently a safe alternative to Facebook for kids, and Disney now owns it.
Disney’s been on a bit of a buying spree lately. There was Marvel, there was Playdom, there was Tapulous, and now there’s a kid-oriented social network called Togetherville. At the moment, details on the purchase haven’t been revealed.
Togetherville is a social network designed for kids who are ten-years-old or younger. It exited beta last year and “mimics the experience of adult social networking sites, i.e. Facebook but in an age-appropriate and parent-monitored environment.” The main idea is that kids who use the site will create “neighborhoods” with Facebook friends and school communities, which then lets the users (and their parents) connect with school friends.
Parents, in turn, can interact with their kids in Togetherville. While kids can play games, watch videos, make art, and interact with their friends, their parents have to approve each friend their child adds to their neighborhood.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Disney’s been involved with the online community scene, though this is the first time the company’s had an actual social network: I actually had an account with Virtual Magic Kingdom, and I’ve had a few friends who enjoyed playing Toontown Online. That said, I’m not sure if kids younger than ten need to be engaging in online social networking …
Source: TechCrunch via Geek
