A new social community app has launched for children aged under 13, which hopes to take their attention away from other networks such as Snapchat and Instagram.
Most social media sites have a lower age limit of 13, but many kids set up accounts before they reach this age. The new social forum called ‘CBBC Buzz’ has been created by the BBC as a “safe space” for children to interact with content.
The app allows kids to get creative with BBC shows and characters. Children can swipe through a feed of short videos, GIFs, quizzes and memes based on the shows and topics they love. They can also get involved and share their own ideas (with a parent’s permission) through a range of fun challenges.
The app will have new things to watch and do every day, with two big content drops arriving before and after school and a total of 40 fresh pieces daily.
“CBBC Buzz shows how we’re reinventing children’s content for a new generation,” said Alice Webb, director of BBC Childrens. “And we’re doing it in a safe space that children and parents can have total confidence in.”
Challenges include taking part in a ‘Danger Mouse’ drawing challenge, trying new dance moves from ‘The Next Step’, and discovering amazing facts from ‘The Blue Planet’.
Children can make their feed their own by choosing which CBBC brands and topics they want to follow. And whenever they spot the ‘community’ icon on a piece of content, they can tap it to see what other users have posted in response to a particular challenge. They can also keep track of everything they’ve created alongside their favourite bits of content.
Kids can react to any piece of content through a range of emojis, but there are no ‘thumbs down’ or ways to send negative comments or messages. This helps children take part and share their ideas safely and without fear of bullying.
Parent and guardians can be as hands-on as they like, with different levels of control over the content their child creates and wants to submit. In addition, a team of moderators will approve or decline every single piece of user-generated content, ensuring it’s all age-appropriate and relates to the specific CBBC Buzz challenge they’re taking part in.
The app is available now on Amazon Fire, Android and iOS and devices for free.