How to Encourage Appropriate Friendships in Kids’ Online
Communities What’s a social network without friends? If an
online community didn’t allow for some sort of interaction, it
wouldn’t be a community at all. The problem comes when kids make
friends with people they don’t know. Young kids don’t always
make the best choices, which is why you need to join parents in
helping kids make the right kinds of friends. Think of a
moderated community as a party with a chaperone. You’re on the
lookout for anything inappropriate. Fortunately, parental
controls can help you keep inappropriate behavior in check. When
you allow parents to decide whom their kids can interact with
online, you’re protecting both the children and the brand. Let
parents choose the kids they want their own kids to hang out
with by setting limits. Offer them the opportunity to decide the
ages and genders of the children their kids are socializing
with. Also, allow them to receive alerts so that they know when
their children make new friends. Enco