According to Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) data, as of July 2010, 3.94%of Nepalis, out of the projected 28 million, have Internet access. The changing times where more and more households are opting for Internet connection has brought along the concern about Internet behavior of their children.[break]
The Internet is like a Pandora’s Box, and you can never be sure of what you might stumble upon once you are in. As much as it increases the chances of younger ones being exposed to things that are not meant for them, it is equally a learning tool. Curbing the use of Internet on the basis of reports alone, therefore, is definitely not a problem solver.
Children today, the urban ones especially, access Internet almost on a daily basis. For them, it is almost a necessity to have an account on a social networking site and an email address. However, there have been many instances of people coming across abusive words and explicit pictures because of the sites being public.
Also, such sites do not pre-filter the materials an accountholder posts. Coming across such things can have severe impacts on children psychologically.
This is exactly where “Togetherville,” a brainchild of Mandeep Singh Dhillion comes in. The father of two essentially worked as an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, and is now the cofounder and CEO of Togetherville, a social networking site exclusively for children below 13.
Dhillion came up with the site after continuous work for three years. He reasons his wish for his own children to have more ways to play independently while being safe and connected.
“As a dad, I wanted to make sure my kids were safe, and I also wanted to help them learn how to be productive and responsible online,” Dhillion told The Week via an email interview.
The site requires parents to create an account for their kids, and it uses authentication through Facebook by verifying the parents’ identity. Facebook is the dominant social networking site today, with around 500 million active users. And Togetherville requires parents to have an account on Facebook for their children to be on Togetherville.
A considerable fact about Togetherville is that it rejects anonymous profiles and avatars and encourages children to use their real pictures. Using real pictures can be totally safe for a child, for parents themselves choose the friends of their child, and consequently other people can also actually see their children’s pictures.
Togetherville automatically finds Facebook friends of the parents and their children who already have Togetherville, simplifying the process of making a community for children.
Also, parents can “allow” specific friends to become part of the child’s neighborhood or invite others in who may not already have accounts on Togetherville.
Alongside the usual tools of networking sites like having a profile, joining a community or making friends, this site encompasses many fun tools too. A child can view videos of YouTube, but these videos are pre-filtered by Togetherville.
The team boasts some of the best minds in social networking, technology, child development, and online safety, including graduates of Stanford University’s Learning, Design and Technology Program.
Another application allows children to earn “T-bills” for themselves with which they can buy virtual goods, games, or gifts.
Also recently, the site included moderate texts that kids can send to one another. “Kids can safely communicate in their own words now,” said Dhillion. They can also post a “quip” which is the Togetherville version of Facebook’s profile status.
Since its operation in May this year, the site has received immense popularity. As Dhillion puts it, “The response has been overwhelmingly positive. In addition to the U.S., Togetherville neighborhoods have been created in more than 20 countries, including Indonesia, Canada, Australia, India, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines.”
As for a country like Nepal, where children are more than willing to create a profile on a social networking site but not many parents’ have one for themselves, Dhillion requested parents to create one. He believes that if parents want to allow their children to use a social networking site, they have to get involved themselves.
“Just like in the real world, parents have to guide their children’s social interactions online – to recognize when something might be awry,” he said.
The networking site, according to Dhillion, is going to be much more than just interaction for kids. The site, he believes, will prove to be a place where kids under 13 can learn and practice appropriate online safety and social skills to become responsible online citizens.
“That’s what we’re trying to achieve through Togetherville,” he says, adding, “We have an advantage because we aren’t separating kids into a virtual world, or a gaming environment. Our goal is to create neighborhoods for each child of people they know and trust, where kids are free – and safe – to be themselves.”
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