Did you know there is a social networking site for parents and their children?

By Diane Darrow, Children’s Media Specialist

Togetherville: The Safe Social Network for Kids

Did you know that there is a social networking site for parents and their children? Togetherville provides parents of children between the ages of six and ten, an opportunity to model  appropriate online behavior. Just as adults monitor neighborhood playdates, friendships at school, and countless other social interactions, parents need  to oversee friendships online. Using a Facebook account, parents can create a profile for their child on Togetherville. The two sites are completely separate from one another. All interactions with children only occur on the Togetherville site and the parent decides who is on their child’s friends list.


The connection to Facebook does make it easy to add family and friends to their child’s account. Grandparents, aunts, and uncles will not have to wait until a major holiday to chat. Parents, who spend time away from their children, will enjoy this open line of communication and opportunity to take part in their child's daily life. There are kid friendly activities such as games, badges for good on-line behavior, virtual gifts, videos, and even a chance to create art. Since parents pre-approve all on-line friends, children can use their real names and pictures.

It may seem silly to encourage a six year old to chat with their parents and friends online but possibly this is necessary step. Young children need concrete guidance navigating social networking sites. Togetherville gives parents an opportunity to teach digital responsibility, discuss cyber-bullying, and how to be a good online friend. Parents need to address this issue, before their child sets off into the great digital universe alone. This journey is inevitable; why not provide them with a map first?