Common Sense Media Review
By Leslie Crenna
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Anonymous Q&A's can veer into too-mature territory for kids.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Videos and Photos
Spring.me
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
At its core, users ask and answer questions on Spring.me. You can smile (akin to Like), share, respond, comment on a response, or report. The Feeds page lists featured, latest, and following for questions and answers plus a multiple choice poll. The People tab lists those currently online plus featured users. The Me page shows your activity, including followers and following and finding friends through social media. Russian, Portuguese, and Danish interface options are available although questions do seem to appear in a wider range of languages including Spanish.
Is It Any Good?
"Springers" find fun, connections, and a place to express themselves be it wit, music videos, viral memes, cynicism, praise, frustrations, drug use, hooks ups, or sexuality. The Spring.me blog explains how to apply to be a special status ambassador working through a 10-flag hierarchy earning perks and rising to the level of King or Queen of Springdom -- all of which seems like a good way to get users to welcome newbies, stay positive, fill in a complete profile, and login regularly.
Is it safe for kids? It depends. Most users appear to be in their twenties but there's a good number of younger subscribers as well. Question askers and responders do not self-censor with the idea that minors are privy to their candid tone; however, the ability to report and block users and content seems very accessible. Still, there's no guarantee that kids won't see or read some pretty explicit stuff, and as with most anonymous apps and sites, the potential for bullying and inappropriate content is rife.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Discuss what it means to be anonymous online. How could someone find out your true identity? Would you say different things if no one knew it was you?
Explore topics that interest your kid and ask envelope-pushing questions to grab their interest.
Website Details
- Subjects: Language & Reading : discussion, writing
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : asking questions, Communication : asking questions, conveying messages effectively, friendship building, Tech Skills : using and applying technology
- Genre: Social Networking
- Pricing structure: Free
- Last updated: March 15, 2020
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