【英语生活】孩子们的秘密社交网络生活

Celina McPhail's mom wouldn't let her have a Facebook account. The 12-year-old is on Instagram instead.

Her mother, Maria McPhail, agreed to let her download the app onto her iPod Touch, because she thought she was fostering an interest in photography. But Ms. McPhail, of Austin, Texas, has learned that Celina and her friends mostly use the service to post and 'like' Photoshopped photo-jokes and text messages they create on another free app called Versagram. When kids can't get on Facebook, 'they're good at finding ways around that,' she says.

It's harder than ever to keep an eye on the children. Many parents limit their preteens' access to well-known sites like Facebook and monitor what their children do online. But with kids constantly seeking new places to connect -- preferably, unsupervised by their families -- most parents are learning how difficult it is to prevent their kids from interacting with social media.

Children are using technology at ever-younger ages. About 15% of kids under the age of 11 have their own mobile phone, according to eMarketer. The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project reported last summer that 16% of kids 12 to 17 who are online used Twitter, double the number from two years earlier.

Parents worry about the risks of online predators and bullying, and there are other concerns. Kids are creating permanent public records, and they may encounter excessive or inappropriate advertising. Yet many parents also believe it is in their kids' interest to be nimble with technology.

As families grapple with how to use social media safely, many marketers are working to create social networks and other interactive applications for kids that parents will approve. Some go even further, seeing themselves as providing a crucial education in online literacy -- 'training wheels for social media,' as Rebecca Levey of social-media site KidzVuz puts it.

Last week, 20 companies pitched online and mobile products for kids in Pasadena, Calif., at the 6th annual Digital Kids Conference. This summer, Microsoft and Scholastic will help sponsor the first Digital Family Summit in Philadelphia. Scholastic will preview a new version of Storia, an interactive e-reading application aimed at kids ages 3 to 14. 'As kids migrate more to devices, we don't want to be left out,' says Deborah Forte, president of Scholastic Media.

'Digital media is a great thing for kids; even a 12-year-old can have a personal brand,' says Stephanie Schwab, the founder of the Digital Family convention. Her 3-year-old uses an iPad every day. When Ms. Schwab recently wondered out loud what the weather was like, her son responded, 'Ask Siri.'

KidzVuz is a social media start-up aimed at teaching kids how to create content at an early age. Kids create a profile with a handle (say, 'GossipGirl') but no name, and parents have to approve the account. Kids then create video reviews of books, films, food and clothes. There is no private messaging, and comments are actively monitored for nastiness.

The site was launched by two technologically active mothers in New York City. One co-founder, Ms. Levey, says the idea is create a safe place for children to learn how to communicate effectively and politely on a medium that will be key to their social, academic and economic lives.

Faith King, a 9-year-old third grader in Red Bank, N.J., says since she starting posting video reviews to KidzVuz, she has learned important lessons of film production. 'You need to make sure the lights are on so people can see you,' she says. She also has learned to focus on interesting content. 'Don't review a dictionary,' she advises.

Her mother, Cristie Ritz-King, says her daughter's love of the site has prompted many conversations about the importance of being skeptical about strangers online and questioning the accuracy of information. She wants her daughter to learn early on to be agile with social media. 'It's never going away,' she says.

The University of Southern California's Annenberg Innovation Lab has created 'Playground,' a social platform for school-age students. The idea is for kids to learn how to create Internet content -- and to consider the implications of privacy, the permanence of a Web footprint, the basics of brand building and a little about online manners. Educators need to teach Internet literacy at an early age, says Erin Reilly, Playground's creator. 'Kids are always going to find a back door for communication and collaboration,' she says.

Along with established social sites for kids, such as Walt Disney Co.'s Club Penguin, kids are flocking to newer sites such as FashionPlaytes.com, a meeting place aimed at girls ages 5 to 12 who are interested in designing clothes, and Everloop, a social network for kids under the age of 13. Viddy, a video-sharing site which functions similarly to Instagram, is becoming more popular with kids and teenagers as well.

Some kids do join YouTube, Google, Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter, despite policies meant to bar kids under 13. These sites require that users enter their date of birth upon signing up, and they must be at least 13 years old. Apple -- which requires an account to download apps like Instagram to an iPhone -- has the same requirement. But there is little to bar kids from entering a false date of birth or getting an adult to set up an account. Instagram declined to comment.

'If we learn that someone is not old enough to have a Google account, or we receive a report, we will investigate and take the appropriate action,' says Google spokesman Jay Nancarrow. He adds that 'users first have a chance to demonstrate that they meet our age requirements. If they don't, we will close the account.' Facebook and most other sites have similar policies.

Still, some children establish public identities on social-media networks like YouTube and Facebook with their parents' permission. Autumn Miller, a 10-year-old from Southern California, has nearly 6,000 people following her Facebook fan-page postings, which include links to videos of her in makeup and costumes, dancing Laker-Girl style.

'Autie's Freestyle Friday Dance Channel' on YouTube has nearly 13,000 subscribers and hosts 39 videos that have logged in excess of 3.5 million views.

Autie's father, Cory Miller, said by email, 'We just don't want to get into a debate or discussion about other people's opinions on our life/kids in social media' and otherwise declined to comment.

Facebook's 'fan pages' -- in which brands can establish a Facebook presence and those who 'like' the brand can see its postings -- are supposed to be managed by someone of appropriate age to have a profile page, according to Andrew Noyes, Facebook's manager of public policy communications.

Mr. Miller confirmed that his daughter mostly oversees her own fan page, with parental supervision.

But many parents and children find themselves in an evasive dance online. Alexa Ashley's mother, Lisa, allowed her on Facebook at 13 -- then took the account away. When she learned that her daughter, now 14, had an Instagram account and wanted to check it out, Alexa bristled at her mother's interest. Ms. Ashley told her, 'If the world can see, I think it's fair for me to see, too.'

Alexa says she doesn't mind being barred from Facebook -- where her grandmother's comments embarrassed her. She is sticking with Instagram for now. 'You kinda know something bigger, something easier, something more fun will come along,' the 9th grader says.

Katherine Rosman

得克萨斯州奥斯汀的塞琳娜•麦克菲尔（Celina McPhail）今年12岁，由于妈妈不允许她注册Facebook账号，她转而玩起了Instagram。


南加州大学安能伯格创新实验室为学龄儿童开发了一个名为“Playground”的社交平台。其初衷是让孩子们学会如何创建网络内容。她的妈妈玛莉亚•麦克菲尔（Maria McPhail）认为女儿正在培养对摄影的兴趣，就同意女儿把这款应用软件下载到iPod Touch上。后来，她了解到女儿和朋友们主要用它来发布PS过的搞笑图片以及在另一款名为“Versagram”的免费软件上创建的文本信息，或者用它来表示“喜欢”这些内容。她感叹道，孩子们如果不能上Facebook，“他们总是能找到迂回的方法。”

如今，看管孩子比以往任何时候都要难。许多家长会限制青春期前的孩子上Facebook之类的知名网站并监督他们在网上的所作所为。然而，随着孩子们不断地寻找新平台来联系（最好是没有家人监督），大多数家长逐渐了解到要防止孩子接触社交媒体是多么困难。

FahsionPlaytes.comFashionPlaytes.com是一个针对五至12岁、对服装设计感兴趣的女孩的社交网站。当今儿童使用科技产品的年龄也比以往都要小。互联网市场调研公司eMarketer 的调查显示，在11岁以下的儿童中，约有15%的人拥有自己的手机。皮尤研究中心（Pew Research Center）的 “互联网与美国人的生活”（Internet & American Life Project）研究项目在去年夏季发布报告称，12至17岁的未成年人中，16%的人会在上网时玩Twitter，较两年前翻了一番。

除了“网络猎手”和网上欺凌行为的风险之外，家长们还有其他方面的忧虑。比如说，孩子上网时会留下永久的公共记录，他们可能会遇到过多或者内容不宜的广告。尽管如此，也有不少家长认为熟练掌握科技对孩子有好处。

就在众多家庭为如何安全使用社交媒体而挠头不已时，许多市场经营者也在努力开发能获得家长许可的针对儿童的社交网络及其他交互式应用软件。有些经营者更进一步，宣称自己提供了关于网络基础知识的基本训练，其作用好比社交媒体网站KidzVuz创始人丽贝卡•列维（Rebecca Levey）所说的“社交媒体训练工具”。

南加州的奥特姆•米勒（Autumn Miller）今年10岁，其Facebook粉丝页面的博文拥有近6,000名粉丝。上月底在加州帕萨迪纳（Pasadena）召开的第六届数字儿童产业会议（Digital Kids Conference）年度大会上，有20家企业在会上展示了针对儿童的在线及手机产品。在微软与Scholastic Media的赞助下，首届数字家庭产业峰会（Digital Family Summit）还将于今年夏季在费城召开，届时Scholastic将在会上预展新版Storia──一款针对三至14岁儿童的交互式电子阅读应用软件。Scholastic总裁黛博拉•弗特(Deborah Forte)说，“儿童使用电子设备的时间越来越多，我们不想错过这个市场。”

数字家庭产业峰会的发起人斯蒂芬妮•施瓦布（Stephanie Schwab）说，“数字媒体对儿童非常有好处，即便是一个12岁的孩子也能（通过它）建立起个人品牌。”施瓦布三岁的儿子就每天都玩iPad。最近有一次，她正自言自语说着不知道天气怎么样时，儿子突然说道，“问问Siri吧。”

14岁的亚莉克莎•阿什利（Alexa Ashley）有一个Instagram账户。KidzVuz是一个初创的社交媒体网站，其宗旨是指导年幼的儿童学习如何创建内容。孩子们可以用别名（比如“GossipGirl”）而非真实姓名创建个人资料，但是开设的账户必须获得家长的同意。在这之后，孩子们就可以创建对书籍、电影、食品以及服装的视频评论了。网站没有收发私人信息的功能，同时评论也受到积极监控以防淫秽内容。

这家网站由纽约市两名活跃于科技领域的妈妈创立。身为创始人之一的列维表示，创建网站的初衷是为孩子们搭建一个安全的平台，好让他们学会如何在一个将对他们的社会、学业和经济生活至关重要的媒介上与人有效、礼貌地沟通。

费思•金（Faith King）今年九岁，是新泽西州雷德班克（Red Bank）一名三年级学生。她说，自从开始向KidzVuz上传视频评论之后，她学到了一些关于电影制作的重要经验。她举例说道，“你得保证灯光是开着的，这样别人才能看到你。”她还学会了把精力放在评论有意思的内容上，她建议道，“别去评论一部字典。”

费思的妈妈克里斯蒂•利兹-金（Cristie Ritz-King）说，看到女儿如此热衷这个网站后，她和女儿聊了很多次，谈到了不可轻信网上的陌生人以及质疑信息是否准确的重要性。她希望女儿早些学会对社交媒体保持警惕。她说，“它永远也不会消失。”


KidzVuz是一个初创的社交媒体网站，网站没有收发私人信息的功能，同时评论也受到积极监控以防淫秽内容。南加州大学（University of Southern California）安能伯格创新实验室（Annenberg Innovation Lab）为学龄儿童开发了一个名为“Playground”的社交平台。其初衷是让孩子们学会如何创建网络内容，同时也要学会考虑隐私的含义、网页痕迹的永久性、品牌建立的基本知识以及一些关于网络礼仪的知识。Playground的创始人伊尔琳•赖利（Erin Reilly）认为，教育者应该早些教授网络基础知识，否则“孩子们总是会找到交流与合作的秘密途径”。

除了华特-迪士尼公司（Walt Disney Co.）旗下的企鹅俱乐部（Club Penguin）这样较为成熟的儿童社交网站，一些新兴网站也吸引了不少儿童蜂拥而至。FashionPlaytes.com是一个针对五至12岁、对服装设计感兴趣的女孩的社交网站，Everloop是一个针对13岁以下儿童的社交网络。视频共享网站Viddy的功能与Instagram类似，它在儿童以及青少年当中越来越受到追捧。

尽管相关政策对13岁以下儿童下了禁令，他们中的一些人还是加入了谷歌、YouTube、Facebook、Tumblr以及Twitter等网站。这些网站要求用户在注册过程中输入出生日期，而且要求他们的年龄至少要达到13岁。苹果公司（Apple）也有同样的政策，要求用户必须有账户才能把Instagram此类的应用软件下载到iPhone上。然而，这些网站却基本上没有防止儿童输入伪造的出生日期或者让大人帮他们开设账户的措施。Instagram对此拒绝置评。

谷歌发言人杰•南卡罗（Jay Nancarrow）表示，“如果我们了解到有人没有达到使用谷歌账户的年龄，或者我们收到举报，我们将会进行调查，然后再采取适当的措施。”他还说，“用户一开始会有机会证明他们达到了我们的年龄要求，如果不能的话，我们会关闭他的账户。”Facebook与其他大多数网站都制定了类似的政策。

纵然如此，一些儿童还是在家长的许可下在YouTube和Facebook等此类社交媒体网络上建立公开身份。南加州的奥特姆•米勒（Autumn Miller）今年10岁，其Facebook粉丝页面的博文拥有近6,000名粉丝，这些博文包括她化着妆、身穿舞蹈服跳着湖人啦啦队女郎风格舞蹈的视频链接。

她在YouTube开设的“奥蒂的周五自由式舞蹈频道”（Autie's Freestyle Friday Dance Channel）拥有近13,000名订阅用户，其中包含的39个视频吸引了超过350万的点击量。

奥蒂的父亲科里•米勒（Cory Miller）通过电子邮件称，“关于别人对我们的生活/我们的孩子上社交媒体的看法，我们确实不想卷入对这个问题的辩论或讨论”，因此拒绝做出回应。

Facebook公共政策关系主管安德鲁•诺耶斯(Andrew Noyes)称，该网站的“粉丝页面”应该由年龄合适的有资格创建个人信息页面的人管理。各品牌可以创建自己的粉丝页面，用户把该品牌加入自己的“喜欢”名单后便能看到其发表的博文。

米勒证实，大多数时候女儿都是在他和妻子的监管下管理自己的粉丝页面。

许多家长和孩子还发现他们在网上玩起了“捉迷藏”。亚莉克莎•阿什利（Alexa Ashley）13岁时，她的妈妈丽莎（Lisa）同意她注册了一个Facebook账户，但后来又把账户收回。当她知道如今已14岁、上九年级的亚莉克莎有一个Instagram账户时便提出要看一看，她的这个“兴趣”惹得亚莉克莎向她发了一通脾气。她随后向女儿说道，“如果全世界都能看的话，我想我看看也没什么问题吧。”

亚莉克莎说，她对被禁止上Facebook并不在意，因为祖母给她发的评论让她感到很难为情。现在她还继续用着Instagram。她说，“你会知道有些更重要、更方便、更有趣的东西会出现。”

Katherine Rosman

（本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。）