The Starter Life

Giving your kids the opportunity to deal with real world problems has never been easier with some new tools parents can use.  From a simple lesson in economics to the way we communicate with others, there are some interesting new ways we can give kids a few pointers to lead them in the right direction toward becoming a responsible adult.  

One new social networking site called Everloop, designed for kids ages 8 to 13, is being dubbed the new Facebook for tweens.  A recent report from Time’s Techland Blog discusses the new start-up website and the differences between Everloop and more adult sites like Facebook.  In order to ensure a child’s safety and privacy, there is a lot more parental control and around-the-clock site monitoring on Everloop.  Everloop requires that a parent register for an account with the child.  The parent can not have their own account on the site, but can control how much of their child’s activity they can see and whether or not their child can receive friend suggestions or instant messaging.

In order to prove they are serious about child-safety, Everloop has teamed up with iSafe, an internet safety education program, bringing the platform into some 56,000 schools.  Parents may think of Everloop as a Facebook with training wheels.  

Another training wheels type of program aims to show kids how to become responsible consumers and work with a set budget. The new PASS prepaid and reloadable card from American Express allows parents to track their teen’s spending 24/7.  Teens are also encouraged to keep track of their spending online and through text messages.  The PASS cards can be reloaded 24/7 online or by phone.  One benefit to kids is that PASS can not actually affect their credit score and they can only spend what is preloaded on the card.  

What do you think of some of the new programs aimed at parents and kids that may help with some life lessons?

Do you think using one of these programs can give a child some valuable real world experience?