Instead of adding parental controls to an already existing platform, Betweened is designed for kids<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\nKeeping kids off<\/span> social media is idealistic at best, and giving them access to it opens a Pandora\u2019s box of privacy concerns. Tech giants have addressed stranger danger in the child-friendly versions of their social media platforms by adding parental controls and content filters to their existing product, with mixed results.<\/p>\nBetweened<\/a>, a startup competing in the Startup Battlefield<\/a> at this year\u2019s Disrupt<\/a>, goes a step further by designing a social media platform specifically for children \u2014 instead of modifying one already made for adults. Its private beta goes live this week.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Betweened_Feed_MockUp4.png?w=408\")
<\/p>\nThe Betweened feed will feature curated, kid-friendly content from educators, brands and influencers. Courtesy of Betweened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Betweened founder and CEO Carla Engelbrecht likened social media to driving. Like learning how to drive, kids need to understand privacy and develop media literacy to safely use the internet. Age verifications are notoriously easy to bypass, which lets minors access social media before they\u2019re supposed to. Even if they wait until 13, which is the minimum age to use most social media platforms, \u201cyou don\u2019t just hand them the car keys,\u201d Engelbrecht said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen so much of kids constantly wanting access to the things that are not made for them,\u201d Engelbrecht continued. \u201cIf you wait until a kid turns 13, now they can use it without parental permission. But it\u2019s not like they suddenly know what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she was a college student, Engelbrecht was shot in the chest by a 17-year-old. The random act of violence pushed her to dedicate her career to developing children\u2019s programming, in hopes of creating content that could positively influence young people. She has been a staunch defender of video games, and as a developer herself, she has advocated for the educational potential that games have<\/a>, from teaching kids critical thinking skills to demonstrating data visualization.<\/p>\nBolstered with a doctorate in instructional technology from Columbia University and a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that includes Sesame Street and PBS Kids, she envisions Betweened as an alternative to short-form vertical video platforms. The platform is designed for six- to nine-year-olds and will \u201cfeel familiar\u201d to appeal to kids who want \u201cthe real deal\u201d instead of a watered-down version of an app. Like Instagram Reels and TikTok, Betweened has a discovery feed that serves age-appropriate content to its users.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Parental-tip.png\")
<\/p>\nBetweened encourages parents to talk to their children about social media, instead of sheltering them from it. Courtesy of Betweened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Good UX design is often lacking in apps made for young children, Engelbrecht said, because developers assume that details will be lost on kids who can\u2019t read yet. Betweened is not \u201cchocolate-covered broccoli\u201d \u2014 a bait-and-switch that tricks users into consuming educational content.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe products that are most successful find the balance where it can be entertaining, and it can be educational, and you don\u2019t have to hide it,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is one of those things that Sesame Street does incredibly well. If you look at the songs, the way they approach the sketches, there\u2019s just a patience and a bar on the content that I think ultimately really sets it apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Advertising is a tricky beast, especially when it comes to children\u2019s media. The Federal Trade Commission<\/a> has cracked down on marketing to children, and under federal law, platforms must have parental consent to collect personal information from users under age 13. A recent FTC staff paper<\/a> highlighted concerns over \u201cblurred advertising\u201d to children online, and questioned whether children are able to identify that an influencer\u2019s enthusiastic product review is actually an ad. Despite the laws forbidding data collection from children, social platforms have been caught doing it anyway. Last month, a watchdog group called out YouTube<\/a> for serving targeted ads on channels like \u201cCocomelon Nursery Rhymes.\u201d<\/p>\nAs a parent, Engelbrecht said she\u2019d love to keep Betweened ad-free, but it\u2019s not sustainable. Social platforms depend on ads for revenue. Instead, Betweened allows brands to create profiles and post content for kids, as long as they abide by the platform\u2019s editorial guidelines. Since it\u2019ll be \u201cfully moderated and curated,\u201d Engelbrecht plans to work with brands to create well-rounded videos that are clearly labeled as sponsored content.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is in our interest to teach our kids how to think about and process advertising,\u201d Englebrecht said. \u201cThey will not be straight up advertising to kids, because it is so fraught from a privacy perspective. And we can bring the brands in as part of like, \u2018Hey, this is how we help this generation grow.\u2019 And then supporting parents, like \u2018Here\u2019s how to talk about this with your kids.\u2019 You talk about it, you contextualize it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the heart of Betweened: not shutting kids out of social media, but teaching them how to navigate it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Keeping kids off<\/span> social media is idealistic at best, and giving them access to it opens a Pandora\u2019s box of privacy concerns. Tech giants have addressed stranger danger in the child-friendly versions of their social media platforms by adding parental controls and content filters to their existing product, with mixed results.<\/p>\n Betweened<\/a>, a startup competing in the Startup Battlefield<\/a> at this year\u2019s Disrupt<\/a>, goes a step further by designing a social media platform specifically for children \u2014 instead of modifying one already made for adults. Its private beta goes live this week.<\/p>\n The Betweened feed will feature curated, kid-friendly content from educators, brands and influencers. Courtesy of Betweened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Betweened founder and CEO Carla Engelbrecht likened social media to driving. Like learning how to drive, kids need to understand privacy and develop media literacy to safely use the internet. Age verifications are notoriously easy to bypass, which lets minors access social media before they\u2019re supposed to. Even if they wait until 13, which is the minimum age to use most social media platforms, \u201cyou don\u2019t just hand them the car keys,\u201d Engelbrecht said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen so much of kids constantly wanting access to the things that are not made for them,\u201d Engelbrecht continued. \u201cIf you wait until a kid turns 13, now they can use it without parental permission. But it\u2019s not like they suddenly know what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n When she was a college student, Engelbrecht was shot in the chest by a 17-year-old. The random act of violence pushed her to dedicate her career to developing children\u2019s programming, in hopes of creating content that could positively influence young people. She has been a staunch defender of video games, and as a developer herself, she has advocated for the educational potential that games have<\/a>, from teaching kids critical thinking skills to demonstrating data visualization.<\/p>\n Bolstered with a doctorate in instructional technology from Columbia University and a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that includes Sesame Street and PBS Kids, she envisions Betweened as an alternative to short-form vertical video platforms. The platform is designed for six- to nine-year-olds and will \u201cfeel familiar\u201d to appeal to kids who want \u201cthe real deal\u201d instead of a watered-down version of an app. Like Instagram Reels and TikTok, Betweened has a discovery feed that serves age-appropriate content to its users.<\/p>\n Betweened encourages parents to talk to their children about social media, instead of sheltering them from it. Courtesy of Betweened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Good UX design is often lacking in apps made for young children, Engelbrecht said, because developers assume that details will be lost on kids who can\u2019t read yet. Betweened is not \u201cchocolate-covered broccoli\u201d \u2014 a bait-and-switch that tricks users into consuming educational content.<\/p>\n \u201cThe products that are most successful find the balance where it can be entertaining, and it can be educational, and you don\u2019t have to hide it,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is one of those things that Sesame Street does incredibly well. If you look at the songs, the way they approach the sketches, there\u2019s just a patience and a bar on the content that I think ultimately really sets it apart.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertising is a tricky beast, especially when it comes to children\u2019s media. The Federal Trade Commission<\/a> has cracked down on marketing to children, and under federal law, platforms must have parental consent to collect personal information from users under age 13. A recent FTC staff paper<\/a> highlighted concerns over \u201cblurred advertising\u201d to children online, and questioned whether children are able to identify that an influencer\u2019s enthusiastic product review is actually an ad. Despite the laws forbidding data collection from children, social platforms have been caught doing it anyway. Last month, a watchdog group called out YouTube<\/a> for serving targeted ads on channels like \u201cCocomelon Nursery Rhymes.\u201d<\/p>\n As a parent, Engelbrecht said she\u2019d love to keep Betweened ad-free, but it\u2019s not sustainable. Social platforms depend on ads for revenue. Instead, Betweened allows brands to create profiles and post content for kids, as long as they abide by the platform\u2019s editorial guidelines. Since it\u2019ll be \u201cfully moderated and curated,\u201d Engelbrecht plans to work with brands to create well-rounded videos that are clearly labeled as sponsored content.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is in our interest to teach our kids how to think about and process advertising,\u201d Englebrecht said. \u201cThey will not be straight up advertising to kids, because it is so fraught from a privacy perspective. And we can bring the brands in as part of like, \u2018Hey, this is how we help this generation grow.\u2019 And then supporting parents, like \u2018Here\u2019s how to talk about this with your kids.\u2019 You talk about it, you contextualize it.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the heart of Betweened: not shutting kids out of social media, but teaching them how to navigate it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n