On Thursday, I took a drive over to Pasadena to attend the Digital Kids Conference. I had never been before and I don’t normally count myself as someone who is all techie and stuff. I primarily went to visit a friend who was out here from New York, but I arrived just in time to sit and listen to the morning keynote. The talk was given by Bart Decrem, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Disney Mobile. My kids are always using apps on our iPhone and iPad, but I never put a lot of thought into the development that went into them.
By the end of 2012, there will be a BILLION Smart Phones in existence. That’s pretty amazing considering when I was a kid the push button phone was considered high tech. 52% of kids in the United States have access to Smart Phones and that number will just keep going up. Gaming has become the primary source of entertainment. I know my kids are constantly asking to play games on our phones.
One of the companies exhibiting was KidsVuz. My daughters, Amanda in particular, are crazy for this unique website where kids and tweens can upload their own reviews of products, movies, music or books. They can easily take video of themselves at the computer giving their review and then upload it to the KidzVuz website. It all sounds very technical, but my kids figured out how to do it even before I could. Seeing themselves on “TV” was awesome. There are so many times that we’ve gone to check out reviews by other kids… you know, those times when a Mom or Dad review just isn’t going to fly. Someone hearing another child their age gives a kid a little better idea of what is really going on.
I love that KidzVuz was created by two Moms who realized that parents doing reviews of kids stuff didn’t always make a lot of sense. Who better to tell it like it is than the kids who actually experience the products. It is “the first and only online community exclusively for video reviews by and for kids 7 - 12”. Tween are a HUGE demographic in the marketplace today. Did you know there are 20 million tweens in the U.S. alone? Those same tweens are spending an average of 11 hours per week online. And… that translates into about $43 billion in direct spending and influence. How many times have we broken down and purchased something because our kids were just begging us? They are pretty persuasive.
The best part of KidzVuz is that the site is a COPPA compliant platform. Every uploaded video gets monitored for content and language. Personal names are not allowed on the site at all… the kids create their own unique username. And the fun keeps going - the kids can leave comments for other reviewers, earn points on their own reviews, join fan clubs and meet and follow new friends who share their same interests.
And the best part: It’s FREE. No credit cards, no money, nothing but a lot of fun for the kids and some amazing, real reviews that parents can view before spending your hard-earned money on all those fancy toys your kids are begging for.
Take a look at the site and see how easy it is to use. Your kids will love you for it.
Thank you for sharing