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Google+ Officially Open To Teens

Posted by timothy on from the rebellion-doesn't-spring-to-mind dept.

hypnosec writes "Google+ made a landmark move and opened itself to users who are over the age of 13. Google+ did not initially target the younger crowd and kept itself available only for users above the age of 18. While opening up to youngsters over the age of 13 the social network also added improved safety features to keep the younger crowd protected. Now it features more rigid default settings for privacy, but they can be overridden nonetheless. The vice president of product management at Google+, Bradley Horowitz, in a Google+ post stated, 'With Google+, we want to help teens build meaningful connections online. We also want to provide features that foster safety alongside self-expression. Today we're doing both, for everyone who's old enough for a Google Account.'"

9 of 93 comments (clear)

  1. And nothing changes... by watermark · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Tell a thirteen year old they can't sign up for something they want and you'll see how many of them were born in 1990.

    1. Re:And nothing changes... by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Tell a thirteen year old they can't sign up for something they want and you'll see how many of them were born in 1990.

      Yep. Sure fire way for your club for young people to go out of business is call it "Teen Club" they won't just avoid it, but flee.

      Call it something innocuous and they'll show up. Don't even mention it's for teens though.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  2. core demographic by tverbeek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So they've figured out that grown-ups don't drive the popularity of social networking sites?

    --
    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  3. NCLB by Hognoxious · · Score: 1, Insightful

    They only know to put 1990 because they read it on an intertweet. Most of them couldn't do the necessary calculation.

    Even with a calculator.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  4. realname policy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    the first thing, parents tell their children: do not give anyone your full name on the internet.

  5. Huh? by Ol+Biscuitbarrel · · Score: 1, Insightful

    That headline made me think of an Onion piece: TIME Announces New Version Of Magazine Aimed At Adults. Would help if I knew what Google+ is. OK, it's their answer to Facebook, got it. Wow. Why did they give it a name that sounds like a multivitamin?

  6. Do they have to use their real names? by Sark666 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I would think being able to use a nickname would add a level of privacy.

    1. Re:Do they have to use their real names? by Karlb · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Remind me, what part of joining a social networking site is about privacy?

      --
      When all else fails, you've won.
  7. Re:Should have done this a long time ago by Sarten-X · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It worries me. More specifically, I worry that your child will grow up without the social interaction required to empathize with others, so they'll treat every slight criticism as a major offense. Perhaps worse, without understanding other people's thought processes, I worry they'll be unable to recognize the complex interactions of society, and will end up with extreme opinions on important issues, and thinking everyone opposing them is crazy.

    --
    You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.