A parent's Guide to Spotlite

If you're like most parents, you're probably wondering what Spotlite, previously Kudos, is - and whether your teenager should be using it. Well, worry no more! In this post, we'll break down everything you need to know about our new social media platform, including what it is, how it works, and how it can keep your teen safe online. So read on to learn more!

What is Spotlite, and who are we?

Spotlite is the new and safe social network for teenagers. Our aim is to promote kindness, compassion, and awareness. We want the younger generation to have the power of social media at their fingertips, so they can use it to create a more empathetic and kinder planet. We are unlike other social networking sites in that we put the interests of our users first.

Spotlite takes use of our prior expertise (formerly Kudos) to create an even more intelligent platform that blends the world's best moderation approaches with a trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) system. It's been a seven-year effort to make the most secure social media platform for tweens, which has drawn on learnings from some of the world's most renowned child welfare organizations. In 2022, we are partnering with various governments, education agencies, and corporate partners to further develop practices that support our ethos of 'young creators first'.

We have been featured in many press articles, all of which have been positive. We've been featured on USA Today, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, NBC, Good Morning America, and other major news outlets.

Features within our App

Direct Messaging - Spotlite has a direct messaging system that allows users to message each other without having to share their phone number or email address. This is a great way to keep in touch with friends without having to give away your personal information.
Public Profiles - When you sign up for Spotlite, you create a public profile. This is a great way to share your interests, photos, and thoughts with the world. It also allows other users to find and connect with you.
Privacy Settings - You can change your privacy settings to control who can see your profile and posts. For example, you can choose to make your profile public or private.
Friend Requests - You can send friend requests to any of the users on Spotlite. Once they accept your request, you will be able to message them and see their profile,
Join public groups - so whether you're an aspiring scientist, musician or love playing video games you can make new friends and interact with like-minded people with the same interests in a safe and fun community
Posts - You can post anything you want on Spotlite. This could be a photo, a video or a plain text post. You can also like and comment on other people's posts.
SpotliteTv - allows users to watch shows and movies in real time with friends and other users from around the world.
Spotlite has 100% COPPA compliance (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) to protect your child's personal information. Learn more about COPPA here *link to our COPPA blog post*

How we keep young people on our app safe

We encourage users to share content that is kind and compassionate. If a user sees something on Spotlite that doesn't meet these values, they can report it to our team of moderators who will take appropriate action. In addition to this, we also have a number of features within our app that help keep teens safe online:

-Our app has a built-in AI moderation system which screens all content before it is published. This helps ensure that only kind and respectful content is shared on our platform.

-We have a reporting system which allows users to report any inappropriate or harmful content they see. Our team of moderators will then take appropriate action.

-Our app has a safety centre which provides information on how to stay safe online, as well as advice on how to deal with cyberbullying and other online dangers.

-We only partner with brands who have young people's best interests at heart. We interview and engage with all companies that want to collaborate with us, and they must fulfil 'Spotlite Charter' which is how we ensure quality, honesty and openness thrives throughout our platform and community.

Conversations to have with your child before setting up a profile on Social Media

- Talk to your child about why they want to use social media. Ask them if they know what the app is and what it's for.

- Explain to them that there are some risks associated with using social media, such as cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and online predators. Help them understand how to stay safe online.

- Encourage them to be kind and respectful on social media, teaching them how negative actions have consequences, for example a rude comment on someone's photo can impact their mental health.

- Remind them that what they post on social media can have a lasting impact, and that they should think before they post. This should include telling your teenager not to share personal information such as their street name, telephone number or other personal information online.

- Set up a profile for them on social media and help them to understand how to use it safely. Monitor their account regularly and talk to them about any concerns you have.

How to create your child's profile on Spotlite (when we launch later this year)

To get started with Spotlite, download the app from the App Store or Google Play. Once you've installed the app, create a profile, and start browsing content. You can follow other users, share your own content, and comment on posts. Be sure to keep an eye out for our daily challenges - they're a great way to get involved with the community and meet new people. You can download the app today from the App store and sign up to our waitlist.

Spotlite is the new safe, bully-free social media platform for teens. We are building a community where a younger generation can use the power of social media to build a more compassionate and kinder world where young people can harness the power of creativity, education, and self-expression. As parents, we want to ensure that our children have a positive online experience. That’s why we’ve carried over features from Kudos, our award-winning app, as well as added brand-new features like Spotlite TV and messaging – alongside our 100% COPPA Compliance. Will you be signing up for Spotlite when we launch? We hope you will!

A parent’s Guide to Spotlite