Girl Guides Launch Social Media Site for Under 13s

The iGGi site provides a social media experience for under 13s similar to that of Facebook. Picture: supplied

Girl Guides Victoria has developed a secure social media site similar to Facebook aimed at the under 13s who are too young for traditional social media applications.

And the organisation claims the secure site called iGGi (i Girl Guide Interactive), provides a platform for young people to learn to interact through social media in a completely protected environment.

iGGi was developed by Boston-based Imran Sayeed, the Chief Technology Officer at NTT DATA, in conjunction with Girl Guides Victoria. Sayeed was recently recognised as a 2013 Premier 100 IT Leader by Computerworld.

Sayeed described iGGi as a “one-of-its-kind social media platform for the excluded”.

“We were looking to develop a platform that can provide a social media experience in a completely secure environment,” he said.

“Most social media sites require participants to be over 13 years of age, however younger users still participate but without the skills to navigate what can be a challenging environment.”

Girl Guides Victoria CEO, Wendy Lewis, said: “We believe that in today’s society, social media plays an important role, and as part of developing life skills, we have a role to play in informing girls and young women about how to use social media in a responsible way.

“These girls can now learn how to communicate appropriately and at the same time, share their passions and interests with other Guides,” Lewis said.

Robinette Emonson, State Commissioner for Girl Guides Victoria, believes the new platform will help bring girls from across the state closer together, both online and in real life.

“Guiding has always been an interactive experience. Now, with the launch of iGGi, girls from different units can communicate freely and safely, developing new friendships and enriching the experience for all.”

iGGi utilises blogs, message boards, chat, and “The Wire”, a Twitter equivalent to send messages. The entire site is completely secure and requires acceptance of a social media agreement which sets out what’s expected of all users.