Computer Support Blog

Google Plus has finally opened its virtual doors to the teenagers. Anyone ages 13 and up can now create a Google+ account, although for teenagers, Google has added more safety precautions. It was not that Google did not want teenagers to be able to use the site previously – there was no “mature content” – but simply that Google wanted to get things ironed out and ready before letting in the teens.

Since teenagers and young adults are the more avid social networking users, and the most avid Internet users, it makes sense for Google to allow teenagers to join its social networking site. According to Bradley Horowitz, the Vice President of Google, “We want to help teens build meaningful connections online. We also want to provide features that foster safety alongside self-expression.”

To that end, Google+ will have additional safety features for any user under 18. Some of these features include having a reminder that anyone can see and comment on public posts, not allowing users outside the teen’s circles to message him or her, and bumping a teen off a hangout if someone from outside their circles joins the video chat.

When an underage user goes to post something publicly, a simple message pops up reminding them that anyone can see it and comment. Google hopes that this will help the teens think more about what they are putting online that everyone can see. By temporarily shutting a teen out of a hangout when someone not in his or her circles joins the hangout, Google again wants to make the teen think for a moment. If they know the person, or want to rejoin the hangout, they can, but it might prompt more teens not to chat with strangers.

That is the goal of all of the new safety features on Google+ for users under 18 – to encourage them not to talk to strangers. The other safety feature teenage users might notice is that less information is available on their profile. Google hopes this default setting will protect teenagers’ whereabouts, age, and school information. For the most part, users can change many of the safety features, but that takes time and effort that many people simply do not want to expend. Google hopes that by allowing this new demographic to their social networking site, they can begin to catch up to Facebook while at the same time protecting users’ Internet security.

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Filed under: david milman, facebook, Google, Internet, Internet Security, rescuecom