Disney Plans Social Network for Kids. Is that cool?

UPDATE: Anyone see MediaPost this morning? (Jan. 5?) So, umm...disregard the post below, okay Disney folks? The new site sounds fabulous!

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For days, the buzz has been brewing around Disney's planned launch of an all-new Disney.com at CES on January 8. The centerpiece of this new presence will be a MySpace-like social network -- restrained ever-so-slightly by parental controls. Oh, and the content will be all-Disney, all the time.

Via WebProNews:

"Where Disney might pick up the most traction is with young teens, or tweens, kids that are not quite ready for MySpace or Facebook, and parents that want a little more control over what their kids do online", said Debra Williamson, a senior analyst at eMarketer.

There are a few levels at which this whole thing just BUGS me. As a marketer, I can't help but think of the failed Wal-Mart social network, "The Hub." (Oh, but where HAVEN'T they failed in Web 2.0?) Social networks and parental controls just don't mix. If they can't *really* express themselves in their High School Musical, Zoey 101, angst-y little ways, will they really stick around? What kid is going to engage in any kind of self-expression if they know Mom and Dad are watching?

On another level, as a parent, I'm honestly grossed out by the whole thing. In full disclosure, marketing to kids often just gives me the heebee-geebees. I know tweens are a huge market, but personally*...I can't go there. If they're "not quite ready for MySpace of Facebook," then they're certainly not ready for social networking AT ALL. To have Disney promoting their movies and products to kids who are barely old enough to earn an allowance, via web site with a "Disney World-like" experience, to me seems like putting subliminal advertising on your local playground. It just feels a little slimy to me.

But then, I've grown to view Disney World as nothing more than a training camp for future Disney Store shoppers, so you may not want to go by me.

[*Note that these opinions are solely mine, and don't reflect those of everyone - or possibly *anyone* else at DigitalGrit.]

Comments

[Rob Engelman]

The fact that tweens will be able to go on-line and talk about High School Musical, Zoey, Hannah Montana...and so on, IS their form of self-expression. So what if there are parental controls (especially in terms of Internet safety). The fact that they can go on-line, talk, and share thoughts / opinions about subjects important to them is great.

- Rob Engelman
(Podcasting at www.zen2wow.com)

[Aimee Kessler Evans]

Rob, admittedly, I'm a little more hard-lined than usual in the above post. The social network is a great idea on Disney's part, but I do think that kids will feel inhibited by the parental controls, and it may not work well because of this. I'm going to try logging on with my 5 year old this week, and I'll give it a test run. But I am skeptical.

I love social networking, I just think it's going to take some testing to get the whole safe-for-kids aspect of it sorted out.