Is Zigazoo Safe for Kids?

With rising concern over the safety of TikTok for kids, a slate of alternative video-sharing apps are rising in popularity. Enter Zigazoo, a popular social media site for kids with major celebrity backing. But is Zigazoo safe for kids? 

Read on to find out what Zigazoo does to keep kids safe, concerns you need to be aware of, and how to help your child use the app safely. 

What is Zigazoo?

Zigazoo is a TikTok-style social media platform designed specifically for kids. The company was founded by two former school teachers with the goal of creating a safe and positive online community for kids. 

How does Zigazoo work? 

On Zigazoo, kids can post short videos of themselves completing kid-appropriate TikTok-style challenges. Users sign up using a Google, Facebook, or Apple account, and kids must have parental consent to use the app. 

Challenges are created by kid creators, celebrities, and kid-focused channels like zoos and children’s museums. Users can choose whether to make videos public or private. The company says all videos must be approved by a human moderator, as opposed to automatic filters.

Some examples of challenges include: 

• Stacking challenges
• Does it sink or float?
• Show me your Squishmallows

Does Zigazoo have parental controls? 

Zigazoo doesn’t have traditional parental controls. Instead, parents create a login tied to their own Google, Facebook, or Apple account, and they can log in directly to view their child’s activity and help manage their account. 

What does Zigazoo moderation check for? 

One of the big selling points for Zigazoo are the human moderators that check each video before it can be posted. According to the company’s website, here are some of the things their moderators check for: 

• Negative content 
• Adult content
• Violence
• Bullying 
• Negative instigating 
• Harmful ideation
• Sexual suggestion 

Should I be concerned about my child using Zigazoo?

While Zigazoo is generally safe for kids, there are a few things parents need to be aware of.

1. No global privacy settings

It’s not possible to set an entire account as private. Instead, users must decide whether to make each individual video public or private. That gives parents less control over their child’s account and makes it easy for kids to accidentally post something as public. 

2. Kids can change their settings

Parents have full access to their child’s Zigazoo account, but so does the child. A child can change their settings, and their parent won’t know until the parent logs in. 

3. In-app purchases with insufficient parental control 

Kids can use real money to purchase Zigabucks and use them to customize their profile, send gifts, and unlock creative features like stickers and animations. Parental approval is technically required, but the only verification is a fairly simple math problem that the average 9-year-old can solve.

Is Zigazoo safer than other social media platforms? 

Because it’s designed specifically for kids, Zigazoo has more features that make it safe for kids. Here’s how Zigazoo stacks up against other platforms: 

Safety Feature	Zigazoo	TikTok	Instagram
Human moderation	Yes	Primarily AI and filters	Primarily AI and filters
Direct Messaging	No	Yes	Yes
Parental Consent Required	Yes	No	Not for account creation
KidSafe COPPA Certified	Yes	No	No
Age Verification	Robust	Easy to bypass	Easy to bypass
Parental Controls	No, but parents have full access to child's account	Yes, through TikTok Family Sharing	Yes, through Instagram Teen Accounts

How can I help my child use Zigazoo safely? 

Here are some ways to help make your child’s Zigazoo experience even safer:

• Talk to them about online privacy. Explain the risks of oversharing and the importance of not putting any private information online. 
• Disable sharing outside of the app. In your child’s Zigazoo settings, toggle Allow my videos to be shared into the off position. This prevents other users from sharing your child’s videos outside of the app. Because your child can change this setting themself, explain why it’s important to keep it off. 
• Monitor their use. Because a lot of the things Zigazoo’s moderators are looking for are subjective, parents should also remain involved. Periodically look at their account and consider using a monitoring app like BrightCanary to keep an eye on what they type in the Zigazoo app. 

Final word: Is Zigazoo safe for kids?

Compared to other social media platforms like TikTok, Zigazoo is far safer for kids. However, parents need to be aware of risks like a lack of global privacy settings and in-app purchases with flimsy parental-approval measures. Parents should discuss the dangers of social media with their child and stay involved in monitoring their use. 

BrightCanary helps parents monitor their children’s activity on the apps they use the most, including what they type on Zigazoo and TikTok. Download today to get started for free.