Giving Compass' Take:

• Grom Social offers kids and parents a safe, monitored social media platform with anti-bullying content built in. 

• How can safe alternatives help keep kids away from age-inappropriate content? How much of the harm of social media remains, in spite of careful monitoring?

• Learn how one organization is teaching self-care practices for healthy self-esteem. 

Zach Marks is the founder of Grom Social, an anti-bullying social media platform for kids that has 13 million users across 200 countries. Zach founded Grom back in 2013, when he was 12 years old.

Rick Hess: So what exactly is Grom Social—what do users do on the site?

Zach Marks: Grom Social is a safe social networking site for kids ages five to 16. Grom is similar to other popular social media sites like Facebook or Instagram, but is designed specifically for children with a focus on safe content.

RH: Why do you think censoring kids or keeping them off social media doesn’t work?

ZM: Kids are exposed to social media at a younger and younger age, as technology like cell phones and iPads become more easily accessible.

RH: The anti-bullying message seems to be a central part of the Grom experience. Why was this important for you to emphasize?

ZM: When I was in the process of launching Grom Social, my sister Caroline was experiencing bullying at school. This impacted our entire family and made me realize how important it was to have a social network that worked to stop any form of cyberbullying or negative behavior. I wanted a way to promote being kind online.

Read the full article about safe social media by Frederick M. Hess at American Enterprise Institute.