Last year, we welcomed The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Broadcasting House to help us announce a new app we’d been working on called Own It.
The app will launch later this year, and it’s another step forward for us into the world of online wellbeing. It’s a practical tool that we hope will help children who are getting their first smartphone have a happier, healthier, more positive life online.
Why launch Own It?
We know kids have more and more ways to connect online than ever before - through social media, messaging apps and games. But what they sometimes struggle with – especially when they’re starting out - is working out how to navigate complex situations online. That can sometimes leave them upset, anxious or even in hot water with friends, mum, dad or their teachers.
So we’ve developed the Own It app. It aims to help kids avoid accidentally finding themselves in situations that are out of their control, doing things they might not do in real life – and which could be harmful to themselves or others.
What is BBC Own It?
The app combines machine-learning technology with allowing kids the chance to let the app know how they’re feeling and why. In response, the app will nudge them - offering a helping hand and advice when their behaviour strays outside the norm. Children can access the app when they’re looking for help - and it will always be on-hand to give them instant, on-screen advice and support the moment they need it.
The app also has a special keyboard, so when a child starts to write a message, the keyboard will highlight if something they’re typing could be upsetting to the person who’ll receive it. It can also recognise when a child types personal details, like a phone number – and will nudge them to make sure they’re sending the information to someone they trust. It can even recognise language that might suggest a child is being bullied, and will offer them advice and encourage them to talk to a trusted adult.
Alongside the keyboard, the app is packed with specially commissioned content from BBC Own It and across the rest of the BBC. This will give young people a range of resources to help them make the most of their time online, and build healthy online behaviours and habits - covering everything from managing screentime to boosting wellbeing.
And finally, the app will also help young people and their parents have more constructive conversations about their experiences online. But crucially, it won’t provide reports or feedback to parents and no data will leave their device – because we know that’s massively important.
What’s happening today?
This is brand new technology, and something we think no-one else in the world is doing in this way.
That’s why, from today – we’re testing a beta version of the app with a number of children from schools up and down the country. We want to get their feedback before we make it available for everyone to download later this year. And, as its new tech we know there will be bugs we’re not aware of, and we need their help in finding them so the app is the best we can make it for young UK children.
I’ll be in touch again once we’ve built in people’s feedback (and ironed out those bugs) - with more information about where to go to download the live app.
