BBC launches community app for under 13s - CBBC Buzz
BBC launches CBBC Buzz, a new mobile community for under 13s to have fun and get creative.
Published: 5 April 2018
CBBC Buzz shows how we’re reinventing children’s content for a new generation. We’re bringing our audiences together like we’ve always done, from the Broom Cupboard to challenges on Blue Peter, but for the digital age.
The BBC will launch CBBC Buzz, a new mobile community for under 13s to have fun and get creative with BBC shows, characters and each other. The app will be available on Amazon Fire, Android and iOS and devices for free.
Children can swipe through their feed of ultra-short videos, GIFs, quizzes and memes based on the shows and topics they love. They can also get involved and share their own ideas (with a parent’s permission) through a range of fun challenges.
Alice Webb, Director of BBC Children's, says: “CBBC Buzz shows how we’re reinventing children’s content for a new generation. We’re bringing our audiences together like we’ve always done, from the Broom Cupboard to challenges on Blue Peter, but for the digital age. We’re equipping them with the modern versions of a loo roll and a paint brush and encouraging them all to get creative. And we’re doing it in a safe space that children and parents can have total confidence in.”
There will be new things to watch and do every day, with two big content drops arriving before and after school totalling 40 fresh pieces per day. This will feature the best snack-able children’s content from across the BBC, like taking part in a Danger Mouse drawing challenge, trying new dance moves from The Next Step, and discovering amazing facts from The Blue Planet. New interactive features letting children get involved in new ways will be coming soon too.
Children can make their feed their own by choosing which CBBC brands and topics they want to follow. And whenever they spot the ‘community’ icon on a piece of content, they can tap it to see what other users have come up with in response to a particular challenge. They can also keep track of everything they’ve ever created alongside their favourite bits of content.
Users can react to any piece of content through a range of expressive emojis but there are no ‘thumbs down’ or ways to send nasty comments or messages. This helps children take part and share their ideas safely and with confidence. Content from BBC Own It will also feature in the app, helping children develop the skills and resilience to tackle the everyday challenges they face online.
CBBC Buzz allows parents and guardians to be as hands-on as they like with different levels of control over the content their child creates and wants to submit. In addition, a team of moderators will approve or decline every single piece of user-generated content, ensuring it’s all age-appropriate and relates to the specific CBBC Buzz challenge they’re taking part in.
Lucie McLean, Head of Children's Products, BBC Design & Engineering, says: “Creating a community like CBBC Buzz was a new challenge for us and we think our audiences will love it. It’s designed to put high quality snack-able content front and centre, while making it fun and easy for children to start remixing and creating content themselves. We’ve also made sure they can share their ideas in a safe environment and to do so with confidence.”
CBBC Buzz was developed in Salford by BBC Childrens and interactive entertainment company, Chunk. It follows on from the BBC’s biggest investment in children’s content and services in a generation.
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