Lego launches social network for kids to share their creations

PanARMENIAN.Net - The company behind Lego bricks has launched a new social network made for kids under 13. Called Lego Life, it's designed to let kids connect with a community of their peers. They can look at what other kids have created and also share what they've built. Lego Life is made for the tablet, and both the iOS and the Amazon Kindle Fire version of it is available now in the US, UK, France and Germany, Engadget reports.

If you think the idea a little odd, Lego says there's a need for it. Rob Lowe, a senior director for Lego Life, says he believes that kids desperately want to share their creations with a broader audience. "They don't want to just share with family and friends, and there's no social networks that they can join," he says. They could submit their creations to the Lego Club magazine, but with over 6 million members, getting their photos noticed is a pretty difficult. With Lego Life, their creations can be shared with the world in just minutes. Lego Life has been in beta for a few months now in the UK and has enjoyed some under-the-radar popularity, according to Lowe.

When you first launch the app, you'll be asked to create your Lego ID with your parent's email address. The team over at Lego worked closely with UNICEF and the FTC to make sure the app is safe for kids. Therefore, kids can't use their real names, so Lego invents names for them. A random name generator comes up with a list of three-word jumbles as the child's display name, like "DarkMonkeyShrimp" or "ChairmanSmartDolphin," and they can choose which one they prefer. They can then customize their own little Lego mini figurine as their avatars, which can be ported to other Lego apps if they desire.