The Internet and being connected are the unsupervised Wild West, right? Tocomail attempts to solve one of the staples of the “always connected” world by building an email product that is meant for kids (of all ages). Kids get a real email address, with lots of parental safety features built in. For example, they can only send and receive emails from a supervised contact list. Tocomail also offers fun features for kids such as drawing boards with stamps and brushes and avatar customization options.
The app is specifically developed for smartphones and tablets and parents can easily sign up and create an account for their child. Emails can be sent via app or web. The service is free, but can be upgraded for $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year for more parental controls.
Update 4/1/14: We’ve just heard from Tocomail that they’ve implemented another wonderful feature; a bullying recognition filter. This filter monitors children’s emails for certain keywords and contextual phrasing. If bullying patterns are found, the email is redirected to a Quarantine box for the parents to approve before it’s sent to the child. With bullying becoming a larger problem this new filter will further help parents keep their children safe. This feature, along with other parental controls such as a “safe list” of contacts and profanity filter will help keep email safe for your child.
Agnes Hsu is a mom of three and has been inspiring parents and kids to get creative with easy activities and family friendly recipes for over 10 years. She shares her love for creative play and kids food to her 2MM+ followers online. Agnes' commitment to playful learning and kindness has not only raised funds for charity but also earned features in prestigious nationwide publications.