Membership for My Child | Safety
Welcome to Yoursphere
What is Yoursphere?
Yoursphere is an outlet that connects youth and sparks creativity.
Yoursphere is an exclusive network where youth connect and explore their interests - which parents can actually embrace. It's a safer online community where teens can interact, receive recognition, express ideas and earn awesome rewards for their positive involvement.
Are you asking yourself how Yoursphere is different from other social networking sites? Safety is a fundamental part of the Yoursphere mission. Yoursphere takes a proactive approach to online protection, by creating a membership-based site to help keep creepers (predators, pornographers, sex offenders, and people setting up fake profiles) out of this exclusive community for youth 18 and under.
How do we accomplish this? We start by requiring each and every Yoursphere member's age and gender to be verified by their parent or guardian. Parents in turn are verified to be who they say they are (and not a creeper!) through our quick and simple verification process administered on our site by our online age and identity partner NetIDme (http://netidme.net). Additionally, the community is constantly monitored by the Yoursphere staff, as well as through the use of numerous proprietary safeguarding technologies.
We make it easy for you to relax and not worry so much about who might be on the other end of online conversations. On Yoursphere, interactions are truly peer-to-peer and you get to be cool by not hovering!
Yoursphere offers unique networks, or as we call them "spheres". The spheres range from fashion, sports, to academics and more. Each sphere showcases member interactions, contests, and scholarships, and highlights member achievements.
Another distinguishing feature about Yoursphere is that we reward community members simply for their involvement! (Think grocery store loyalty programs or flight miles) Members earn rewards in the form of site recognition and premium prizes by participating on the site, through positive interactions, like joining spheres, blogging, commenting and sharing content! There are also many opportunities to enter contests, apply for a variety of scholarships and participate in unique once-in-a-lifetime events. Because Yoursphere wants to acknowledge the diverse interests of its community, we award scholarships for a multitude of achievements including academics, sports and non-profit work, along with the chance to win unique opportunities, including mentorships.
And because we want to encourage youth to participate in giving back to their communities, a portion of all membership fees go into the Yoursphere Create Your Future scholarship fund and another equal amount from our net paid advertising revenue is donated to well-deserved charities.
Our mission at Yoursphere is to provide a new model for online youth communities that offer a higher safety standard, creates rewarding experiences, and promotes positive community-based contributions and activities. It's a place where you can feel more at ease about letting your young family members interact online.
Mission Statement
Yoursphere.com is a creative outlet by, about and for youth.
Our mission is to use cutting edge technology to provide a safe haven and open forum exclusively for youth ages 9 to 18 where individuality and self-expression are encouraged and rewarded. We provide a fun, smart and creative environment, that delivers positive experiences and values.
Yourshere.com is a premium youth-focused social networking brand. We are committed to fostering all varieties of aspirations, unique educational opportunities, and responsible citizenship through supportive peer-to-peer social circles, scholarship programs, and charitable donations. Yoursphere.com engages our members and helps to protect from unwanted and inappropriate entities and content, while providing continual education to both youth and parents/guardians about online safety.
Founder's Story
Yoursphere was founded by Mary Kay Hoal, a mother concerned about the safety of her children, both offline and online. She understood the dangers that accompany online social networking and as a result, did not allow her daughter to have a profile on the world's largest social networking site, explaining: "If I wouldn't open the door to our home and invite in 29,000 registered sex offenders to "friend you", get to know you, learn about you, and hang out with you, then why would I do that online?" The answer: She wouldn't.
Mary Kay was saddened, disappointed and upset that the status quo for youth online was so terribly low. While doing a little investigating into social networking sites, she learned that lack of safety online was only the tip of the iceberg. Mary Kay discovered predators, pornographers, people setting up fake profiles, cyber-bullying, apparent total lack of oversight, and unnecessary and inappropriate content targeted at youth.
Knowing firsthand that today's youth have unique interests and abilities; that they're passionate, driven, talented and smart, Mary Kay believes they deserve a better (and safer) place to interact online. She set out to create a community that would encourage and support all of the attributes that are truly reflective of who they are; all within an environment that is as safe as technically and humanly possible. A place she would allow her own children to visit.
Yoursphere came from the heart.
FAQs for Parents
General Questions | Membership / Fees | Verification | Contests and Rewards | No Creepers
General
Why did you guys launch Yoursphere? Does the world really need another social networking site?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. "Everybody's starting a social networking site, you'll never be as big as Myspace or Facebook", we've heard it all before. But the founder's goal was never ever to be that big. She started Yoursphere because she is a mother (of five kids, two of which are teens) concerned about the safety of her own kids. What she discovered in the online communities saddened her. In addition to being "unsafe", she sadly discovered that the status quo for youth to be terribly low, so negative, and such a shame.
So she went for a run and had a vision. She knew it was possible to create a community that was safer than anything else out there and truly reflective of teens today. She knows first hand that teens today are driven, accomplished, smart, talented, passionate and ambitious. They're enthusiasts with unique interests and abilities. She knew it was possible to provide a community that fostered, promoted and encouraged these qualities.
So, to answer the question, yeah, the world needs Yoursphere.
Is Yoursphere a global site?
Yes, sort of. Because Yoursphere is so dedicated to the safety of its members it is only available to residents of the United States, Australia, and New Zealand (the countries we can verify information on registered sex offenders).
Communities where information on sex offenders is not made public have a different web address like www. yoursphere.co. uk. In these communities we do still require the verifiable parental consent to be completed prior to membership.
Why should my child join Yoursphere?
Well, they won't get a fancy "members only" jacket or anything but they do get:
- Uncommon rewards (Check out our Rewards Gallery.)
- Monthly contests
- Opportunity for scholarships
- Youth only community. No one over 18 allowed.
- Creeper filtered. (No predators, pornographers, sex offenders or people setting up fake profiles allowed.)
How does my child become a member?
One of two ways.
First way (and fastest way):
- Click the "Join Now" button on the home page
- Click the "Parents, Go Here! " link
- Supply the consent and verification information requested.
- You should be done, and your child a member in less than five minutes.
Second way:
- They can click the "Join Now" button
- They will supply us with your email address.
- Once you get the email, you can click on the link in the email and begin the verification process.
- You should be done in less than five minutes.
Why do I need to be involved for my child to become a member?
Well, we can't verify that your child is who they say they are. There is no public data we can check to confirm a minor's identity and age. Only a parent or guardian can verify their child AND provide the verified parental consent. If we didn't ask you to be involved, we'd end up like all those other sites filled with adults you don't know and creepers.
Plus, remember that the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires all sites with youth under the age of 13 to follow the rules of getting verifiable parental consent. (Read more about verifiable parental consent on the Federal Trade Commission web site.)
Why aren't the other social networking sites like Yoursphere implementing the verifiable parental consent required by COPPA?
Good question! Who knows why they aren't following the rules? Members are not supposed to be younger than 14 (or in some cases 13), to be on those sites. Unfortunately, lots of kids lie about their age to sneak onto these other sites. And, remember most of those sites are not exclusive to kids and teens but Yoursphere is restricted to youth members only. We follow the COPPA rules. It's the law and it works to protect your children.
Why are you letting 18 year olds on the site? Legally an 18 year old is an adult.
It'd be a bummer to boot a senior in high school that's 18 off the site. Yoursphere is intended to be a site for youth through high school. A lot of seniors are 18.
If your child is under 13, they won't be allowed to friend anyone who is years older than they are (except for siblings, of course). Once they're 13 they can friend anyone they want.
Most teens aren't worried about safety online. They're smart enough to know NOT to meet people they've met online in person, and know NOT to give out personal details. Why does Yoursphere care about safety?
We hope they know better too, but the sad fact is that lots of bad stuff happens everyday to youth online. We're tired of it - tired of creepers, bullies and people who use the anonymity of the Internet to hurt others. On Yoursphere we're replacing anonymity with accountability. Community members are accountable for their actions. If they break our Terms of Use and exhibit creeper behavior we can delete them from the community and keep them from coming back.
Why should my child leave the other social networking sites they're a part of and become a Yoursphere member when all of their friends aren't members of Yoursphere yet?
Your child doesn't have to leave anybody! They can invite their friends to Yoursphere. Also there's no reason they can't keep both profiles. Lots of people have multiple profiles. But, we are sure you'll like what they get on Yoursphere a whole lot more than anywhere else.
I think Yoursphere is great. How do I tell other parents about this site?
It's simple. At the bottom of any Yoursphere page, click the "Spread the Word" button.
Membership / Fees
How much does a Yoursphere membership cost?
$4.95 a month, or $39.95 per year.
Can I get a refund at any time?
Memberships are non-refundable, but you may cancel at any time.
Can I cancel my child's membership at any time? How?
Yes. Just go to your Parent Dashboard and there you can manage your credit card information, cancel a child's membership, or re-activate their membership.
Can I cancel and re-sign them back up at a later date?
Well, of course.
Why should I pay for Yoursphere when every other social networking site is free?
With "free" comes creepers: predators, pornographers, sex offenders and people setting up fake profiles often with the intention of hurting others.
Yoursphere has implemented industry-leading safeguards that are second to none and those strict regulations cost money. The fee works directly towards sustaining the safety features.
With that fee, we're also able to offer your child very unique, fun, relevant, rewarding and engaging opportunities. These include:
- Uncommon rewards
- Monthly contests
- Opportunity for scholarships
- Youth only community. No one over 18 allowed.
- Creeper filtered. (No predators, pornographers, sex offenders or people setting up fake profiles allowed.)
While we can never guarantee anyone's safety 100%, we can assure you that no one - and we mean no one - has safety standards as tough as Yoursphere. We've raised the bar significantly.
My child(ren) have an account. How do I get back into the site?
You can't actually get into the site because you're a parent. If you want to see what's going on, ask your kids to show you.
You can log into the Parent Dashboard by going to: www.Yoursphere.com, clicking "sign in," then entering your email address and password.
We can't afford the membership fee. Can I get one for free for my child(ren)?
Sorry, we wish we could.
However, we want every youth to have the ability to become a Yoursphere member. Therefore, we award a select number of free memberships each year. Parents must still provide consent, and go through our sign up process.
Send an email to: CustomerService@Yoursphere.com and we'll see what we can do.
Verification
Who needs to be verified?
A parent or guardian.
Why a parent or guardian?
Data to verify a person's identity exists only for adults. An adult parent or guardian in turn can verify their child's age and identity and also provide their consent. Yoursphere can then verify a parent is who they say they are and not a creeper!
What is the parental verification process like?
It's easy, painless and takes less than five minutes!
You simply provide your name, date of birth, address and last 4 digits of your social security number.
Isn't it risky for me to provide the last four digits of my social security number?
No. Not any more dangerous than:
- Getting a cell phone for yourself or your child
- Setting up Internet access for your home
- Calling your bank to confirm your balance
What happens if I don't pass verification?
No worries. There are lots of options available to help you complete the verification process.
First, you'll be given the chance during the online verification process by NetIDme to re-confirm the data you provided online if there wasn't an initial match.
If further data is required, you'll receive an email from NetIDme, and they'll ask you to complete the verification process either over the phone, or via fax. They'll ask you to call either:
- 415-508-4172
- 347-404-5079
NetIDme Customer Service representatives will be available to answer the phone 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. CST Saturday and Sunday.
If you choose not to call, you may fax any required data into the NetIDme fax number: 800-420-1194.
I am an adult and I'm not a registered sex offender; why can't I have my own account and profile page?
While Yoursphere expects that many adults are not registered sex offenders, we know that unfortunately many are. Just in the United States, over 26,000 registered sex offenders were using the world's largest social networking site. Those 26,000 adult sex offenders were friending and communicating with our children. And, we also realize that there are a lot more sex offenders that haven't been caught or identified. That's a fact we can't ignore. So, while we understand why you'd want to have an account, to help ensure there are no breaks in the system, membership must be limited to youth through age 18.
We encourage you to ask your child about what's happening on the site: upcoming contests, sphere activity, unique postings. You also have the option to read the Yoursphere community blog for up-to-date information about the site, and to receive the Yoursphere Parents Newsletter. Our goal is to provide you with information so that you will have things to ask your child about their Yoursphere interactions.
(It gets old asking your child: How was your day? Did you finish your homework? Do you have a test tomorrow? Did you study? Did you get your chores done? How was practice? It'll be nice to have something else to share with them.)
Contests / Rewards System
How do members earn credits?
Share. Comment. Vote. Post.
Members earn credits just by participating in the community.
How long is it going to take my child to earn credits to get the cool stuff you're giving away?
It is longer than writing a paper but shorter than a school year. The time frame is really up to your child. It depends on how much they participate in the community. There are some complicated algorithms that figure it out, but if they are a contributor in the community they will see points accumulating and, in time will walk away with cool stuff.
Is there any fee for me when my kids get free products with credits?
No.
Will you have more stuff for my child to get with credits, than what you're offering right now?
We are always looking for more cool stuff! Let us know what things you'd like to see and we'll see what we can do. Contact us.
Does my child have to be a Yoursphere member to enter your contests?
Yes. However we do have sweepstakes that your child does not have to be a member of Yoursphere to enter.
What are the rules for your contests?
Depends on the contest. Every contest has a rules page. Click on the contest link for specifics.
What if my child wins a contest, will I have to pay anything?
It wouldn't be a prize if you had to pay for it! But, if the prize is worth over $600, we're required by law to have you fill out a 1099 form for tax purposes.
My child has a great idea for a contest in one of the spheres, how do we tell you about their idea?
Ask them to send us a message in the "YS Feedback" box provided on their homepage. Tell us all about their idea and we'll get back to them.
How can my child get a scholarship?
We can't guarantee they'll receive a scholarship. However, the way to earn or win one is to participate in one of our scholarship opportunities. We're donating a portion of each paid membership fee (as well as inviting companies to contribute) to our Create Your Future fund, so we'll have lots of money and opportunities for your child to potentially earn one.
Why are you giving money away?
It's simple, we care about others and we learned a long time ago that sharing is good.
Plus, we've got a big mission statement, and one of our missions is to use a portion of our revenue to make a difference in the lives of children and teens in need.
I've got a philanthropy that my child would like to support. Can Yoursphere help?
Possibly. Send an email to our philanthropy team at: Philanthropies@Yoursphere.com
No Creepers
What's a Creeper?
A creeper is a predator, pornographer, sex offender, or someone setting up a fake profile with the intention of hurting someone in the community.
What do I do if my child thinks a creeper is on the site?
Tell us! We provide them tools and links within the community to report creeper behavior. You also can:
- Call us: 888-905-9898
- Send us an email: SafetyTeam@Yoursphere.com
- Contact the police if you think it's an emergency.
What happens if we find out someone is a creeper and on the site?
We delete them and ban them from Yoursphere for eternity! We also contact the appropriate authorities.
I am concerned about what my child is doing online. What can you do to help?
First and foremost, please talk to your child about what they are doing online. Ask who their friends are, what kind of activities they engage in while online, and such.
If your child is younger than 13, we can provide you with a log of what information they have posted on Yoursphere, click here for details. If you feel you have an urgent situation, which requires immediate attention to protect your child from imminent danger, please contact your local authorities. We have a safety team that will work with your local authorities to assist you in any way we can.
Call us: 888-905-9898
How does my child report creeper behavior?
Use any of the tools we provide within the community. Links, flags, feedback areas - it will shoot a message to our safety team.
Will Yoursphere provide me my child's password?
No. If you'd like to have it, we suggest you ask them for it.
I want to read everything my child posts on the site, or see the photos and videos they share. How can I view this information?
If your child is 13 or over, you can't. If you really want to know what they've posted, we suggest you ask them to share with you.
Only if your child is 9-12 years of age will the Parent Dashboard allows you access to content your child has provided. You will not be able to see or read any other content from the site.
How do I keep my child from "friending" or sending messages to someone older than they are?
If your child is over 13, you can't keep them from friending someone older. Please remember, no one over the age of 18 is allowed to be a member of Yoursphere so you don't have to worry about your son or daughter messaging and sharing information with some creepy adult who wants to "friend them".
If your child is under the age of 13, we're pro-actively safeguarding their interactions with older members of the Yoursphere community. With the exception of siblings, Yoursphere members under the age of 13 will not be able to friend anyone that is more than 3 years older.
If my child of any age posts something inappropriate on Yoursphere, are you going to let me know?
By stating very clearly what our code of conduct is for Yoursphere members, we hope to avoid many of the problems that plague other social networking sites. However, we know everyone makes mistakes and our members are youth members.
That being said, if your child becomes a repeat offender and continually violates our Terms of Use, we do have the right to cancel their Yoursphere membership.