safe email account for kids?

[Gwenny]

Where is the best place to get a safe email account for a 12 year old?  I want to make sure she doesn't get the kind of lewd spam I get?

[Ravin]

I set my DD up a gmail account several years ago. Several years on, she gets no spam, just notifications for a few games she plays on her phone, and emails from myself, her grandmother, and a few friends. I have passwords so in the event a problem arises I can go in and tweak the settings.

 

ETA: I have 3 gmail accounts, and I don't get lewd SPAM on any of them AFAIK, even the one where I receive Fetlife notifications (If you don't know what Fetlife is...probably best you not look it up.)

Edited April 18, 2016 by Ravin

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

I also set up gmail for my kids.

 

No issues after several years.

[redsquirrel]

Ive never had spam with my gmail account, and I've had it for...well, over 5 years at the least. 

 

The only problem is that they want a kid to be 13 before they get their own gmail account so you just have to give a fake birthdate.  Everyone I know has done that.  You can even go back and change it when said child is 13.

 

I have passwords for my kid's email and I check it frequently. He's terrible about telling me stuff from his ballet school or his teachers etc. I have never seen a spam email in his account.

[kirstenhill]

We've never had a problem with Gmail either for the kids.  I signed up with my birthdate, and I tell my kids that I own their email account until they turn 13, and I have their email accounts in my gmail app on the iPad so I can keep an eye on it.  I'll give them more privacy/freedom with it when they are actually "legal" to have an email account they can sign up for. I think it helps cut down on spam that they never enter their email addresses anywhere -- I assume that is where most of my spam comes from!

[SorrelZG]

My children have live or outlook email accounts for using the xbox (only one actually uses it for email) and they are clean. They don't get spam because they aren't given out for any reason to other sites. My Gmail gets tons of spam thanks to years of using it for any websites I visit that require an email (and not even any naughty/nasty ones!).

Edited April 18, 2016 by SGPS

[Baile]

We've also had no trouble with gmail. Ds11's e-mails come to my phone, and I've never seen any spam at all. 

[Erica in OR]

We use zoobuh.com until they're old enough for Gmail.

 

Erica in OR

[nd293]

If your kids have an iPod you can set up an iCloud email address. Otherwise a Gmail account.

 

I don't get much spam on any of my email accounts, and haven't noticed any on my gmail accounts - it depended where you're using your email address. Once or twice a year I'll get a patch of spam emails on my main account - I think it's after I have used my email to register on a less reliable site.

[Sammish]

We also use Zoobuh. I can pick who DS can send and receive emails to, I get copies of all emails he sends and receives, and you have the option of it requiring your approval before any email goes in or out of their account (you can turn these last two options off or on).

 

Even if you have it set not to send you copies of everything, if your child receives an email the system thinks might be questionable (might contain bullying, or asking for their address or other information), you get an email about it and you have to okay it before your child sees it.

 

It's $12 a year, but I used a coupon code for half off when we first signed up, and when it renewed this year, it was still half off. Right now it looks like you can use buhsneb to get half off.