Lego Life was the name for a social media app and magazine, both produced by The Lego Group.

Lego Life
Type of site
Social media
URLwww.lego.com/en-gb/life

Development and launch

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According to Lego, the idea for Lego Life originated in monitoring how children shared their Lego builds in LEGO Club Magazine's "Cool Creations" section and posted their creations on the company's message boards. Lego Life was developed to transfer this desire to share creations into an online environment.[1][2][3]

The app was released for Android and iOS on 31 January 2017. It was initially launched in the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, France, Germany, Denmark, Austria and Switzerland. Lego then officially announced that it will be replaced on August 15, 2024, by LEGO Play. This event has sparked numerous posts with the hashtag; #saveLL. Their efforts may of affected the original close date: July 5th, which was moved to the current one.[citation needed]

Usage

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Lego Life aimed to offer an online version of the physical Lego product. A company named Crisp conducted content moderation for uploaded images before they were published on the site.[4] The app did not offer in-app purchases, however ads for Lego were present within it.[5] If parental consent was obtained, the app unlocked features such as commenting with free text instead of the emoticons offered by default.[6][non-primary source needed]

Lego Life was used by approximately 9 million children around the world, across 78 countries.[7]

Reception

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SAFE.BecauseFamily.org praised the concepts and challenges presented to children, but criticised the merchandising and advertising aspect of the app.[8] Similarly, Common Sense Media praised the child safety functions within the app but also noted that "there's no escape from the commercial nature of this experience".[9]

Magazine

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The Lego Life magazine was a quarterly publication that promoted use of Lego products. It was aimed at children between the ages of five and thirteen. Launched in 2017 as the replacement for the Lego Club Magazine, it was produced in hard copy and digital versions.[10]

Awards and nominations

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List of awards and nominations
Year Award Category Result Ref.
2018 Webby Awards Mobile Sites and Apps: Family and Kids Won [11]

References

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  1. ^ Perez, Sarah (31 January 2017). "LEGO Life is a new social network where kids can share their creations". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  2. ^ "LEGO Life launches quiz challenges to promote online safety for children". Lego.com. 7 February 2017. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  3. ^ "The LEGO Group launches new range of activities to help the whole family feel empowered to act against cyberbullying". Lego.com. 16 November 2020. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Lego Life social network looks amazing but is it safe?". Guiding Tech. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  5. ^ Anderson, Jenny (31 January 2017). "Lego is starting a "safe" social network for children". Quartz. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Verified Parental Consent - Lego Life". Lego. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  7. ^ "LEGO announces new activities to teach kids about cyberbullying". The Financial. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  8. ^ "LEGO Life is a Social Network for Your Masterbuilder". SAFE.BecauseFamily.org. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  9. ^ Matte, Christy. "LEGO Life - Create, share & discover". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  10. ^ "LEGO Life magazine offers completely free subscriptions". Brick Fanatics. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  11. ^ "LEGO Life wins Webby Award and Webby People's Voice Award". Lego.com. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2020.