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With technology becoming more and more apart of our lives, children are also becoming more technologically advanced. It used to be that children went over to their friend’s home or talked on the phone to socialize. However, times are changing and a lot of the socializing between children is done online.
Online social sites for kids are becoming increasingly popular. While websites like MySpace and Facebook are popular among the teenage and adult crowd, they aren’t meant to be used by children between the ages of six and twelve. Instead, websites for kids of that age group have been created.
Although some parents may think it is best to outlaw kids’ online communities, it’s just not a very practical solution these days. Outlawing your child from online social sites can in fact stunt their growth socially and alienate your child from their circle of friends. While it will take more effort on your part, the best idea is to allow your child to join online social sites under certain conditions.
The main condition should be that it is understood that you will monitor your child’s action on the online activity. It’s extremely important for you to do so because online predators target these kids’ online social sites looking for victims. However, by taking some precautions, you can drastically reduce the danger your child faces online.
First of all, you should explain to your child what information should never be shared online. This information should include their full name, their address, their school and any other sensitive information. Also, explain to your child what subjects are off limits to talk about online.
Additionally, you should take the initiative to help your child pick the online social site that is best suits him/her. There are a lot of different online social sites to choose from. Once you and your child have selected the site, you should assist your child in signing up for the website. Read all of the security settings, privacy policies and the frequently asked questions. Many online social sites that are aimed at children having a special section for parents to login to and read how they can ensure their child’s online safety.
Your job as a parent doesn’t end there. You should monitor what your children are doing on a daily basis. Ask questions – specifically about who your child is interacting with online. Let your child know that you are available to answer any question that may arise. Also let your child know that if there is any dispute or any problem online you will be there to lend a helping hand.
While there are a lot of kids’ online social sites, the highest rated sites are Club Penguin, Toontown, WeeWorld, WebKinz and BarbieGirls. Review each website with your child to best select the right site.
Club Penguin is part of the Walt Disney family and is targeted for children from ages six to age fourteen. In
Club Penguin, your child selects a penguin and then uses that penguin to go around and explore Club Penguin. While your child is exploring, he or she can interact with other penguins, play games with other them or send greeting cards to other penguins.
A nice aspect about Club Penguin is that there are no ads anywhere on the website. You don’t have to worry about your child clicking on an advertisement or even viewing advertisements that you don’t approve of. However, while there is a free version that your child can play, there’s a membership version that allows your child more options. That membership costs around $6 per month.
Toontown, which is also part of the Walt Disney family, is another child friendly online social site. This site is a bit more advanced than Club Penguin.
Toontown is a multi-player 3D game that allows your child to enter an imaginary world. In this imaginary world, your child can do many things including explore neighborhoods, have an online pet and furnish and customize their character and its surroundings.
Your child will also have the ability to team up with other characters in the game to go against the “Cogs.” In the game, “Cogs” are the enemy of the characters and the characters use humor to defeat the “Cogs.”
Like Club Penguin, there’s a free version of the game. However, there’s also a pay version which costs approximately $10 for one month, $50 for six months or $80 for one year.
WeeWorld is a social site aimed at children that is exploding in popularity. WeeWorld claims to have over 20 million users – and that number is growing by leaps and bounds each month. In WeeWorld, you create a WeeMee. A WeeMee is supposed to be an internet version of yourself. As a WeeMee, you can interact with other WeeMees by sending messages, playing games and illustrating your own cartoon page.
One drawback of WeeWorld is consumers have complained about a lack of parental controls. Some parents have found that WeeWorld isn’t especially age friendly for those who are younger than 14. However, if you monitor your child’s activities, you shouldn’t have too many problems with this popular site.
WebKinz are plush animal toys that your child can collect or even play with. Similar to Beanie Babies, WebKinz are growing in popularity and are available to purchase in a large amount of cities in the United States. However, WebKinz also has an online social site that goes right along with the actual plush animal toys.
When you buy a WebKinz toy, you get a code that allows you to register it online. Once you do so, you enter into a 3D gaming world where you can control your toy online. It doubles as a social site because your child is able to interact with other pet owners online.
WebKinz is especially safe for children because the chat function is limited to only certain phrases. It’s impossible for your child to give out any personal information, which makes this a good option for those parents who don’t have the time to fully monitor their child’s online whereabouts.
Designed specifically for girls, BarbieGirls is an online social site that allows your child to create an online character. Your child can then customize the character and the character’s room. Your child can also interact with other characters in the game by chatting, playing games and shopping. There are also videos your child can watch that feature Barbies and other advertisements.
With BarbieGirls, parents have a lot of control over what they child can and cannot do when on the website. For example, the parents control the setting regarding whether or not the character is able to engage in chat. There are also easy to use options that allow your child to block anyone for any reason.
Everyday, there seems to be new kids’ online social sites popping up. While those sites may look interesting for both you and your child, it’s usually best to go with a tried and trued option like the websites above. Each of the above websites has a rather large following and should provide your child with hours of fun and entertainment – especially once they connect with their friends online.
