It's no wonder parents are confused and troubled about which websites to let their children visit when cyber stalking is almost daily news. Children as young as five often come home from school or a friend's house with a hot new site they want to visit.
Often these links are innocent enough. Others - children assure you - are cool with everyone else's parents, even though they may contain some content better suited to adolescents.
The internet offers varied and stimulating experiences for children and many sites have been developed solely with children in mind. But budding surfers don't always want to play within the parameters set down by their parents or the site developers. They want to explore and do what their friends do in cyberspace.
But even sites that appear to be safe can sometimes carry age-disclaimers or change and confront children when they least expect it. We asked some children to show us the sites their friends were talking about and set out to explore them.
You can also try this with your children, although your household's list of prohibited sites may grow at the same rate as your popularity shrinks. Discuss each of your children's favourite sites and any house rules so you can keep the dialogue open.
Young Media Australia, an organisation devoted to keeping children safe from harmful media, says the internet is not a safe place for children to play unsupervised. It says children's time online should be limited to the time you have available to watch over them. This may change with their age, ability to decipher what they see and the ease with which they can discuss anything uncomfortable with you. As a rule, go online with your cyber explorers, use parent guide pages and/or terms and conditions to help you decide a site's suitability and remind them, often, not to share their passwords (not even with best friends).
ABC Kids
abc.net.au/abckids
The Playground section of this site is perfect for younger children (it is designed for two to seven-year-olds) who will find the colours, voices and sound effects familiar and welcoming.
They can easily navigate the game finder and choose activities to do online. The Make and Do section's party packs help you and your child prepare party decorations and invitations according to their favourite character - hours of engagement guaranteed.
The Rollercoaster page opens up a whole new world for children aged eight to 14 who are able to navigate more complex sites and blogs. It's also available directly at abc.net.au/rollercoaster. Here, inquisitive youngsters can enjoy music, science, and quiz games designed to challenge their minds, try experiments, watch TV episodes and follow their favourite bands on the Loop page linked to Triple J. And being ABC you can rest assured it's ad-free.
Cartoon Network
cartoonnetwork.com.au
This is a commercial TV-linked property but a favourite with children from as young as three to young teens. There are blogs, downloads, discussion boards and TV schedules, but what kids really come here for is games, and the ability to insert their name and have high scores on show. Beware of the video channel on this site if you have set a time limit on TV watching as full episodes are available online (requires a login). This could be useful on trips away with the notebook in tow, however.
Club Penguin
clubpenguin.com
Websites drop out of vogue quickly, but this one is a stayer. A favourite with children of all ages, this Canadian site is ad-free because it derives income from subscriptions. This means your child will need to sign up and you will have to use your credit card to receive full playing rights (basic accounts are free), but it means no flashing commercial messages and some continuity of interest on everyone's part. Most importantly, it's fun, safe and there are no shooting games in sight. Kids love decorating their own igloo, saving to buy goodies and meeting their friends online at arranged times after school. Disney bought it last August for a reported $775 million, proof of its popularity.
Miniclip
miniclip.com
Supposedly the largest game site on the internet, this is full of the games that kids love plus tonnes of cartoon classics to watch online, including Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes. Shoot 'em-up games are labelled so you and your child can easily distinguish them and perhaps avoid them. The publishers stress that this site is not for children under the age of 13.
Nickelodeon
nickelodeon.com.au
There is plenty here about the shows and characters featured on the pay-TV channel, plus other favourites, including Sponge Bob games and My Nick, where children can customise their own webpage, create avatars and chat. It has a "sanitising dictionary" that filters chat to exclude names, email, phone numbers, violent and obscene language. The associated nickjr.com.au is designed for under-fives and has lots of craft, play and recipe ideas for parents and children.
Both are produced in Australia with local content, although children may come home with the US site address (www.nick.com) as it features some favourite games.
Teen Second Life
teen.secondlife.com
For those with teenagers. This parallel universe is not just a game, but it feels like play because the residents here must create a persona, learn to navigate the 3D world and become familiar with the gestures and rules of the place. But real-world properties such as universities and shops have islands here, so it's also an opportunity to socialise, learn and do business.
Users must download the proprietary software to play, but basic membership is free. Those interested in multimedia and arts find great in-world development tools. The site is separate from the adult version of Second Life to help keep it safe for under-18s. Parents are encouraged to go on a tour with their children to learn more.
You Tube
youtube.com.au
Endless hours of fun or lots of time wasted on trivia, depending on your point of view. If your child has a special interest such as football, music or animals, entering it in the search box will produce enough results to keep them busy.
Searching for risque terms will, naturally, produce inappropriate results. These will usually require a login to see the full video but not before descriptions that might expose children to bad language and confronting thumbnail images.
You probably won't be able to avoid the site altogether given the viral nature of some clips and the offline chatter at school, so go online together often to watch over the latest craze.
Music Sites
It's not just young adults reaching for the iPod and music websites. Eight-year-olds are just as capable of naming songs and artists, so they have probably already told you they can buy songs online for less than the price of a packet of jellybeans. And given the speed with which songs drop off the charts, it makes good financial sense to buy just the tracks they like.
Some ISPs offer discount or unmetered music downloads for members (bigpondmusic.com, iinet.com.au/my/media). The site they use depends on whether they have an iPod (apple.com/au/itunes/store) or a Windows-compatible MP3 player. Teach your children to search, download and manage folders. But beware, some album versions contain profanity often excluded from the tracks played on radio.
