Safe websites for kids

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. Continued...