Infinite Path

Just last week, the alarming news that social networking is no longer perceived as cool, or even worthwhile, by many young people hit the headlines. It would seem that whilst the number of youngsters setting up profiles on sites such as Facebook and Twitter is in decline, the number of individuals belonging to the 35 to 54 age group interacting online has increased drastically over the last year.

The Times has decided to try to reverse this trend by uncovering the best sites aimed at helping younger children engage with others in social networking spaces. These virtual worlds contain elements more specifically directed at youngsters, with animated characters and animals a popular feature.

ClubPenguin.com was identified by The Times as being a fun place “to chat to friends, play games, explore, collect coins and even personalise your very own igloo”. Users adopt the identity of an animated penguin and explore a virtual world whilst interacting with their friends. Similarly, Habbo.co.uk allows users to play games whilst hanging out with virtual contacts in a site designed to look like a hotel.

The manner in which children can disguise themselves using these virtual identities and explore worlds in which all other users sitting at their computers are distinguishable only by their visual presence as a penguin, for example, is obviously a major pull for kids wanting a break from reality after a long day at school. However, unfortunately, this feature also may make these sites attractive to other individuals with less innocent intentions.

Social networking sites have been making the news recently for all the wrong reasons and some of the stories have highlighted the potential dangers of children interacting online. Earlier this month, a 14-year-old schoolgirl was reunited with her distraught mother after she ran away from home to meet up with a 23-year-old she met on social networking site, Bebo.

Claire Haver’s mother was keen to send out a message to all parents of young kids using sites such as Bebo. She stated that “Anyone can be anyone online. Men can say they are 14-year-old schoolboys and nobody knows any different”.

It’s all too easy to become carried away by stories such as this one but it’s important that children realise that the online world can be a safe place if used sensibly. Ultimately, common sense should be applied when discussing the internet in relation to young people. It is wise to monitor their online activity but they should be allowed the freedom to explore the boundless resources of the internet themselves.