Virtual Playgrounds

Back in 2007,Chandigarh-based lecturer Seema Mahajan and her seven-year-old son Sarthak had an argument that lasted five hours.

An increasing number of social networking sites for pre-teens is offering new ways to explore the e-world

Back in 2007,Chandigarh-based lecturer Seema Mahajan and her seven-year-old son Sarthak had an argument that lasted five hours. The reason: Sarthak wanted to sign up on social networking sites such as Orkut and Hi5. His mother was forced to give in. But I wasnt happy. There were instances of cyber-bullying,inappropriate links and wrong influences on the Net that were being reported everyday, says Mahajan,who later decided to browse through the internet to find safer options. She came across a slew of social networking sites for pre-teens,which let them explore the e-social world and interact with others of the same age group,but with parental control. Suddenly,social networking didnt seem an adults-only domain.

Unlike Facebook,kid-centric sites,like Togetherville for young children and Everloop for teens,involve parents in signing-up and monitoring their childs activity. I registered my daughter on Everloop when she was 10, says Murlidhar Rao,a restaurant owner from East Delhi,Many of her friends parents are strict but Everloop allows me to be a cool dad. IT expert Rishav Singla adds that these social networking sites are like virtual classrooms for children. They are not 100 per cent free from risks that internet can pose,but offer space that can provide an information base,build social skills and help children develop creativity. He has started a company called Qcabs.com,and has made an account for his seven-year-old nephew on Clubpenguin,a cutesy virtual world where animated penguins with alter egos go sledding and make buddies.

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Billed as a cross between Facebook and a virtual pet game Tamagotchi,Moshi Monsters too is gaining popularity. Here,a group of scary monsters have to be taken care of by the user. Also high on the list of pre-teen networking sites is Stardoll.com,a virtual doll dressing-up and designing site. It has an option called the Kid Safe Membership,which allows young girls to access all doll-related games and features. Scuttlepad.com,which is for children between six and 11,on the other hand,offers a chance to learn the

basics about social networking but doesnt let them upload photographs.

So,with a bit of tact,you can harness the positive side of the social networking for your children.

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