Is the internet safe for kids? All of us regular surfers would know that there is a whole lot of “for adult only” stuff on the internet and this kinda scares me when the time comes for my child to surf the net and who knows what she could find. A couple of months ago I made a post listing some kid-friendly sites. I was supposed to follow it up with a listing on kid-friendly search engines but it somehow slipped my mind..

Social networking sites are all the rage now but if you ask me if I have a kid below 15 I wouldn’t want him/her to have a MySpace account. But no matter how much we parents are protective of them, kids are still getting online and thankfully there are social networking sites now catering to kids and tweens.

Here’s the some of social networking sites catering to kids and tween crowds.

The Allie Finkle Community is based on the main character in the Scholastic book, Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls. The site is geared for 6-12 year olds and the site allows them to create profiles, complete with avatars and can share their thoughts with other fans of the Meg Cabot bestseller. Each user also has the ability to post their own set of rules. Allie Finkle Community is all about “all about making rules, earning points, and having fun.”  The community also offers Games and Gizmos section, featured books etc. Overall, the site is fun and would encourage kids to be more interested in books.

Zookazoo is a virtual networking game for kids. This is site is geared towards kids aged 6-12 years. Zookazoo describes itself as “an online environment of imaginary and adventurous destinations where children can safely hang out, have fun, and make their world a better place.” Unlike other sites though, Zookazoo charges $5.95 for premium monthly membership, $29.95 for a six month premium membership and $57.95 for a 12-month premium membership.

OurWorld is a unique place to play games, win ourWorld money, and get clothing and accessories to create your own style. You can hang out with your friends and have fun discovering the districts and areas within this imaginative world! Compared to the other two sites OurWorld is for 8-12 years old kids and is less educational and uses “anime-ish” characters and employs a system where the more you play the more you earn points. OurWorld charges $6 per month.

TyGirlz is a virtual world for girls that include chat, games, shopping and so much more.  Girls get their own Ty Girlz’ room that they can decorate by making purchases at the Ty Girlz World Mall; they can meet friends at Chat Around the World; get a makeover; or play many different types of games testing the players’ skill, knowledge and memory.  To enter into TyGirlz a tween must have a Ty Girlz doll.  On each doll is a unique scratch-off secret code which enables the user to unlock this virtual world.  Once you have scratched-off the tag to reveal the code number, simply enter this code to register on the website. This site is great for those “kikay” little girls who want to play virtual dress up.

Moshi Monsters is a free online game for kids in which they adopt their own monster and care for it. by solving puzzle games, which earn their monster virtual rewards called Rox. Kids can spend Rox on virtual items like food, furniture and other treats and toys for their monster. Moshi Monster has limited social networking features. What I really appreciate about this site is is that once a child registers the parents will receive an email asking for consent. If you give registration consent, your child will be able to invite friends into his or her network, and communicate with kids in their network.