Ethan Beardsley

Internet adoption by kids continues to grow. The 2008 EU Kids Online report shows that 75% of kids 6-17 are internet users.The UK, the Netherlands and Nordic countries all have usage rates that are above 90%. Adoption is also taking place younger and younger. 60% of EU kids 6-10 are online and penetration rates are now in excess of 80% in the most advanced countries.

This trend brings a couple of ideas/reflections on creating a safe internet experience for kids:

1. Kid’s usage is very difficult to control. Some parents of younger kids are starting to use filtering software but adoption is not yet widespread. The key to online safety is probably parental involvement, education and making sure that attractive and appropriate content is available online for kids. Anecdotal evidence suggests that more and more parents are actually sharing and interacting with their kids online. I hear lots of stories about families playing MMORPGs like World of Warcraft together.
2. Creating “destination sites” for kids is helpful but not sufficient. The US Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act  (COPPA) imposes strict guidelines for the collection of personal information from kids who are less that 13 years of age. Such guidelines have probably helped define an industry of kid-focused virtual worlds and communities like Club Penguin but the reality is that it’s pretty difficult to create a walled garden. Facebook or Habbo have huge appeal for younger kids… they are theoretically in conformity with COPPA because they ban kids less than 13 years of age but there’s little that the sites can do to prevent an 11 year old with a valid personal email address from registering on the site.
3. Financing internet content requires adoption of pay models. If you let your kid surf online for free, he will necessarily be much more solicited than if he’s in a premium pay environment. The success of many kid-focused freemium virtual worlds like Club Penguin or Webkinz suggests that parents are increasingly recognizing this.
4. Producers who create content which can appeal to kids need to make sure their site is safe regardless of age or registration procedures. The real sweet spot for online content producers is “online family entertainment” : web content that is safe, appeals to both kids and parents, creates opportunities for family interaction and that can be monetized without advertising.