Web sites introduce preteens to social networking

Originally published at Lemmingworks. You can comment here or there.

eSchool News online - Web sites introduce preteens to social networking Webkinz, Club Penguin among new commercial sites geared toward kids

An explosion of social-networking web sites aimed at kids as young as 6 or 7 is forcing parents and educators to teach children important lessons about internet safety and online etiquette at a much earlier age.

Of course this is one more reason why early childhood educators need to learn about these technologies. They will always end up getting used by a younger age group than is presently using them. And particularly to be able to critically access the issues behind a site… who owns it, who runs it, and what issues/products are they promoting?

Check out wikipedia’s entry on Club Penguin and Webkinz.