Kids alone on the Internet

Mummy, Can I Go Online?

Most parents don't know how to answer these questions. Other questions arise, and often the parents are overstrained with their answers.

Is that necessary? Isn't my child far too young for this? Isn't this dangerous? What is my child actually doing when they're online?

In addition to the educational reasons ("I would rather have my kid play outside in the fresh air") parents are worried about the internet being the right playground for their kids.

Especially parents that aren't familiar with the internet or aren't so used to computers tend to be afraid of letting their kids surf alone.

Daddy, I Wanna Use the Internet!

The study of EU-Kids Online, published in 2010, showed that 57% of kids use the internet either daily or every other day. The need to use the internet grows as the kids get older.

At the beginning their main interest is to play games, watch videos or listen to music. As they grow older they get more interested in social networks. They use the internet in more productive ways: meeting friends online, chatting, exchanging data and expressing themselves.

Now that the internet has become an important part of educational life, parents are pushed to allow their kids internet access e.g. in order to be able to finish home work. This is an important step in gaining better academic opportunities and in building better relationships with their classmates. The learning and game sites should help them in learning media literacy and in preparation for their future use of information technology.

I've Got to Google Something...

Just like adults, children perform searches using well-known search engines like "Google". Children, however, display different search patterns. Often, search requests are formulated colloquially and contain spelling mistakes. This unfortunately poses the risk of children accessing problematic websites that may be unsettling or frightening to them during their search.

In order to learn adequate handling of the internet, children require a safe environment that provides the possibility to click, discover and explore; without parents needing to worry about their children getting into danger. Just like in real life, at kindergarten or at school, it should go without saying that children should be provided with a protected environment within which they can learn to surf the internet safely and independently.

The companies goodbeans GmbH and Dolphin Media Germany AG provide environments of this kind for children within their respective services.

On Oloko, children can chat within a protected online world, play games and and solve tricky tasks. The safety of the children is our top priority.
Oloko follows strict guidelines and features, besides a child welfare officer and a data protection expert, a skilled team of moderators who monitor the chat suitable for children around the clock. Find out more about safety on Oloko here.

At Dolphin Secure, children can surf age-appropriate websites on the internet, meet friends, chat and write messages within a safe children's community that has been especially designed for them. An identification procedure using a fingerprint reader ensures safety insofar as nobody can register to the community for children anonymously.