Free Safe Chat Sites for Kids

Chatting online is popular for all age groups. online image by dinostock from Fotolia.com

Children enter Internet chat rooms on a regular basis. While many free chat sites exist, which ones are safe can be difficult to determine. Safe chat sites for children share basic safety characteristics. Most include age limits--usually up to 13--and have a parents' room, graphics and ads geared towards kids, and prohibited adult behavior and language. While many sites are safe for kids, parents must always check to make sure.

KidsCom.com

This site has a dedicated parents' chat and information site, and is for children between 7 and 14. It also has a paid-for counter part called Idea Seekers. The free site offers virtual pets, a free chat room, games, and an adventure page, among other items. The graphics are cartoon-like and very much geared toward kids of a younger age. CommonSenseMedia.org, a review site that many parents rely on for information about child safety, gives this chat site four of of five stars. It also says the site has too many ads, but that the ads are age appropriate. It is easy to get help or contact the webmaster to report a problem. The privacy policy promises adherence to the FCC's rules of the "Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and Rule."

KidzWorld.com

This site states in the Terms of Service that kids ages 9 to 14 can join, and it also has a separate areas especially for the parents and teachers. The site contains a chat room, games and more, all geared towards young kids and preteens. The "About Us" page states Allen W. Achilles started the site in July 1999 because there were few sites on the Internet geared toward children and none that were safe. It is also very easy for parents or kids to contact the site owner if they need anything or have a problem.

Disney's Toontown

This website, owned by the Walt Disney Corp., is for ages 7 and older. While the site is not a dedicated chat site, it contains the first massive multi-player online role-playing game for kids, and it has three types of chat rooms. Kids make characters out of the familiar Disney characters. It has a free membership, as well as paid membership for "extras" and a separate parent's area. Other features include a help page, Toon home page, games and more. This site is one of the few that do not allow third-party ads, assuring parents their children will not see anything inappropriate by accident. The site includes a page dedicated to educating parents on the type of chat rooms available and tips for safety. A contact page makes it easy to ask for help or report a problem within the site.

References

• KidsCom: Home Page
• KidzWorld: Home Page
• Toontown Online: Home Page

Resources

• CommonSenseMedia: "Kidscom Website Review"
• Toontown Online: "Parent Features & Tools"
• KidzWorld: "About Us"