Reader views (23)

 Add your view

What does this website offer that you can't do for yourself via email and telephone, and with a few PC games? It looks to me as if the potential negatives far outweigh the positives. If I was an unpleasant sort, I could hack this website in five minutes, and then I'd be able to silently watch the conversations you are having with your friends, and possibly intervene so that you were both talking to me even though it felt like you were still interacting with each other. By contrast, if you emailed your friend, I probably wouldn't take the time to bother with you when there are all these tasty new websites being set up where I can potentially access a lot more families! I'm all for children using the Internet, but sites like this one are just too risky. By the way, I'm managing director of a security consultancy, so not some hysterical person who hasn't a clue.

- Wendy, Hertfordshire, England

Leonard, your idiotic comment shows how little you have actually understood what this website is about. Of COURSE you could sign up as anyone you like, what do you think your computer is going to do - ask to see a copy of your passport? HOWEVER, is it NOW that you will find that you would have absolutely no access to ANY child because in order to see any details whatsoever, they must ACCEPT you as a buddy, before that - you wouldn't see a thing. And when you do try and befriend a child, they will of course reject you since you have invented your details. An absolutely classic case of total scaremongering when you are clearly completely ignorant of the subject. And to people harping on about obesity in children - these are YOUR children, so take responsibility, it is nothing short of absurd to blame this website for childhood obesity - the internet has existed long before now, so why on earth would this particular website = childhood obesity - ludicrous! The self righteousness of people in this country never ceases to astound me, I have to wonder if its just plain old fashioned envy, when at the end of the article it is mentioned that Club Penguin was sold to Disney for $350m.....

- Anna, London

Is this woman crazy or just innocent? She is practically inviting every pedo in the country to come and get her kids and other people's kids. I'm a 58 years old male and I just signed in as a 12 year old girl under a false name and there were absolutely no checks at all. Just about anyone can get in this site, pretend to be a child and get at your kids. Please please tell all your friends to keep their kids out of here!

- Leonard, Bolton Lancs

Time to worry.
This is a very naive lady. She says,
'I wanted to create a site where children could email each other, without parents worrying."
Anyone can log on as anyone, and anyone can talk to anyone with seemingly no protection checks in place! Every parent of young children need to worry if there children come here to make friends. We need to ask: who are they making friends with? and will my child be safe without me sitting beside them checking every message? Do I have time for this? NO!

- Sarah Field, Hertford

It makes my head ache to imagine how naive those of you praising this idea must be. Think it through for 5 minutes if you can. There are numerous very serious negatives to it and no positives that I can see (unless you're a lazy parent of course). It doubly sickens me that as a gay man my suitability to adopt a child would automatically be in doubt (to say the very least) by, yet I would not knowingly let any young child within a mile of something this murky. What a twisted world we live in!

- Jimmy, Fulham, London

As a parent concerned about my child's safety online, I am totally amazed that there are no government accreditations that a site like this must adhere to before being published. There appear to be no security checks or moderation of images or words. Children talking to children online unmoderated can lead to bullying, there are many cases that illustrate this and giving adults access to children to communicate with is an absolute recipe for disaster. There has obviously been very little research otherwise I am sure this mother would see that she is creating a great playground for paedophiles. Children will not be safe here. This site does the opposite to the messages it is giving. This is potentially a site where many dangers will lurk.

- Jane Tyler, London

How sad... just dump the baby in front of the computer... some people do not deserve to have children I think. This is the modern take on dumping the children in front of the television. They will all grow up introverted little anti-social little freaks who have to find their wives and husbands on the lonely heart columns and then you will wonder why. Or perhaps you won't care about that too. It is very horrible.

- M Salafrio, St John's Wood

For goodness sake, some people are so sanctimonious about child rearing. It is down to the parents to monitor and participate in certain activities with their children. My daughter is 4, she and I regularly have a 15 minute session on the internet together and she has a DVD player in her room. After her bedtime story she is allowed to watch 20 mins of TV. The DVD player ensures that she can only view things I approve of. TV and computers are part of the real world, children must learn how to use them responsibly and it is up to us parents to show them how.

- Jane Bewick, London

What the heck is everyone ranting about?! This is a brilliant idea and exactly the sort of thing the Mummies of my PTA asked me to look for only a month ago. If you strip back all the knee-jerk reactions you will see a great social tool for mums and kids. Anything used exclusively throws life out of balance: my 5 year old is an avid fan of Club Penguin, which has hilarious penguin avatars pottering around looking to solve mysteries, doing 'jobs' and playing with other penguins. It has taught him about money (he actually does things in the real world to earn viritual pocket money with which to buy tat for his igloo!) and he has a string of pets, who need feeding and playing with yet which still let us go on holiday. This is balanced up against being in the village ski team. He is chuffed to rocks to hear that there may be a site on which he could interact with his friends ON TOP OF seeing them at school, for playdates and during sport, as I am too that I can round up groups of friends I missed at the school gates to organise a get-together. As for paedophiles grooming children: most 5 year olds can barely read, let alone type, and the paedophile would have to disguise themselves with an ID of an actual pupil at the school: do you really think a mummy doesn't know the names of her children's friends?

Everyone calm down and get rational: no-one is trying to 'groom' any of you on this comments forum, are they?!!

- Roz, Chamonix, France

Good thinking - expose the children to every paedophile in the country. Every one of them must be ecstatic.

You can social network in other ways, and people did so successfully long before the internet! What a ridiculous argument, Lee from London.

- Ms, London

To balance the view....actually I'd rather have my kids networking on-line in a social environment.I also think it's a great idea to keep kids in touch outside of school time. What about it also giving them a network to share knowledge and collaborate on homework??? What about kids who can't network in traditional enviroments due for example to some physical limitations? What about giving them access to a wider access, maybe even eventually other kids overseas? Some really good possibilities and options. Of course kids need a balance of active physical and mental actvity time. It's up to the parents to judge this on an individual basis.
Lets not forgetas well the site looks like its there to support parent's networking and schools in general as well.

- Alison, Hampshire

this woman is a genius !im all for it!

- Jenny Mcgrath, surrey

Wouldn't it be great if we all lived in a perfect world and could all be in the playground to meet and make friends?! Some of us have to work, but we still want our children making friends and being able to have them over for tea. You can't make contact with other parents via a childminder and I for one wouldn't let my child go around to another child's house without knowing them to a certain level. This site provides a good forum for an informal introduction - from which you can arrange to meet up, exchange ideas, share concerns and where my children can use the internet safely. I think it is a great idea and a total God send for working parents!

- Anna, West Sussex

Hats off to this busy working mum of three!!!!! Well done for finding the time and energy to create something to help other parents and kids. I've looked at the site and think it looks great, especially if it means you can "chat" with other parents at unsociable hours when you wouldn't want to ring the landline and disturb the household. Even better that schools get a chance to raise funds through the site too! Well done!!

- A New Mum, Dorking, Surrey

An absolutely fantastic idea, not just for the parents, but the children too!

In response to Daniel from Middlesex, the only reason children will be overweight is if their parents don't organise a healthy, balanced diet, with a fair amount of exercise. Technology can't really be blamed for that

- Stuart, Edinburgh, UK

I thought I'd seen everything when a few years back friends of ours put a DVD player in their 5 year old's bedroom but this is sick! What happened to activities and socialisation and the development of real friendships? We are going to end up with even more anti-social, overweight children.

- Daniel Rapp, Hampton, Middlesex

great lets encourage children to just sit in front of a screen all night. watch out more fat kids on the way

- Meke, Hackney, London

unfortunately parents cant always watch their children thats why things happen generally let alone the internet.......if its secure i think its great that young children can play and communicate on the net....

- Simon, sutton

There are safety issues on all sites. This sounds really interesting.

- Beth, London

That's a good idea Sarah, put the fear of God into everyone for everything they do. Don't eat beef! Petrol will run out! Don't leave the house or The Boogieman will get you!

I think it's a good move to get kids involved in social networking, once they grow up and study more, the opportunities for that industry are immense - look at the way the Obama campaign used online marketing to such a huge effect. Heck, they may even have some fun too....

- Lee, London

This is unbelievable and should be stopped in its tracks now. I am particularly disgusted that someone who is a mother has set it up. All we ever hear about is how children are suffering from obesity. How is encouraging them to stare mindlessly at a screen from the age of 5 going to help that? I am genuinely appalled!

- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx

It sounds like the site is very well maintained and child security is the number one issue here.

- Jill, Carshalton, Surrey

Yeah right, watch how the padeiofiles will envade this site and not every parent will be observing their children...it's a known fact.

- Sarah, London

Add your comment