WebbliWorld

We are concerned with kids' online safety

It seems the debate around kids’ online safety is becoming evermore prominent and urgent.

The US is keen to implement legislation on social-networking sites and research shows that more and more parents are interested in other ways to monitor their children’s internet behaviour.

However, here in the UK we seem less aware of the dangers and more ready to trust our children, according to research undertaken by BroadbandChoices.co.uk, discussed by SiliconRepublic.com.

According to Techliberation.com Facebook is being investigated for allegedly not keeping young users safe and not responding to complaints. “Law enforcement and industry efforts are important, but what’s the single most effective way to keep kids safe online? Education.”

As parents ourselves, we felt this need too. One of our top priorities when setting up WebbliWorld.com was to give children a safe, fun environment where they can learn, explore and thrive. One of our internal discussions at the moment is whether to pre-moderate the site rather than post-moderate. This would potentially diminish their user experience as anything they added to the site would not ‘go live’ until we approve it. (At the moment, we’re alerted as soon as anything is added to the site and we then moderate it.) The key is to protect our children without compromising their online experience. Children have high expectations – if we stifle and nanny them too much we may turn them off safe sites and onto more adult arenas where they have much more freedom to express themselves.

If you have any feedback, suggestions or thoughts surrounding this topic, do get in touch. And pupils’ comments would be especially welcome!

WebbliWorld on Channel 4 and Guardian Unlimited

Since launch, WebbliWorld has received fantastic reviews.

Creative Review asked  - Is WebbliWorld the new MySpace for kids?

Then, www.guardianunlimited.co.uk said: "It's a little like MySpace but with minimal danger of meeting a suicidal emo stripper from New Jersey. All this is great news for parents of small children being nagged to open Facebook accounts for them, plus a lot more fun."

Now, Channel 4’s online platform compares WebbliWorld with globally- popular social-networking sites such as Bebo, Habbo Hotel and Club Penguin. What sets us apart, says channel4.com, is the quality of our design – Aardman’s fantastic characters and animations – and our commitment to safety. And, as Aardman’s executive producer Heather Wright says in the article, you haven’t seen the best of us yet!

WebbliWorld has always been a long-term brand. We want to grow it steadily with our users’ input, so that we never compromise the quality of their online experience.

Watch this space!