Handpicked by Our Editors

The Mouse Club
Age 4+
4

The Mouse Club

Why We Recommend It

Imaginative, colorful, and fun, kids can log on to read, count, match, and have fun learning computer skills.

Read our full review
My daughter's Facebook page is quite different than who she is. What do I do?

Young teens' job is to start figuring out who they are. Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace allow teens to create identities -- sometimes accurate, sometimes experimental. It's natural (and often safer) to experiment online.

The downside: Make sure teens know they must use privacy controls and realize that even with controls, anyone can potentially see anything (including teachers!). Tell teens that things posted on teen websites can last forever.

Web Site Reviews

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New Web Site Reviews for Early Teens (ages 12-14)

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Fanlala
Parents Need to Know...

that this site serves as a round-up of  celeb gossip from all over the web and links to lots of other sites. According to the site, administrators review every video, photo and story that's posted, but comments, user-created quizzes, and ... read more

Age 12+
Fanlala
3
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WatchKnow
Parents Need to Know...

that this nonprofit "YouTube for kids" is safe and educational. Launched by Larry Sanger, a cofounder of Wikipedia, it aims to collect all the educational videos on the Web that are suitable for kids in one convenient place. ... read more

Age 13+
WatchKnow
5
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Shmotter
Parents Need to Know...

that although the site recommends only fashionistas who are 13 or older use it, there’s no age verification during the registration process. Once they're registered, users can email friends to check out the site and can also friend ... read more

Age 13+
Shmotter
3
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FarmVille on Facebook
Parents Need to Know...

that FarmVille is available only to members of the popular -- but not always child-friendly -- Facebook social network, and that's why we rate it iffy for young teens. The game itself is clean, safe, and loads of fun, if not ... read more

Age 14+
FarmVille on Facebook
3
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StyleSpot
Parents Need to Know...

that this site catalogs and sells the fashions that stars wear on screen and to events. For instance, teens can find out what Blake Lively wore on an episode of Gossip Girl, and then purchase those items or similar styles -- including ... read more

Age 13+
StyleSpot
3
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Colbert Nation
Parents Need to Know...

that this website is a companion to the popular TV show The Colbert Report. The site has plenty of clips from the series and even entire episodes, an online store for Colbert merchandise, a page to order tickets to see The Colbert Report, ... read more

Age 14+
Colbert Nation
3
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Just So You Know
Parents Need to Know...

that this AOL blog is aimed at celebrity-obsessed tweens and teens. It's mostly fluff, but the stories are clean and upbeat, without the snark, sexual content, and foul language found on some other gossip sites. A corner of the site is ... read more

Age 13+
Just So You Know
3
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EnveMe
Parents Need to Know...

that this fashion-meets-music site has a lot for sale, from clothes to downloadable music. It also has a virtual world -- EnveZones -- that charges $10.95 per month; it requires downloading software from VZones, a site that considers ... read more

Age 13+
EnveMe
2
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Foo Pets
Parents Need to Know...

that this popular virtual world pet site is intended for players ages 13 through adult and offers adorable, amazingly true-to-life-looking dogs and cats for adoption. But it also requires a lot of real-life time -- and potentially a lot ... read more

Age 13+
Foo Pets
3
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Whateverlife
Parents Need to Know...

that this social networking site for teens was started by a Michigan girl and her pals who enjoy designing Web sites. Though not quite finished, it already has too much advertising, and we accidentally saw what might be evidence that the ... read more

Age 13+
Whateverlife
2
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Metacafe
Parents Need to Know...

that this free online video site is not a great choice for kids. Raunchy content can't be filtered and the site has as many commercials as network TV. Kids can't upload an unlimited number of videos to this premium site, which features ... read more

Age 13+
Metacafe
3
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Tangle
Parents Need to Know...

that TANGLE, formerly GodTube, is a hip, Christian social networking site for people 13 and older that includes YouTube-style videos, Christian rock downloads, a prayer wall, various ministries, and social networking features. There's a ... read more

Age 13+
Tangle
4
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We're Fed Up
Parents Need to Know...

that We're Fed Up is a supportive and informative social network created by California teens interested in fighting youth obesity. Originally, 40 youth leaders began the site, and now hundreds form a growing online network with a shared ... read more

Age 13+
We're Fed Up
3
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Serve.MTV
Parents Need to Know...

that MTV.com launched this project to help support President Obama's "United We Serve" initiative, which encourages people to get involved in community service. Serve.MTV is basically just a page on MTV.com that sends teens to ... read more

Age 14+
Serve.MTV
2
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CocoPerez
Parents Need to Know...

that Perez Hilton's new fashion and celeb site -- targeted at twentysomething women -- is a lot tamer than his original blog. There's still a lot of snarking about how stars look and dress, but it's not quite as relentless or hateful. ... read more

Age 14+
CocoPerez
2
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The Twilight Saga
Parents Need to Know...

this site is run by Hachette Book Group, the publishers of the Twilight series. Because of this, be aware that there is a slew of promotion for the vampire franchise on the site, from the books to gift sets and companion readers. The site ... read more

Age 13+
The Twilight Saga
4
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New Moon: The Movie
Parents Need to Know...

that if you're OK with your kids reading the Twilight book series or watching the related movies, then this site is perfectly acceptable, too. There are numerous ads floating around this site, so be careful of teens being tempted by ... read more

Age 13+
New Moon: The Movie
3
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PACER Center's Teens Against Bullying
Parents Need to Know...

that this nonprofit initiative was designed by the PACER Center -- an advocacy organization for young people with disabilities -- to teach teens how to identify and deal with bullying. There's plenty of solid advice, and it's repeated in ... read more

Age 13+
PACER Center's Teens Against Bullying
4
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The Twilight Saga: New Moon: Official Movie Site
Parents Need to Know...

that the official site for the latest Twilight flick, New Moon, doesn't contain any content that fans of the books or movies haven't already seen. The site's main goal is to promote the movie and this is done with video clips, downloads ... read more

Age 13+
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: Official Movie Site
3
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Do Ink
Parents Need to Know...

that Do Ink is a supportive, user-friendly art and animation site that simplifies online image-creating tools and brings together a community of young people interested in online art. Artists can then share what they create with other Do ... read more

Age 13+
Do Ink
5
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Fred Figglehorn
Parents Need to Know...

that there is enough iffy behavior on this Web site that they should preview it before they let their kids watch. The site features the YouTube antics of a 16-year-old boy impersonating a loud, hyperactive six-year-old, "Fred." ... read more

Age 13+
Fred Figglehorn
3
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