iTWire - Telstra supports Facebook-style "safe and educational" site for kids

Telstra supports Facebook-style "safe and educational" site for kids

by Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 15 September 2008
Page 1 of 3 Promising that the new social network for kids called “SuperClubsPLUS Australia” is “completely safe” and “educational” for children six to 12 years of age, Telstra has put the support of its “Telstra Foundation” right behind the new project. Register now to win a Canon EOS 500D Despite Australia already having programs such as the Federal Government funded NetAlert program promoting cyber safety for children and parents, new initiatives in keeping kids safe online are always a good idea, especially when they take advantage of the latest online trends. One of the hottest right now is the whole “social networking” space, dominated by sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and others. While there are undoubtedly children under 13 years of age accessing these services, those particular sites are recommended for children of at least 13 years of age and up, and certainly don’t specifically cater to the needs of younger children. And while there are social networking-esque sites such as the Habbo Hotel and Disney’s Club Penguin, these aren’t Australian in origin, as SuperClubsPLUS Australia clearly is. Billed as a “positive and practical solution” to help kids safe online, the site “teaches children how to keep themselves safe online no matter where they go on the Internet.” It’s being rolled out across Australian schools in partnership with La Trobe University, supported by the Telstra Foundation, and is headed by Dr Martyn Wild. He is an internationally recognised e-learning expert, cyber safety advocate and leader of the project. Dr Wild said that: "SuperClubsPLUS Australia is an environment where primary age children build their own web pages, communicate with friends in Australia and around the world, and get involved in any number of online projects, local and international, designed to help develop their online technology skills. But most importantly the children learn in very practical ways how to keep themselves safe online at all times. "SuperClubsPLUS Australia provides an online voice for six to 12 year olds and has been optimised for Australian children as well as their teachers. This includes having Australian mediators that protect and encourage children in real time. "SuperClubsPLUS Australia stimulates young people to safely explore their identity, their creativity, and reach out to others. From our earlier experiences with SuperClubsPLUS in the UK, we knew that Australian children would also benefit from this safe social networking tool as it is mediated constantly by highly trained professionals, all carefully vetted and with educational backgrounds,” stated Dr Wild. So, what does the SuperClubsPLUS site say that it lets children do at its site, and what is the Telstra Foundation’s involvement? Please read on to page 2. << First page < 1 2 3 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>