Is your young child or tween desperate to join a social network? Do you want to let them dip their toes in the world of online communication, but are still concerned about online safety? Much as we teach our kids to not touch a hot stove, to safely cross streets, and to wear bike helmets, teaching them to safely navigate the Internet is absolutely part of a parent’s job.

Luckily there are a number of good options available for younger kids, especially since the minimum age to join Facebook is 13.

We like this list from NPR’s Linton Weeks of TenSafe Social Network Sites for Kids, including:

• Togetherville, age 7+  “Kids’ social site connects to parents’ Facebook friends” 
• WhatsWhat.Me, age 7+ “Tween social network with top-notch safety features” 
• Sweety High, age 11+ “Fun, closed social network for girls is strong on privacy”

To learn more about how to safely introduce children to social media, look at Common Sense Media, WiredSafety,and StopCyberbullying – just a few online child safety sites that Weeks references in his article.

And on Thursday, Nov. 3 will host a free Workshop for parents on Kids and Internet Safety.