There's a wealth of websites aimed at tween and teen girls today. As long as you monitor the sites your daughter is on and limit her Internet use to a level you're comfortable with, there's a world of information at her fingertips. Here's what you -- and your daughter -- can expect to see on "girls only" sites.
Appearance
The sites are fun and colourful, often using a mix of photography and illustration. In fact, it's the illustrations that give you a good sense of the age range the site is intended for -- cartoon-like drawings are tween friendly, while grittier line drawings indicate the site is for an older crowd.
Fun, wow!
The Internet is considered an entertainment medium and girl sites make sure there is plenty of fun to be had. Along with the opportunity to personalize areas of the site to your own preferences, many also offer the following:
• games
• ringtones
• e-cards
• astrology in every form (name analyser, anyone?)
• entertainment news and gossip
Message boards
It seems like everyone wants to have their say on message boards, which makes the majority of information on these boards reader-generated -- by teens and tweens themselves. Sharing info on everything from bullying and menstruation to spirituality and technology, girls are talking about their experiences and getting advice and reassurance from their peers. No topic seems too large, too small or, because of the anonymity offered by the web, too embarrassing.
