Guide to activities for kids online Blogs and forums
Blogs allow you to publish your opinions via an online platform
Blogs
A blog is a frequently updated online journal, often with timely links to other websites. Visitors can leave comments in response to the author’s posts.
Sites like Blogger or WordPress let people set up a blog free of charge. Writers can express their opinions and feelings to others and encourage reader feedback and debate.
What are the risks of blogs?
- Blogs are publicly accessible, so it’s important your child knows not to post personally identifiable information about themselves or people they know. They should also use an alias.
- Authors can often set blogs to invite-only, so only a select group of people can read posts.
- Comments left on blogs can sometimes be cruel or unconstructive. Insults exchanged between complete strangers could prove hurtful or upsetting.
Forums
Forums are online message boards that enable young people to get involved with debating issues. They can be a great source of support – school problems, relationship woes or sensitive health issues can be discussed with others, and in relative anonymity.
What are the risks of forums?
- Once a message is posted, it’s not always easy to delete it.
- When using forums it’s best to adopt a username that isn’t your real name
- Make sure profile pages are set to keep personal details private.
For tips on keeping children safe online, read our reports on child internet safety and how parental control software can help you regulate internet usage.
