Giant Hello!

Giant Hello is a social networking site for tween users- it was created to mimic the functionality of both facebook and Myspace. Users can create profiles, become fans of their favorite pop icons, books, and films, and play games. If users are under 13, their profiles are private until their parents authorize the child. In order to invite friends, tweens must either enter their email addresses or can print out an invite that contains a code and hand deliver it to their friends. Messages between users are filtered to allow only pre-approved words and phrases, so the site is considered safe. If you would like to keep your children off of facebook and Myspace, then Giant Hello is a site to consider. Although the site is free, there are advertisements that your tweens will be subjected to. The site is most popular with younger tweens between the ages of 8-10.
www.gianthello.com
Ages: 8-10
Rating: Low Additional

Scuttle Pad

A social networking site for kids and tweens ages 6-11 where users can upload pictures, communicate with their friends, and play games. The site reassures parents that no bullying, predators, or solicitation will happen on this website- all communication takes place with the help of pre-determined word lists. All pictures are manually reviewed by Scuttle Pad staff, so no offensive imagery is present on the site. The site mimic's the simple style of facebook, but is not as social- users can post to their wall a status update and a "shout out" to the site's main page, but cannot invite friends to play the same games they are playing. Overall, it is a decent start for kids and tweens that are new to social networking- they can meet users from all over the world, but they must communicate using only pre-determined word lists.

http://www.scuttlepad.com/
Ages: 6-11
Rating: Low Additional