Online websites like YouTube, eBay, Craigslist, Facebook, and MySpace were popular online searches performed by children. YouTube actually ended up in three spots. Not only was the query "YouTube" the number one search term, it also landed spots 11 and 12 with "You Tube" and "YouTube.com" respectively. Actually, YouTube also earned spot #9 as well, if you count the query for "Fred," a popular fictional character whose YouTube channel is a current big hit with kids.

While there are a lot of indications that this is, indeed, a children's list thanks to searches for pop stars, games, music, and the phenomenon that is "Twilight," there are also a lot of similarities between this list and the one which you might expect to see if adult searches were culled in the same manner. The most shocking example of these similarities comes in at number 6: "porn." Ranking higher than the other innocent entries like Club Penguin (#22) and the online world of Webkinz (#16), it seems that kids, too, are drawn to this darker side of the internet. And "porn" isn't the only sexual term to make the list. Spots 4, 28, 72, 86, 88, 89, 91, 92, 94, and 95 also refer to queries for...well...lets say "various parts of the human anatomy" or other general search sex-related terms like "XXX."

Of course, this list may not be entirely representative of what all children search for online as the data is pulled from OnlineFamily.Norton, a family safety service provided by Symantec. It's possible that parents who chose to implement this type of service in their home are already dealing with children who are using the internet for inappropriate searches and this is their attempt to stop those from occurring. However, the results are based on 3.5 million searches made between February and July of this year, which is too large a number to entirely discount the findings.

Trend #2: Searching Instead of Entering URLs

Another somewhat unexpected insight gained by examining this data is the fact that kids are searching for easy-to-remember URLs including Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Yahoo, MSN, and even Google. Why search when simply adding a ".com" on the end will take you directly there? Some may say that this points to children not entirely grasping the way internet addresses work, but it's more likely an example of the trend where search has replaced typing in URLs for navigating the net.

We made note of this trend back in May of last year when we noticed an advertisement suggesting we do a search for their company name instead of providing their URL. Apparently, this is already par-for-the-course in Japan, where search boxes filled with recommended terms have replaced URLs in advertisements. Then there's Google's Chrome web browser, the newest one to hit the scene, which has done away with the search box entirely in favor of an address bar which accepts both URLs and search queries (taking you to Google.com of course).

It looks like today's kids are onto this trend as well. The habits they're forming now will most likely stay with them as they grow older, too, creating a whole new generation of searchers who forgo the "www' and the ".com" entirely.

Top Searches

The top 10 searches on the kids' list are as follows:

1. YouTube
2. Google
3. Facebook
4. Sex
5. MySpace
6. Porn
7. Yahoo
8. Michael Jackson
9. Fred
10. eBay

For the complete list, go here.

A new application in the iPhone App Store brings parental control mechanisms to Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. Like other types of "net nanny" software, the iWonder application lets parents filter web site traffic, monitor what sites their kids are surfing, control permissions, and even remotely disable the device.

The company touts that their software can even save a child's life: "For example, if you see traffic from your child's iPhone or iPod touch looking for information on suicide, explosives or other alarming material you will know instantly. If your child is on MySpace and is talking to a pedophile, you will see the profile of that person, and any activity between them and your child."

While that may be true in a handful of cases, for most kids, just knowing there is a monitoring application on their device will probably keep them out of trouble on the net, the same as with a monitored home PC.

Should Kids Get Smartphones?

However, the availability of software like this raises some questions that parents may need to ask themselves...questions about invasion of privacy or whether they should disclose to their child that the software is in use, etc. But perhaps the biggest question is this: how old should my child be before they can have an iPhone or iPod Touch?

In the past, iPods were just music players and cell phones were basic devices that simply made phone calls. But today, even the least sophisticated phones have web browsers, IM applications, SMS, and email. So the question applies not just to parents whose kids are clamoring for the latest Apple device, but to parents everywhere who are unsure as to when to introduce technology like this into their children's lives.

According to a study that came out last fall, nearly half the kids 8 to 12 years old in the U.S. own cell phones, with most getting their first phone between ages 10 and 11. Among "tweens," 46% own these devices. And just last month, a U.K. study revealed that the average age for "kids' first phone" was 8.

There's no doubt that many parents want their children, even children as young as 8, 9, and 10, to own a phone. For one, having mom and dad on speed dial can help kids stay safe in case they ever get lost or find themselves in some sort of trouble. But on iPhones and iPod Touches, unfettered access to the web is just a feature of the device. And that makes parents wonder, is it really safe to put the entire internet into a child's pocket?

The site is basically an additional layer of screening for YouTube. Parents scan the YouTube movie database via a special scouting tool on Totlol. When they find a video that they think is good for children under 6 years old, they tag it, add a description, and submit it to the database. The video then enters a screening queue were other parents are asked to answer whether it is appropriate for the site and for which age group the video would be most enjoyed. The screening answers are analyzed algorithmically and only videos that parents collectively deem age appropriate are added to the sites library.

Videos are then played via the YouTube API with a Totlol skin on the player. So far, Totlol users have added just over 100 videos to the site, which only allows people over the age of 18 to join -- assuring that it shields itself from child protection laws by putting parents in complete control.

Totlol is a cool idea, and the only children's video site that we know of that relies on parental screening to decide which videos to add to its database (though please let us know if there are any others in the comments). With the number of computer savvy 6-year-olds on the rise, this site will probably be a hit among both parents and toddler alike.