The Death of Kids Websites
What happened to kids' sites, and what does it mean for kids and adults sharing an online space?
Tola Folarin-Coker
The Internet's constant evolution causes our relationship with it to change constantly. In particular, this change is reflected in how different generations of children have interacted with the web. Think back to when you were in primary school in the 2000s—where did you go when you logged onto your computer after you returned from school? Which sites did you visit, and more importantly, where are they now?
Once I was out of my uniform and had half-heartedly attempted to do some school work, I would switch on my computer and log on to my life away from the responsibilities of education. From wishing I had the superstar Stardoll membership to playing makeover games on girlgogames.com, the possibilities were endless, absorbing my attention until dinner time or my sister had decided it was time to use the computer we shared. Those sites were a companion to me, a fuel for my creativity, and I felt like they were designed purely for my childish delight.
Today, distinguishing what's an appropriate online space for kids vs those designed for adult consumption has become increasingly difficult. With the obvious domination of social media in our day-to-day lives, children no longer have a safe way to socialize with each other or play games online. Growing up online is one thing, but growing up with immediate access to social media is another.
This once-thriving corner of the web where I spent my digitised youth was completely separate from whatever happened in the online world of people with real-world responsibilities. If my memory serves me right, slippery-slope content wasn't constantly being pushed onto my screen—no easy access to men with podcasts who shouldn't have podcasts and no easy access to harmful content encouraging eating disorders.
The spaces social media creates for its users, or more specifically, the spaces social media users try to form within the social media landscape, have no boundaries regarding what young children can access. We have to rely on algorithms and hope that that's enough. Not that there were never any risks with kids being online, but I'm pretty sure it was near impossible for me to fall down the alt-right pipeline while playing 'Polly Pocket Pick-up.'
Sites like Myspace, Facebook and Tumblr were more or less created for an older demographic (though I know that didn't stop some of us from lying about our ages). We had the opportunity to grow up and out of those online spaces. One day I was carefully curating the Myscene bedroom makeover, then the next, reblogging the most basic feminist think pieces, completely forgetting my former internet life.
But soon enough, those websites, which are now relics in the memories of their former and now older users, are disappearing. 'Club Penguin' closed in 2017, barbiegirls.com closed in 2011, and even Adobe stopped supporting Flash Player in 2020, so any remaining site required that needed it to run is now obsolete. Moreover, I'm sure any site that survived is seeing less traffic than it used to. There used to be such joy in logging onto Stardoll and opening your daily free gift or the rush of trying to make as many cakes as possible before the timer ran out.
It's been interesting as an older sister to see my brother grow up on and with social media. I often think about what effect that may have on him. Even as an adult, I'll stumble across something that would have undoubtedly sent me into a spiral of insecurity. Thirteen-year-old me would not have survived this current social media landscape with no other safe place to go.
Kids now don't have a niche corner of the Internet they can retreat to after a long day at school. And with the depletion of irl social spaces intended for them, they have no choice but to turn to social media. Adults, on the other hand, almost always have to consider that a child might stumble onto their corner of the Internet – a corner that they should be in the first place. How often have you seen a minor trying to argue with adults in the comments sections of a TikTok about something they have no business picking a fight about?
I asked my brother how he felt about only knowing a shared internet space with adults. While he agreed with some of the points I mentioned earlier, he also thinks it's not all bad. For them, he knows there are people on social media that he can learn from. He also appreciated that adults are willing to share their perspectives and experiences on adulthood, and he doesn't have to wait until he's an adult to figure those things out for himself (his words, guys).
In this time where the Internet feels like a place that is nothing less than overwhelming and overexposing, it's sad to see the children who might be the most accessible affected lose access to the safe spaces that allowed us to partake in the Internet's wonders without sacrificing our safety. All that to say, witnessing the death of kids' websites has been my personal burning of the Library of Alexandria. I hope that we have the courage to one day rebuild it.
