Whether it's Harry Potter, Pokemon, or the Teletubbies, media companies are deluging children with products and services made just for them. Though the wild success of J. K. Rowling's tales about a young wizard's adventures have reached children's imaginations through the printed word, more and more often, words are being delivered to young people electronically. And it's not only words that are being digitized, but images and pocket monsters and MP3 songs and online contests and chat room conversations and just about everything else conceivable. This constant stream of information has been the cause both for great celebration and for tremendous concern. Celebration because, at its best, the information is made just for kids; it is tailored to help meet their developmental, cognitive, and emotional needs. Some parents and educators are also concerned, however, that the new information and communications technologies are exposing children to images and ideas made for adults. The diffusion of information sources may lead young people to Web sites that are too mature, crassly commercial, or worse yet, serve as an introduction to unsavory individuals.

Sensationalized reports of online pedophiles make it difficult to get beyond the hyperbole and reach a more realistic discussion of young people and technology. Over the course of the last few years, five primary issues have been the subject of local and national debates concerning children's online safety, and have fueled congressional activity and a myriad of marketplace responses. Briefly, these issues are:

1. Cyberstalking and threats online predators pose to children's physical safety. Although there have been a relatively small number of reported cases involving children who have been abducted or hurt after participating in an online activity, many people believe that the Internet significantly increases "stranger danger." Children and teens, drawn to the social aspects of chat rooms, bulletin boards and instant messaging, may reveal personal information to adults without realizing it.

2. Harmful or inappropriate content, most often characterized as pornographic, excessively violent or simply "adult". The Web alone makes inordinate amounts of information available to anyone with a computer, a browser and a connection. Though many people have heralded the educational opportunities of having ready access to places, people and ideas all around the world, others are worried that young people will actively seek or accidentally stumble into sites that they shouldn't. Political, religious and moral standards have given rise to objections ranging from children seeing pictures of naked people to learning how to make a bomb to reading racist texts to finding resources on homosexuality and abortion.

3. Privacy invasions that result from the collection of personally identifiable information about individual children. The interactive, two-way nature of the Web gives marketers an unprecedented ability to collect information about individual computer users. Companies may integrate contests, sweepstakes and registrations into the design of their Web sites, encouraging children to release data about their identity, hobbies and other personal preferences.

4. Commercialism and aggressive marketing targeted directly at children. Although technology gives individuals a chance to make their own Web sites, by and large, corporate spaces on the Web far surpass personal homepages in popularity and influence. Companies seeking to create personal relationships between young people and their brands build loyalty through product spokescharacters, licensed merchandise, games and other online activities. Some parents find that the intensity of this form of advertising undermines their authority, putting them at odds with their children.

5. Ensuring that worthwhile content is created and is able to reach children and families in their homes in addition to their schools. Just as children have the benefit of public spaces, like parks and zoos, as well as high-quality programming on public broadcasting, many contend that there should be similar places for children to explore online.