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How Kids Use the Web
An Anonymous Coward writes: "Jakob Nielsen's latest Alertbox usability column details how kids use the web. Even if you don't design sites for kids, some of the results are very interesting. As you might expect, kids like sound and animation more than adults. They're also much more likely to click on ads ... but mostly because they don't realize that's what they are. And although there are some differences, the testing shows kids really aren't that different than adults, preferring consistent, simple and clear interaction. (And they hate slow load times, too!)"
Having worked with several "kids community" type content providers, I can say that you're exactly right about all-flash no-content, and it's that way on purpose. The phrase "kids community" is really an oxymoron, I guess; that's because when you try to build an online community for kids, you wind up with two significant problems:
/gasp/ don't tell the advertisers that) so sites and communities designed for kids usually see the worst of the worst come to play.
First, kids don't always mix well with other kids, especially when the ages vary. Open up a chat room (for example) intended for kids aged 8-10 and it quickly fills up with 11-12 year olds whose sole purpose is to disrupt the room, taunt and tease the younger kids, etc. Communities targeted at teens are even more messy, the majority of chat, forum postings or what have you will be nothing but vulgar debates about whether or not the East Coast PlAyAz have more guns than the West Coast RaPpAz. In a nutshell, intelligent kids aren't hanging out at kid sites (but
The second problem is the pervert issue. While I dare say it's not nearly the problem that everyone makes it out to be, it's a very real situation and it's something that needs to be either planned for or avoided as much as possible. Unfortunately, by opening up your "doors" to allow a "community" to grow, you have no real way of knowing who's who, what they're up to, or keeping the bad folks out. Again I'll assert that perverts are not lurking in every chat room, but you can't design a site for kids without addressing the issue somehow.
As most sites have learned, the easiest way to counter these problems is to make it impossible for them to occur. If you don't have a community (chat, forums) you don't get vulgar, hate-filled spewage between kids, there are no chatrooms to fill up with young Eminems practicing their four letter words. And if you don't have a community, there's no way for perverts to make contact with kids. Plus assuming you aren't collecting any info, just displaying cartoons, you don't have to worry about COPPA et al.
This is why a lot of "kid friendly" websites are nothing more than a bunch of big colors and goofy animations... Zero liability and much less effort to maintain.
Anyone else notice this one?
Some of the good toddler games have both left and right mouse buttons perform the same "click option". Kids learn that clicking does things, and click away. This is a good start.
But once they move to web sites (i.e. pbskids.org or nickjr.com), sites that rely on flash, the whole left right mouse button thing can be confusing. Especially on a flash, right clicking on it stops the flash.
Solution to this? I downloaded Intellipoint, which gives you some options on how the mouse gets used. It actually lets you turn OFF the right mouse button, which will teach kids (in a wonderfully Pavlovian way) that right clicking doesn't do anything. Good enough for kids younger than 4 browsing on IE. Once they stop doing it, you can turn it back on, and they don't right click on everything.
So the answer, then, for more succesful advertising is even further blurring of content and advertisement.
Sadly, yes. The most effective advertising on our site FoxKids.com [caution- Flash heavy and loud] are our sponsored games, where the advertising messages are so deeply intertwined with the gameplay that you can't avoid the product shots and ad messages.
The funny thing is, it can backfire-- when access to a game level is blocked if the kid hasn't purchased a product or received a code, we get tons of negative feedback along the lines of "cut the cheap tricks, assholes!" (except with much filthier language).
Marc Siry || interactive media professional, motorcycle enthusiast ||
I thought all they did was look at p0rn!?
I think that for the purposes of this article, you may as well *define* "kids" as "those people too young to have an interest in pr0n".
That whole "J00 will be haxx0red" phase kicks in, in my experience, around age 12 or 13 (and usually ends around age 16 or 17). This article is really about what 8 year olds do on the internet.
And even though I've never run into an 8 year old on IRC or a MUD or anything, the fact that both "Dragonball" and "Digimon" are always in Lycos' top 10 searches is telling. In fact, I believe Dragonball consistently beats even Britney these days.
"Beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he deems himself your master."