In the States, a new term for Internet-savvy kids - the Clickerati. They start young and they get VERY proficient VERY early.

This article in the Washington Post explores some current trends. It includes references to a whole lot of site targetted specifically at children and young people, including sites where they can do their own online shopping using a pocket money cache previously deposited by their parents. It also demonstrates just how connected many American households are now becoming.

For kids, individual net access opens the door to unlimited learning opportunities. There's help available from online encyclopedias, homework centres, personal tutors, school back-up services as well as any amount of browsing avenues for student projects. It makes some of the British initiatives such as the National Grid for Learning look very tame. Too many of these are presently targetted at the teacher, rather than the student.

The article itself is a challenging read: is this trend a valuable part of learning and child development, or is it another hyjacked marketing initiative to make more money by big businesses?