The Internet can be a virtual playground where danger is only a click away.
"There's kids being kidnapped or raped because they think they're meeting another teenager, and that's too dangerous," Josie Matthias, a mother of two, said.
Web sites are especially dangerous when they ignore laws that protect children online. That's why the Texas Attorney General is suing sites like thedollpalace.com and gamesradar.com.
The Doll Palace bill itself as a Web site devoted to "the art of making cartoon dolls."
GamesRadar is a Web site about video games, calling itself the "primo online showcase for global games and gaming."
"These two sites have violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and may have exposed children to online material that parents find objectionable," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said.
Both sites ask for a child's personal information without properly verifying they're at least 13, Abbott said. And that's against the law.
According to the complaint, the sites unlawfully collect names, ages and home addresses of children.
But it doesn't look like the webmasters think it's a big deal. Right on thedollpalace.com, there's a graph of users' ages. About a third are under 13.
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Online safety
Texas is the first state to file a complaint under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
 
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"We can't arrest all the bad guys on the Internet, which is why laws have been put in place to ensure that those who set up Web sites have put up the protections that are needed to help protect children," Abbott said.
Abbott alleges The Doll Palace site requires children to fill out a 10-page questionnaire to "search for friends" on the site. Some of the information requested includes height, weight, eye color and smoking and drinking habits. It also asks users about "sexual issues," whether they "would like to meet someone older than myself" and their "idea of a fun date."
"They ask inappropriate questions and you don't know if someone will find out your address and come to your house," Matthias said.
Experts say parents shouldn't depend on filtering software alone.
"Any software is only as good as the kid is smart. He will get around it," PC Guru technician Tommy Heaney said.
That's why experts recommend that parents keep an eye on their child, keep the computer in a public room, teach children never to give out personal information, and always talk to them about what they do online.
The two sites being sued will either have to clean up their online practices or will be forced to shut down.
To report other Web sites that endanger children contact the Texas Attorney General's office.
