By Hayley Tsukayama 08/08/2012

Kids on social networks: A growing crop of social networks are racing to capture the loyalties of the Web’s youngest and most vulnerable users, The Washington Post reported.

This trend is sparking debate among lawmakers who wonder about the effects that social networks have on younger users and worry about online predators.

Social networks aimed at kids tout themselves as safe environments for children, although they acknowledge that there may be no foolproof way to block predators, the Post reported. In addition to these challenges, they also must deal with the same competitive environment that affects other social networks, such as Facebook — as well as the challenge of monetizing younger mobile users.