The Internet is not only becoming a larger part of adults’ everyday lives, it is also becoming a huge part of children’s everyday lives.

According to a Cox Communications study released last year, 90 percent of American kids have used the Internet by age 9 and more than a third of 11- and 12-year-olds have a profile on network sites such as MySpace and Facebook.

But thanks to shows like NBC’s “To Catch A Predator” and the story about Megan Meier, who allegedly killed herself due to an Internet prank perpetrated by another girl’s mother, parents are becoming more aware of the dangers of letting their preteen child surf Internet social networking sites unattended.

Cox also concluded that one in five of the nation's wired tweens has posted personal information on the Internet and more than a fourth have been contacted online by strangers. A study by Wired Safety found that 85 percent of middle school children experience forms of cyberbullying.

But simply keeping children off the Internet isn’t much of an option for parents anymore. Where previous generations of fourth-graders would hike to the library to do research for a report about Abraham Lincoln, today’s fourth-graders are a few clicks away from a vast ocean of useful information. Even from an educational standpoint, the Internet is a vital tool for children, and teaching children how to have a fun but safe time surfing the Web is becoming more important for parents with each passing year.

That’s where Girl Ambition, a new Web site that launched on Jan. 15, has stepped in.

In Girl Ambition’s own words, the site is “a fun, interactive online community for tween girls up to 13 years old. Girl Ambition focuses on empowering girls, while providing Internet and life skills and a safe environment for both online.”

Girl Ambition provides e-mail and instant messaging, games, activities, videos and advice on how to use them safely. But the advice isn’t just for the girls, because there is a section for parents which provides advice and information not only about teaching safe online practices, but on all aspects of raising a tween girl.

Girl Ambition has collected an impressive array of experts in the fields of child psychology, health, law enforcement, Internet security and education to help parents. The site has also enlisted the help of these experts to craft the games and online experiences so they help build girls’ self-confidence and self-esteem.

Through the section, parents can also monitor their daughter’s buddy list and online activity.

The site is extremely extensive and interactive, with features like Gab Live TV, which is hosted by Dani Girl, the daughter of the site’s CEO, who helps girls navigate the site alongside the virtual mascot, Gabbi. A new Webisode of “The Dani Girl Show” runs every Friday, which is intended to get girls thinking about possible careers and trying new things outside of the computer.

That’s another important thing about the site -- it’s not all about the computer. In the activities studio, many offline suggestions and tools are provided, such as how to tune your bike and how to build a critter cage.

There are also many other rooms to explore, like the Clubhouse, which has interactive contests, quizzes, sports info and recipes. There is also the Closet, where girls customize their 2D avatars by creating and buying clothes.

The site also has more to come, with plans to increase the interactive experience by allowing girls to upload pictures, write blogs and play more games designed with the help of child psychology experts aimed at improving self-steem.

Girl Ambition costs $4.99 a month or $49 for a yearly membership. The monthly charge allows the girls’ section to be completely free of advertising. That way, they can focus on having fun without being distracted with toy ads that would likely lead them to nag their parents to buy for them.