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The internet has been under a particularly harsh spotlight in terms of kids' safety. When 12-year-old Shevaun Pennington met a man double her age through the internet, the potential dangers of chatrooms were highlighted. Of course, responsible firms have nothing to do with inappropriate content aimed at children and there is no doubting that net-savvy kids are a substantial online audience.

But, like it or not, all online marketing - however upstanding - has to work against a backdrop of the public's perception of the digital sector.In the current climate, how should the industry market to children responsibly and what issues should it be aware of?

CHARLIE REDMAYNE - managing director, mykindaplace.com

Advertising to kids online is a hugely important part of what we do. It's growing considerably, with most brands realising that their target market is spending an increasing amount of time online. Advertisers and sites have to be responsible, but at the end of the day teens and children are pretty advertising savvy.

Advertising that is relevant and targeted works with teenagers - if you bolt interactive content onto ads, they love it and the message gets across.

Advertising should be advertising. Overt advertising is great if advertisers make it impactful. You can do integrated content (e.g. sponsorship) and advertorials can work if it is clear what they are. Otherwise, it looks like collusion.

The one area I have a problem with is marketers going into chatrooms and pretending they're kids because one way that brands can be pushed is through word of mouth. I think that is immoral. It is a total deceit.

Advertisers should stand up and be honest. If their ads and content are good it will be appreciated.

ANDREW TULL - executive VP, sales and marketing, BioNet Systems

By knowing and respecting the audience, the industry can market to kids responsibly.

Most children don't have the skills or experience to discern situations online that invade their privacy or to detect the blurring between content and ads. As they get older, kids are under great pressure to fit in with peers, making them susceptible to advertising.

Our corporate philosophy, and design of the Net Nanny software, support the notion that there is no substitute for involved parental supervision.

National regulation, self-regulation in the industry, active participation of parents, and technology such as internet content filtering, all play a role in protecting kids.

ALLAN STENHOUSE - UK marketing director, Fox Kids Europe

There is an issue with digital being new and largely unregulated compared with TV advertising. I think marketers and media owners both have a responsibility. We always put the interests of kids first. We go to extremes to make sure the site isn't a huge billboard.

At about six, kids know what is marketing. They don't mind being marketed to, provided there's a pay-off and a reason for the ads, like games or competitions. There's awareness, not resentment. Kids are aware that logos mean it has been paid for.

But marketing can cross the line. I think that going into a chatroom to get kids talking about a product is going beyond that line. Providing awareness is very different to manipulation.

RICHARD AYERS - portal director, Tiscali UK

Parents are ultimately responsible for their children and we encourage them to supervise as much as possible, supporting them with tools to filter sites, email and chat. We need to rein in the temptation to exploit marketing opportunities.

Working with the Home Office, we know how complex the issues can be.

As a large portal with an active community, you might expect Tiscali to run many kids' chatrooms, but we have just one chat for kids for three hours each weekday evening.

We don't market it outside those hours and we ensure a heavy presence of experienced moderators. At every stage we promote 'thinkuknow' and other safety information sources. We offer a selective service, but it's as close to 'safe' as we can possibly get.