Briand Beausoleil Managing director, Splash Plastic

We developed the card to overcome the risks of shopping online and have focused on safety, security and privacy. The card can only be used at selected websites that sell appropriate products for the teenage market such as CDs, games, research material and fashion. There are also no risks of over-spending or getting into debt. Children are already using pre-paid cards for mobile phones and are learning how to get most value out of them through text-messaging. Children can be independent from their parents because there are no risks involved.

• Verdict: Yes

Wendy Elms Mother of four children aged nine, 12, 14 and 16

Children today are lazy enough already, and this will be another reason for them not to get up off their chairs and get a bit of exercise. Shopping on the net draws them in and can easily become an obsession, so I'd be very wary of anything that encourages it. Although I take the point about the credit on the card, there's still the risk they will just blow all the money at once - and because it's just a card it won't help them learn the value of real cash. It's just another pressure on parents, isn't it? Mine already go on about needing their mobile phone credits topped up.

• Verdict: No

Tom Hadfield Student and net user, 17

The Internet will make it easier for young people to spend money, and it will seem a much more usual place to buy things to my generation than it was to my parents'. Of course there are dangers in that, and some parents won't like the idea of a credit card for kids, or that their children can buy things on the net that they can't at the shops. But I'd say this is an opportunity - the answer isn't to restrict them, it's to teach them about responsible spending. In any case, these cards aren't strictly credit cards at all. Every teenager will want one, and I want one too.

• Verdict: Yes

Anna Bradley Director, National Consumer Council

There's no question that Splash plastic offers advantages. The fact that it is pre-paid means that teenagers can spend only the amount parents have agreed to - much like pocket money. That means parents won't end up with higher-than-expected bills and teenagers should learn to budget. The fact that you can only use the card on certain accredited sites could be an additional comfort to some parents. As with everything, less-well-off parents are likely to find themselves being pestered to take out a card or top it up, when they can ill afford to.

• Verdict: Maybe