Internet and Children

When it comes to computers, children often know more than their own parents. In today’s society, many children have access to the internet, and the number is growing rapidly. Your child can get on the internet practicality anywhere: school, home, library, or a friend‘s house. Schools teach the children how to use the computer and internet to complete different projects. This can be a scary thought, because you don’t know what they are doing or who your child could be talking to.

As with anything, there are dangers on the internet. There are predators looking to talk to your child. There is also bullying; kids will sometimes tease other children from their own home. The internet is not going away, so you need to sit down and talk to your children about safety on the internet before letting them use it.

There are parental control programs available for use as well. These program can help you to monitor the computer's activity. Some other steps you can take are installing a content filter, creating an administrative password that only you know, locking down your child’s computer by taking away any of their administrative privileges, and setting the parental control, which is built in to some computers. There are also email programs for children out there, on which parents are able to set restrictions. Of course, there are other measures you can take to protect your child. At any rate, it's best to make sure that your child is using the internet to his or her advantage, rather than their detriment.