 Children and the Internet
First Published: May 2000
Last Update: July 2003
Author: Computer Partners
Do you have children using the internet? Are you concerned
about the effect of their exposure to it? A recent U.S. National
School Boards Foundation Report suggest that most parents feel the internet
plays a positive role in the lives of their children, "Parents and children
alike view the Internet as a positive new force in children's lives. Despite
recent negative headlines about online violence, pornography, predators and
commercialism, parents and children generally are upbeat and favorable about
their own Internet experiences."
According to the report, parents approach children's use of
the internet much like they do television. They set daily usage limits and
monitor the content their children view. However, playing watch dog for an
internet savvy child may prove beyond the capability of some concerned parents.
When a parent can't supervise and has reason not to trust
their children's choices online, there are some software aids that may help.
Programs known as filters can be installed on the child's home computer which
according to the same report, provides 70% of access to the internet. There are
many choices for these often free or inexpensive programs but they generally
come in two types. The first blocks out preselected web sites. Usually the
program will come with a list of known objectionable sites and allow you to add
others of your choice. The other type monitors online activities and logs any
occurrence of "bad words" in pages a child reads or messages he or she
sends.
The first approach has the advantage of ensuring children
will never see the selected sites. The problem is that the web changes
continually, lists of sites to block can rapidly get out of date. The second
approach does not prevent a child from viewing material but will inform the
parent if any of it is inappropriate. Better programs combine both
functionality. The most successful example is Net
Nanny . It allows you to block sites and also tracks internet activity. It
supports multiple accounts for families with more than one child using the
internet.
Another option, that doesn't require any changes to a home
computer is to select an ISP (Internet Service Provider) that does filtering for
you. This avoids the necessity of constantly updating lists of sites to block.
The lists used by the ISP's are usually updated frequently.
One can also block internet access entirely. Both software
and hardware devices are available for that purpose. The Safe
Kids web site list a few of these and includes dozens of the different
filtering programs and lists ISP's that offer filtering. Similar software is
available at the Software4Parents
and World
Village web sites.
Something entirely new is the idea of a web browser with
built-in filtering. Expect to see this a standard feature in browsers of the
future.
Maximizing the benefit of the internet for children may
require more than just controlling what they have access to. The web is so huge
that many excellent sites for children may go unnoticed. Most popular
educational magazines, TV programs and toys for children, have web sites. A few
examples are Owl and Chickadee Magazines , National
Geographic for Kids , and Sesame
Street.
For research purposes, there are online encyclopedias,
dictionaries and thesauruses
. These are just the tip of the iceberg. To search for more kid safe sites
consider using a family friendly search engine. Several of the big search
engines provide filtering options. Some examples AltaVista
Family Filter and GOguardian .
Books about children and the internet:
101
Things to Do on the Internet (Computer Guides Series)
300
Incredible Things for Kids on the Internet
Child
Safety-Net: How Protect Your Children from Harm Online
Consumerguide,
101 Best Web Sites for Kids
Cyberspace
for Kids : 600 Sites That Are Kid-Tested & Parent Approved (Grades 1-2)
Cyberspace
for Kids (Grades 3-4)
Cyberspace
for Kids (Grades 5-6)
Cyberspace
for Kids (Grades 7-8)
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