Post: What Are Kids Seeing Online?
What Are Kids Seeing Online?
More than four in 10 teens and tweens report recently seeing pornography -- defined as pictures of nude people or sexual activity -- on the Internet, according to a study published in this month's Pediatrics. And most say they weren't looking for it.
Kids said they came accidentally came across porn while downloading games, or when they mistyped a Web address. How can parent's help their kids surf safely? Check out our tips.
- For younger kids, make sure the computer is centrally located, and keep computers with Internet access out of kids' bedrooms as long as you possibly can. This may not work for kids in high school, but as a parent, you can tell your middle school kids that where the computer goes is absolutely your business!
- Check the history to see what sites they’re visiting.
- Never click on pop-ups, and don't enter contests or answer questionnaires. At best, it opens up your computer to advertising spammers. At worst, your kids could be giving information to predators.
- Investigate Internet safety software that includes filters and blocks for young kids. (See our resource list)
- Explain that what kids read and see on the Web isn't always accurate. Help kids figure out how to do "reality checks" on information they read on the Web.
- Keep Internet browsers up-to-date for virus, adware, and spyware protection.
For more on the study click here. Get more tips by downloading Common Sense Media's free guide to Internet safety.
There are 1 replies to this post
Date: February 11, 2007
My 11 year old has benefited most from my making him use AOL as his portal to the web. Case in point: he is entering Boy Scouts, after 4 years in Cub Scouting. Once, he wanted to view the BSA Magazine website... the magazine is titled 'Boys Life' and he entered boyslife.com and not boyslife.org. AOL stopped him, because it wasn't on their approved list for kids. Now he could have called on his mother or I, but instead he sent me an e-mail which I read at work.
The e-mail said where he wanted to go. Fortunately, I waited until I got home to check the site; it was definitely Not Safe For Work!
Each day I get an e-mail from AOL telling me what sites he did visit successfully, which were denied (whether or not he told us). He is allowed to send/receive e-mails and IMs to only those in his Address Book, so control is maintained there.
I pay for a local broadband, but happily paid for AOL on top of it, because in my estimations there is no better 'kid safety' application for the money.
Link: http://whatsit2you.blogspot.com