Disconnected or Distracted
At the present, I have chosen for more than one reason not to have the Internet available at home. My personal reasons include budgetary issues as well as dealing with how much time it can rob our family when we have limited hours in the evening to be together in the first place. Now my kiddos still have access to the Internet, just the same, even though it's not within the four walls of our house. My son has access at the library near his campus after school until I get off work each day. My daughter comes to my office after school where she will occasionally spend her time on the web on sites like http://www.bratz.com or http://www.millsberry.com/... after she is finished her homework.
Where in the World Wide Web are They?
But many moms and dads alike do not have all the information they need when it comes to providing a safety-zone for their children online. So if you have Internet and your kiddos are using it regularly, you should ask yourself the question, "Do you know where your kiddos are?" ... on the world wide web that is....
Check out this website with some information on parenting controls while your kiddos are on the Internet: http://www.protectourkidsontheweb.com/
Surveys Revealed...
Here are a few facts I pulled from their information to share here:
Did you know…?
- …the Internet is mostly used by children to play online?
- …file-downloading is more common among boys than girls?
- …the main risks children associate with the Internet are viruses and hacking?
- …children tend to under-estimate the problem of pages with unwanted content (access to pornographic or violent pages)?
- …most children learn how to use the Internet on their own?
- …children between 9 and 10 connect an average of 3-4 times a week and many children between 12 and 14 use the Internet almost every day?
- …girls usually tend to use chats and instant messaging programs and send emails, while boys tend to play online and download files?
- …European children believe that what they learn at school regarding the Internet is very basic and that think they know more than their teachers?
Sources: PandaLabs, Panda Security, “Safer Internet for Children” report of the European Commission.
According to our local radio station (SunnyFM) additional survey findings include:
- 27% worry the most that children will give out personal information; and 17% rank viruses, worms and other malware as the most dangerous threat.
- 35% use parental controls to help protect their children from online threats.
- More than one-third of respondents say they monitor their children’s online activity all of the time; one-third monitor activity “sometimes” and one quarter never monitor their children’s online activities.
- Of the 58% of respondents who know their children chat online, 14% said they do not know who their child is talking to, and only 52% know what their child’s online username is.
- 7% say either they or their child have been a victim of an online attack
So don't let any of our kiddos be victims because of unawareness. Stay on track and provide a safety-zone out there on the net. Be "in the know" when it comes to their whereabouts and their personal perception of the web.
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Find yourself... keeping it real.
