WRONG ROOM FOR INTERNET
My 13-year old says that he needs his own computer (with Internet access of course) for the upcoming school year and wants to have it in his room like many of his friends do. I am uncomfortable with this. Am I being too paranoid?
No! You are right to not feel comfortable letting your child have a computer with access to the Internet in his room. It is very dangerous and may pose serious risks not only to him but also to your family. In a recent study by security technology company McAffee, 80% of parents said that they don't turn on their parental control software and 30% of parents said they leave their children alone in their bedrooms to surf the net. More shocking is the finding that 26% of all 5 to 7-year-olds have a computer in their bedroom! (www.mcaffee.com).
Two questions beg to be answered. Why would you allow a very young child to have unrestricted access to the Internet at all hours of the day and night? Other than giving parents a false sense of security, what good is parental control software if it is not enabled?
You wouldn’t leave your front door open at night, or send your 7-year-old on a trip around the world alone, so why would you leave the virtual door open into your child's room inviting strangers and inappropriate content into your home?
Purchasing parental control software is the first step in keeping your family safe from cyber predators, bullies and from developing dangerous addictions to things such as gaming, gambling or pornography; but knowing how to use the software and developing strict rules around Internet use are the real keys to a safe home.
Consider the following suggestions:
Make your family computer a laptop so that it can be turned off and hidden at night.
Install Internet filtering and parental control software and know how to use it!
Make computer time like television or gaming time, with limits and restrictions.
Make sure you are in the same room as your child while he is surfing the net, letting him know that you can look over his shoulder at any time.
The most influential step however, in protecting your children is to have frequent conversations with your child about the power of the Internet, both good and bad, and about what other kids are doing online (as kids are more likely to give information about what other kids are doing).
The most disturbing finding in the recent McAffee study is that nearly two thirds of parents said they had not raised the issue of Internet safety with their children. Maybe you don’t know much about the Internet and don’t want to seem uneducated, maybe you don’t really want to know what’s going on with your child, or maybe you are unaware of the dangers lurking in cyber space…whatever the reason, don’t delay! Educate yourself and start the conversation with your child today!
The virtual world is not for a child to explore alone! They will thank you later for protecting them. —Karen Child Ogden, LMFT
http://www.parentingoc.com/ate_0908.html
