Kids and The Internet

In this day and age it is not uncommon for a family to have a computer, or even more than one computer, possibly a laptop as well. And you may not be surprised to hear that most kids spend a huge amount of time on one. It is quite a bit easier to teach younger kids to turn off a light when they are finished using it than getting them to turn off the computer at all. The amount of time that kids spend on the computer can be frustrating for parents.

In the beginning most parents eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Internet into their homes, assuming it would bring access to an infinite amount of educational and beneficial information. Unfortunately, some parents began to realize that rather than doing research or homework on the Internet some kids were spending their time surfing undesirable or inappropriate websites, playing online games, talking with strangers in chat rooms or instant messaging with their friends.

For years it has been difficult for parents trying to keep a reasonable balance between the more traditional activities that have kept kids happy for years and the time spent with them being entertained by media. The engrossing nature of the Internets interactive games and communications means that when some kids and teenagers are online they actually have trouble keeping track of the time.

There are several things that a parent can do to help control their children's computer use including examining their own online habits, if you have trouble controlling your own Internet use keep in mind that you are the child's most important role model. You should definitely teach them about some things they may come across such as exploitation, pornography, violence, hate literature, etc. Teach them to use their minds when screening material online.

Do not just prohibit using the Internet it can backfire on you so set up family rules about what they can do online. To a kid one of the best parts of the Internet is instant messaging and emailing with their friends. In fact there are dozens of different signs and symbols that are used to create a more expressive conversation. It may be in the form of a cute yellow "smiley" or in the detailed emoticons that are available. Naturally there are some that may not be appropriate for kids, but on the whole they are pretty impressive with many cute and funny human-like actions. It is just a cool way to add some fun to their email and messaging.