Elemental Parenting

(picture originally uploaded to Flickr by neoneddy)

When it comes to kids and being online, there is no way to be sure that they aren’t going to come into contact with (accidentally or intentionally) inappropriate material. There are some things, though, that we can do to help our children cultivate habits that minimize the amount of digital fodder they come in contact with.

One of the easiest ways to help your children stay safe online is to limit the accessibility of online content.

• Content Filters
  Content filters are programs that keep certain sites and I’m not a huge fan of content filters. They are unreliable and easily bypassed. There are different types including software that you put on your computer, parental locks (sort of like the V-chip on your TV), web-based filters, and Internet Service Provider-based filters. This is a very passive form of monitoring accessibility. I lean more towards helping your children develop their own internal filters. You can check out this Wikipedia article for more info on content filters.

• Keep Computers in Public Areas
  One of the easiest ways to prevent intentional access of inappropriate material and a way to deal with stuff that pops up inadvertently is to keep computers in the open. Personally, I don’t think it is a good idea for children to have a computer in their room that is connected to the internet. By having internet-connected computers out in the open, everyone is able to see what is being accessed. It is also easy to help your children deal with any inappropriate content that pops up.
• Budgeting Internet Time
  It is very easy to lose track of time and wander aimlessly while online because there is no definite stopping point when you are online. I don’t know about your children, but mine begin to press links and buttons and enter random search terms when they start getting bored online… they wander. It is very easy to stumble across inappropriate material if you wander aimlessly online. In order to prevent that from happening, the best thing to do is to budget how much time your children spend online (budgeting online time is also beneficial for other things as well). Children should not have free reign of online access until they have learned how to budget their online time themselves.

Those are just some ideas when it comes to limiting the accessibility of online content. Next, we’ll look at helping children be intentional with their use of the internet.

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(picture originally uploaded to Flickr by fd)

There is one question I always ask my kids when they go online, “What are you going to do?” The reason I ask this (and I tell them why) is to reinforce for them that when they go online, they need to have a reason. There are too many harmful things online for my children to simply “surf the web.” It also instills in them a sense of accountability. I wouldn’t let my young children simply wander through the neighborhood without a destination. The same goes for my children exploring the more global virtual neighborhood.

Online Family Norton recently published the top 100 searches of kids in 2009. Sitting at number one, two and three are YouTube, Google and Facebook respectively. Then at four and five? Can you guess? Sex and Porn.

Now, you might be thinking, “That’s because this includes teenage boys, and teenage boys are bound to search for stuff like that.” Well, when you take a look at the breakdown in ages the number four search term for children 7 and under is porn… beating out Club Penguin (#5) and Webkinz (#7).

Before you run to yank the cable modem from the wall, there are some less reactive and more effective ways of helping your children make wise choices on the internet. Over the next few days, I will share what we’ve done with our children.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you all do to help your children navigate the internet with integrity and wisdom.

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