Archive for June, 2008

by Iza del Carmen, MomAuthority.com

Statistics on internet-related risks, as reported at the website of Parental Control Products, are frightening. Their website reports that one in four children will be exposed to sexually explicit graphics, one in five will receive a sexual proposition, one in 17 will be harassed or threatened, and one in 33 will be aggressively pursued by sexual predators.

Other dangers, albeit less horrific, also overshadow users of the net. Unsupervised or without clear, specific guidelines about internet use, a smart child can put himself and his family in an unpleasant or damaging position.

Merchandise can be ordered online by anyone with access to a credit card number. The family email account can be bombarded with spam if the address is used to request information from the wrong individual or website. Viruses can infect your system through innocent looking email.

Unauthorized downloads can clog a computer with adware and spyware, rendering it virtually unusable. Though far less terrifying than the possibility of child abduction or sexual abuse, these risks are actually much more likely to occur and can have negative consequences for the entire family.

Keep in mind that despite its dark potential, the internet is not a thing of evil. Like anything else, it is a tool, a very powerful one, which can be used for good or ill. Consider the electrical current flowing through your home. It has the potential to do great harm to your family and property if used improperly.

Instead of declaring your residence a voltage-free zone, though, most likely you have taught your children to respect the power of electricity, to make the most of its potential to enhance life, and to take proper precautions to protect themselves from danger when using it.

In the same way, we must teach our children to maximize the potential of the virtual world, be aware of the dangers of improper use, and abide by clear and specific guidelines to minimize risk.

No one has to point out how difficult parenting can be. We set out on this path with hearts full of love and determination, but very few tools for getting the job done except those with which we arm ourselves. Good parents struggle every day, through each new situation, to understand what their children most need to learn and how best to teach it. In a world that is evolving faster than ever before in history, the job has become even more challenging.

Our job as parents is actually quite clear-cut. Throughout our children’s lives, in every circumstance, no matter their age, our role is always to love them, to provide for their needs, to protect them, and to guide them.

This includes teaching them various skills, socializing them so they can interact effectively with others, providing opportunities through which they can explore their interest and talents and begin to see how they fit into the whole and choose a path for the future. When children enter the online world, we must guide them through the same process.

The Internet’s Dangerous Side (c) 2008 MomAuthority.com

by Iza del Carmen, MomAuthority.com

There’s no doubt about it.  We’ve become a technology-driven society. Everything from home appliances to municipal infrastructures is controlled to some extent through computer access. Even the most basic tasks involved in living one’s life either require, or are made easier by, the use of computers and the internet.

We shop online.  We manage our finances and pay our bills without picking up a pen or stamping an envelope.  Recipes, photographs and home videos are stored in a virtual filing cabinet.  We stay in touch with family and friends through email, conduct business the same way, and rely on the availability of nearly any piece of information with a few clicks of the mouse.

Think back to the last time the power went out during a storm or your computer was in for repairs if you doubt the significance of technology – life almost comes to a standstill without it!

As good parents, we naturally want to make sure our children have every opportunity to prepare for the future.  These days, that absolutely includes at least a working knowledge of all things computers, including the internet.

Most schools, where budgets permit, have computers either in the classroom or in a computer lab, and students begin using them as a regular part of the curriculum, as early as kindergarten in many instances.

Statistics vary, but it is estimated that 165 million people in the United States regularly access the internet, and the top five websites worldwide are US- based. Seventy-three percent of American homes own at least one computer, and usage figures are rising exponentially.

What does all this mean to the parents of budding young minds?  Several things.  First, our children are benefiting from a world of opportunities that were not available in any previous generation.

In addition to the computer skills children are acquiring at a very young age, they are learning more in less time and gaining a deeper understanding of the world around them through the ease and availability of the internet as a research tool and the wealth of information it puts at their fingertips.

Second, it means their cognitive abilities are growing in new and unexpected ways.  Research suggests that certain computer-related activities actually aid in the development of neural pathways that enable sharper critical thinking skills, multitasking ability, and creativity, similar to the influence of early exposure to music and language.

Third, early computer use serves as hands-on training for later life, regardless of what career path a child chooses.  From handheld devices to the most advanced and specialized processors in use today, nearly every field capitalizes on the increased efficiency that computers allow.

The presence of this technology in a child’s life means not only new and better opportunities, but new risks as well.  Part of a parent’s responsibility in this environment is knowing where the potential for danger exists, teaching children the skills to avoid harm, and, as in all areas of life, providing the structure and limits that will keep children safe until they are mature enough to do so themselves.

A New World (c) 2008 MomAuthority.com