Comments on: What is your child REALLY doing online?

By: Elisabeth Wilkins

Elisabeth Wilkins — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:21:28 +0000

Hi Everyone, thanks for your comments on this article. It was eye-opening for me to write, as well! I have a 6 year old son, and while we’re not there yet, all the experts I spoke with told me to get ahead of the curve now and start reading up on technology, so that we’re prepared when he hits the pre-teen years. One thing I’d recommend, if you haven’t already done so, is to create your own Facebook account. Until I did that, I didn’t really understand the ins and outs of social networking sites. I loved Anastasia’s tip about having your child show you how these sites work — it can be a great bonding experience, and it will teach you what you need to know. (If you don’t know already!) Good luck, everyone.

By: Russell Sabella

Russell Sabella — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:23:43 +0000

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By: Aliza G

Aliza G — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:34:38 +0000

Be aware that your child can have two Facebook or Myspace accounts – the one that they know you know about and the one you don’t.

By: Miriam

Miriam — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:48:39 +0000

“law enforcement found is that only about five percent of kids engage in [interacting online with adults]”

ONLY????? That sounds like a lot of kids to me!

By: preeti

preeti — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:14:12 +0000

hi,
My 13 year old daughter has two e-mail ids, and she has given me the password of one.I do trust her, but the fear of the unknown always haunts me.I am an alert and cautious mom, and sometimes tend to overreact.I have spoken to her about my anxieties and fears.Was that right to do?She is a mature girl,but at times gets excited about mails recieved from known friends.Also I have given her a time slot of an hour a week to go through her mails, and I am firm about it.Please let me know if I on the right track.

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:08:23 +0000

When our son (13 years old) signed up for facebook – we got an account of our own and insisted that he accept us as a “friend”. This way we can see his profile, who his “friends” are, messages on his “wall” – it gives us insight into what he is up to online. He still feels like he has a little privacy as we do not have his password. We also made an agreement with him that we would NEVER post anything on his site…(How embarassing would that be??)

By: Bethany

Bethany — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:15:50 +0000

Thank you for the information.
Do you have the websites that can help to check for additional information on this topic and monitor our computer??
My daughter says:
i agree with the article, how computer usage should be monitored. it makes sense to me, especially with inappropriate sites and sharing passwords. on most social networking sites you can change it, but being careful is always good. also, usualy u can make your profile private on these sites.

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:04:20 +0000

Melissa, most computers these days have parental controls. I set the time limit for my kids so that they can only get on during certain hours of the day unless I put in my password. This will help with the sites they are allowed to go to and you can pull up a report on what sites they are visiting and also block sites you don’t want them to go to. I hope that this information helps. I have 3 pre-teens myself and try to monitor their usage as much as possible.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:14:05 +0000

Very timely…I just came home from out of town and discovered porn sites, evidently accessed by my “innocent” 10 yr old daughter. I was hoping to see some advice on how to deal with this but this article seems to be addressing mainly older kids and myspace.com. Any suggestions for me? My daughter has not returned home from school yet for a “talk”.

By: Ellen C. Braun

Ellen C. Braun — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:21:34 +0000

Thanks for your thoughtful comments.

Dana, I deleted your last name for you, and gave you initial Y!

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:33:24 +0000

Social networking is not something that my kids are into … yet. Although we keep a fairly tight rein on the internet, my eldest managed, by a series of 2 clicks away from a Disney site, to navigate to a page with (as she put it), “lots of naked people and I can’t get them off the screen.” That’s what is waiting only two clicks away from Disney -> scary thought. Thanks for the info, Ellen. Keep it up.

By: Dana

Dana — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:11:04 +0000

Oops! Look how easy it is to give away information! In the above post, I mistakenly posted my full name, and there is no edit function to take it off. There’s a perfect example of how permanent the internet can be! If a grown person can goof up, so can your kids.

By: Dana Y.

Dana Y. — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:07:49 +0000

Great article. Our family rule is that you can only add people to your myspace if you have met them in person. No “friends of friends.” Also, it’s important that they don’t give clues about where they live, even if they don;t give their address. Naming their school, church, team name, the local mall, all can give predators an area to zoom in on.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:49:51 +0000

This email arrived just in time; I caught my son going to the family computer in the middle of the night. It’s a new world for my generation.

By: Cristina

Cristina — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:27:24 +0000

Although teens are mostly mentioned on this article, keep in mind that pre-teens are also very active online through virtual games and that the same rules apply.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:06:12 +0000

Thank you, Elisabeth for this informative piece. I mainly use the Internet for emailing and research, and I’ve never used all the social networking sites. My daughter is eleven, and I worry about her being so much more technologically fluent than I ever will be! I will be following your advice.