Too young for the internet?

[ojimaru]

I know I'm donkey years from being able to afford marriage and a child, but I got a little curious when this random thought bubble burst: At what age should a parent allow a child to access the internet or online gaming?

While many will point out that children mature at different rates, depending on environment and upbringing, most (responsible) parents still set a minimum age before taking their child to big dinners, parades, movies, etc. If it's their first child, the very first of such outings often lead to disaster, a telling off and some lessons learned by both the parents and the child. These reactions are not uncommon because a child's misbehaviour in public typically causes much disturbance and an immediate reaction that's perceivable by the parents, e.g. angry stares and (very loud) shushing when the kid makes a scene during the movie.

However, the internet is a whole different world, so to speak. It won't be long before the child realises the power of anonymity and misbehaves freely. While there will be an equal level of negative reactions, none of it would reach the parents, hence not soliciting any response from them. Sure, parents nowadays have the tools to monitor their children's internet activity. But that's just like going through an XML log file trying to spot errors before they manifest!

Are our future generations doomed to become noobs and troll? Or is there a way to fix it?

[blacksymbiote]

Future generations? I think we have several generations to contend with already.

[miyazakihayao]

Monitored use until age 13, give them their own computer after that. Maybe use parental control depending on the child. My children have always been well behaved, and I trust them to not be stupid on the internet.

[tsmith15]

Yeah, when I have kids I'm going to attempt to introduce them to the internet when they're movie-watching age by browsing as a duo, so I can pick what he/she watches/listens to. If they show me they're trustworthy and responsible children in other areas then unsupervised access is something they can earn. That said, having grown up with the internet, I'm going to keep a hawk eye on what they browse.

[tokenuser]

Technology is changing too fast for anyone to speculate on the what-ifs.
Unless you are dealing with children here and now it will pretty much be a moot point.

School age seems appropriate for supervised computer time ... as a reasearch tool with parental controls/monitoring turned on.

Gaming - limited ... just like TV should be.

[anakinastronaut]

I have been using the internet since I was a little kid. Mostly kid sites like Nickelodeon and Disney. I have been allowed to "surf" for years now. I got my own computer a couple of years ago and I have been allowed to post on the forums here along with several other sites, but those are more gaming sites.
I got my own twitter account at the beginning of the year and my own Facebook page today.

There are plenty of adults that I have to help use the internet. My mom taught a class at work for intro to computers and I talked about kids and safety on the internet. It was weird. I know more than they did.

My mom says she doesn't bother with parental blocks because she knows I will just figure out how to hack them and that this way she can trace what it is I am doing instead of me going somewhere else to do stuff. But my parents aren't like my friends parents. My dad has it so at his house he can turn on what is on my computer's screen onto the tv in the living room. At my mom's house she can take control of the computer from her laptop. So I know better than to do something stupid.

For the most part its more parents being noobs than kids. And that is how its always going to be. I just hope I can be more on top of it like my parents than my friend's parents. My mom has had to talk to some of my friends about things and pictures they posted (they like to friend her on Facebook and stuff) because they don't even have their stuff set to private.

And as for trolls, my mom always says that trolls are lonely sexually frustrated men who feel the need to lash out because they can't get a woman to touch them without having to pay for it.

My mom is awesome.

[wideawakewesley]

Originally Posted by anakinastronaut

And as for trolls, my mom always says that trolls are lonely sexually frustrated men who feel the need to lash out because they can't get a woman to touch them without having to pay for it.

My mom is awesome.

Geek parents FTW!

And yes, your mom is awesome.

[masherscf]

Originally Posted by ojimaru

I know I'm donkey years from being able to afford marriage and a child, but I got a little curious when this random thought bubble burst: At what age should a parent allow a child to access the internet or online gaming?

I've been married for 12-years and been a dad for 5-years. I'll let you know when I can afford it.

Children do mature at different rates, there is no standard age for anything. There are development milestones that your child should reach at certain ages to be considered "typical." For example, my daughter is delayed at speech and conversation but ahead on Math, problem solving and reasoning. She's too young for the internet, but the internet would not be engaging enough for her. She enjoys playing outside, video games, or drawing much more.

[satori]

Originally Posted by anakinastronaut

My mom says she doesn't bother with parental blocks because she knows I will just figure out how to hack them and that this way she can trace what it is I am doing instead of me going somewhere else to do stuff. But my parents aren't like my friends parents. My dad has it so at his house he can turn on what is on my computer's screen onto the tv in the living room. At my mom's house she can take control of the computer from her laptop. So I know better than to do something stupid.

I'm just wondering how your mom achieved this, what applications did she use? I ask because I'm pretty much of the opinion that my son is going to be entirely removed from the internet. I work for a Telecom provider here in Canada and feel fairly savy with tools that I know about, but I'm fine with admitting that I don't know of all the tools that could be used to achieve what you guys are doing. There was an earlier comment that kids should be given their own PCs at 13... right now that's not going to happen. If there honestly is some way of doing this that makes me comfortable I'd reconsider.

[masterevilace]

If your child wants to really get into technology and computer related things later in life, definitely sooner than later.

I started when I was ... maybe 10? Didn't know what I was doing until 12.. everything from there started clicking, and now I'm pretty much the tech guy (at 22). I've had pretty much unmonitored access throughout. The only thing your kid is probably going to have issues with is viruses. But all of that will be a learning experience none the less.