One of the greatest concerns I have as a parent is the safety of my child in general. When thinking about the Internet, that opens a whole new dimension of issues.
Think about the importance of teaching our children how to drive. Do we throw keys at them and say, "have at it, be back by 10:00."
No, by law there are requirements that our children have to progress through. A series of tasks and accomplishments have to be made before they can get behind the wheel and drive on their own.
As an extension educator, my colleagues and I share the same concerns especially as we move into this new age and dealing with the millineal generation and their use of technology. This is a generation that was born into technology...a generation that does not even know what a "Walkman" was when it was cutting edge for us not so long ago.
As parents and as educators, we are doing a disservice if we turn over the keyboard and the mouse to our children without a little knowledge of our own? Are we turning over the keys before they have completed their "road" time?
A good place to start is by going to a website like NetSmartz.org and reading as much as you can. When it is time to make the decisions of letting your kid join Facebook, Twitter, or any number of social networking sites, you have to know what you are doing in order to protect them.
Give it a try.
http://www.netsmartz.org/
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