As part of the internet specialist 101 course, we discussed protecting children on the Internet, and we were asked what we’d do. This is a topic more true today than any other time as old as Shaun and I are, and I’m curious on your thoughts. Your comments await the boards, and it starts after the ruler separator mark.
One thing parents can do is to use software. The lesson talks about different types of software to protect children from various sites. I personally don’t think its a good idea to use such software, as the lesson indicates, and guru’s like Kim Komando has said, it can be worked around by kids today. Kim Komando www.komando.com has commandments for parents and children to use. It is advised to read and sign them. It talks about talking to parents about things that seem wrong, and also who they’re talking to. Software can also help by logging keystrokes and E-mailing it to you, but I could see a child saying something to the effect how thats not right.
I agree with the computer being in a safe place in the house. This way, a parent can make sure they are aware of what the child is doing. I also don’t like the idea that 3 to 5 year olds are using computers. I didn’t start using one till I was at least 8 or 9, but then again, the Net wasn’t that big of a deal back then like it is now.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t know if chat rooms are a big thing like they were when i first came on the net. Instant messaging like MSN, AIM, and Yahoo Messenger are not used that much anymore, as MSN is gone, Skype owns that arena now. I don’t personally use Yahoo or AIM anymore, as everyone I know who used them are not anymore so I am not. Bulletine board systems on web sites are more popular, although accounts are needing to be created to access them.
What do you think? Do you think this is good, or is there more? Once again, the comment boards await you.
Hi Shaun,
Yes, all of what you say is true, and the lesson mentioned that, and yes things have changed since we were taught. I still believe that if we communicate about the dangers out there today, which is what I wrote, we’ll be better off to try and do our best. I didn’t use the computer fully until I was in my teens, but I didn’t do any type of gaming and other aspects until i was in my 20s. Even now, I don’t do much gaming, I do play the games I baught, but then again, some of the companies i’ve gotten games from went under.
One of the kids I know tends to spend a lot of time on the tablet now-a-day, watching some form of videos. I have no knowledge of what the videos are about, but I have heard that they don’t like it when it is time to get off, or they are told to get off. There’s got to be a time limit somewhere, and its got to be set. Times are changing, and we need to figure out how to make sure our kids are getting the right amount of time as well as doing things that’ll make them grow such as playing outside, and interacting. Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi jared.
Look at my other article.
To be honest our children shouldn’t be allowed to even use a computer till they enter highschool.
I couldn’t use a computer till I started intermediate and even then I wasn’t pushed till highschool and university.
Sadly we have 3-5 year olds doodling with it.
Ok protection software and filters do work.
I mean you can block the entire net bar what you want the person to go.
However you can get round this if you know how.
I was working teaching tech at a local highschool.
It was designed such that the net was secured so you could only do what was needed.
One day the intranet had a inaccessible module and I opened an email link to email the admin team on it as I thought that that was the fastest way to handle things as I had always done that.
Outlook starts and the staff account opened.
There was no password, it just opened full admin access to email systems etc.
A nice security hole in a secured system.
I was accused for hacking and fired not that I actually cared.
Admin didn’t want to process my requests to back access my local net port where some of my stufff was, so it was no loss.
This was back in the 1998 days but still security works both ways.
1. you are secured.
2. but your are not a prisoner in your own house.
Later on back at the institute I was flatting I was able to ring up the prime admin and told him about it and I learned that their admins didn’t want to know anything.
They had a simple block for just about everything but where stuff was open they just got rid of anyone that knew and expected it to go away.
Our kids are getting smarter and smarter.
Yes you can restrict access but they will find a way to get past it its not like you can restrict access on every terminal anyway.
Simply no child should use a computer in school not even a phone till at least intermediate age or more importantly till they are ready.
I didn’t use my first serious computer till highschool.
Later in university well 6-7th form 12-13th year I did use it a lot.
I had matured since then.
Children and others can get into trouble on social network, chatrooms, forums and the like.
Even with supposed age restrictions, if you fake your identity no one will actually give a damn and the kids know this.
All the kids these days excercise on gaming units when they should be outside playing.
This doesn’t happen.
Even with the restrictions unless every child has their computer locked, the adult user will have to handle things.
I have had issue maintaining computers with teenagers and the like.
They load the newest screensaver and say its good.
They load programs and respond to things and wander why they have things go wrong.
They reformat to fix things and say it works, crack software and wnder why they are now hacked etc.
They don’t appreciate some still don’t even in adult the tech’s hard work killing whatever nasty they have.
I had to handle a shared computer once which was so full of junk it simply just got reloaded then they bitched at me for losing their files.
I was to scared to back them up.
In another case someone had a virus, it was killed but caused dammage.
In another case, someone got a virus and other spyware and over responded.
Their responce killed the initial infection.
Their over responce killed windows.
they loaded 50 security programs, and other things they read on the net.
It ended with me reinstalling or at least removing all their security programs and cleaning the entire system out including a reinstall.
I actually think a simple system with average security as well as using your brain is the way to go.
You don’t really need malware software anyway its just what the vendors tell you.
You need to think before you click a lot don’t sadly.
You also need to think if you need that extra bit of software etc.
Most don’t sadly.
Email previders scan most email now so do forums and most reputable websites though stuff does get in.
A lot of infections are download related over 60% according to some internal company memos I have access to while my dad was working.
This means that most of the malware infections are user related.
It doesn’t mean get an antivirus program in fact you don’t ned to have a good antivirus program a shitty one will do.
You just need to think where you are going.
I admit thats not fullproof but then nothing is.
Last week norton one of the big companies got hacked and all users of its software were opened to remote attack well a possible one at least.