Published: September 04, 2008 09:50 am         

Supervise computer use

Most kids have more time to browse the internet during the summer, but once back in school they have an excuse to be surfing the web because many teachers post homework assignments online and encourage online research.

As kids head back to school it is inevitable that they will need to be online for school work, so it is almost impossible not to allow children to use the computer or the internet. This is when unsupervised time can quickly turn to mischief. Parents can, however, keep an eye on what their children are doing while sitting at a computer. Parents should not feel like they are invading their children’s privacy when monitoring their computer usage. Instead, they need to embrace 21st century technologies and monitor their child’s online activity to protect children from predators and cyberbullies.

Parents need to implement computer and internet usage rules and utilize parental control and monitoring software tools to help keep their young learners focused and safe online.

A recent Pew Internet & American Life Project report said 94 percent of teens ages 12 to 17 go online; 63 percent of online teens go online daily and 94 percent go online to do research for school assignments.

The report said 32 percent of online teens have been contacted online by a complete stranger and out of those teens who have been contacted, 23 percent say they were made scared or uncomfortable by the stranger.

According to the report, social network users are more likely to be contacted by strangers, and 32 percent of online teens have experienced a form of cyberbullying, such as having private material (IM, txt, e-mail) forwarded without permission, receiving threatening messages, having a rumor spread about them online or having someone post an embarrassing picture of them without permission.

Pew Internet & American Life Project surveyed 1,100 youth — those ages 12 to 17 — and 1,100 of their parents. The survey showed that 54 percent of internet-connected families now use some sort of internet filter or monitoring software, which is up from 41 percent of internet-connected families who used filters in 2000.

Numbers are increasing over the years, but all parents should be watching what their children are doing while on the internet.