Why is so hard to figure out the best way to manage the internet in your household? If you are like other parents in a recent survey, it’s because because of the double-edged sword it presents for the well-being of your kids, with growth and learning opportunities on one side, and the inherent opportunity to waste time and subject themselves to the negative forces of cyber spacer on the other.
As a parent, I live this conflict with my eleven year-old. I want him to be internet savy for the purposes of education and self-reliance, but I fear the day when hormones kick in and the internet vultures decend on him. If I remember correctly what it is like to be an adolescent boy, I don’t think he’ll be thinking through the social, developmental and financial repercussions of clicking over to view inappropriate material with his friends. Although I hope I am grossly incorrect, the lure of indecency to teenage boys has been a long-standing constant through the generations.
So, what can we do? The first thing is to identify what aspects of internet “opportunity” concern you the most. Is it the endless hours of violent video games that can isolate a child and impair the active lifestyle you envisioned?…the exposure to internet predators?… or the broad availability to satisfy every vice you can think of? Once you’ve crystallized your concerns, think about the various approaches to minimizing them in your household (see Common Sense Tips). Make a list of the rules and tools you would consider implementing, then weigh the potential effectiveness of each against the effort and/or impairments to ”good stuff” the internet offers.
Parenting is not easy. For all the convenience it creates, the connondrum it creates for parents is nothing short of staggering. In the end, all we parents can do is trust our gut, try different techniques, use available resources and hope for the best.
If you would like to know how the quantity of Screen Time (TV, video games and non-academic internet usage) that you allow stacks up against other households, take the online Parent’s Poll.