Internet Use among Children of Different Age Groups

 The role that parents play in understanding the different ways in which children of different age groups use internet and give appropriate instructions to them is huge. Here are some of the instructions given by computer experts and psychologists.

2-4 years: In this stage we have to use the computer as a means to provide them happiness. From three years onwards, parents give a little more freedom to the kids regarding the use of computer. In this way they can search and find out new things on their own. They will make small mistakes of their own.The parents should select the websites which they require.
4-7 years: This is the stage where children try to find out things on their own. When they use the internet, the parents should have knowledge about what they are doing. They should use programs and set the internet in such a way that the children are accessible only to sites which they can see or use. Use search engines which are children specific.
7-10 years: It is better to leave children more or less alone by themselves. But then also parents should be close to them. The feeling that, the parents are giving them freedom should be there for this age group. In this stage, the parents should monitor how long the child is using the internet and about what they are doing on it. Keep a time limit for the internet usage.
10-12 years: This s the time when children use the computer/internet more for their school work. They will also collect the materials required for their hobby. At this stage it is important to know what the child is doing on the computer as well as how long they are using it too. Permission should be given to visit sites which are known/interesting-for example the sites relating to their favorite sportsman or singer.
12-14 years: At this stage, children prefer to use online chatting. Do not encourage chatting with strangers. You should tell the child not to exchange photos or information with strangers and not to go alone to meet the strangers they met online. This is the age when they are starting to take interest in sexual things. Therefore they will try to see photos related to sex or pornography. At this time, the parents should necessarily be around the children. Do not worry that your child is thinking about sexual activities. The credit goes to the parents when they know how to handle such situations.
14-17 years: This is the stage where the children mature physically as well as mentally. This is the time when parents loose control over their kids and therefore the parents should be careful. Children will be interested in doing some risky things. There is a chance for them to fall in love through internet. You should make the child understand that people on the internet are not always genuine and that they do not always portray their true behavior. The biggest danger during this stage is the chance of your child meeting people offline whom they have met online on internet. You should make sure that your girls (and also boys) do not go to meet such people alone. If children are behaving immaturely, you should not disconnect the internet connection immediately. Instead you should instruct them not to repeat such activity in the future.
What are they searching for?
Parents need not worry unnecessarily that children follow the wrong paths because they use the internet. But it is also important not to be careless about such issues. Here are some advice given by psychologists and computer experts:

• Always keep the computer in such a place where the parents can see them. It is better to keep the computer in the hall or the master bedroom.
• Do not allow the children to use the internet when there is no one else in the house. Find out the sites which the child has visited and the information they searched for.
• Control the time which the children can be online. Follow a strict rule as to how long the children can use the computer in a day.
• Discourage chatting with strangers online.
• Block unwanted sex sites from your computer.( Thee are programs available to do the same)
• Do not allow children to watch violent visuals/videos and do not allow them to send these to others.
• Discourage children from visiting sites which create hatred and disgust towards other religions.
• Ensure that children do not visit sites which show unlawful activities, bomb making, terrorism etc.
• When the children are searching for the information they require on the internet, make sure they are using browsers which are created specifically for children’s use.
• See to it that your children do not visit internet cafes without your knowledge after school hours.

Some precaution for parents
If you have your own web pages or community profiles (Orkut, Face book etc), do not give detailed information regarding your children in such profiles or pages.