The Net and Children: Still Scary

CNNMoney's newsletter from today profiles a very scary phenomenon: internet predators and the unsuspecting children who become their prey.

It is a very scary world. And the concerns can't be over highlighted, especially when you read some of the case studies from the experts in this field.

But what I don't understand....is...

Would any parent let their children go unescorted for hours into a city of millions of strangers, roaming wherever, whenever, and meeting whomever?

Of course, everyone says no. Well, most everyone.

But then how do so many children  spend so many hours roaming the world wide web in the exact same manner? The world wide web at this point is essentially one large community with few rules or limits of access. Allowing children hours of unsupervised surfing is the same as allowing them to roam the streets at night by themselves.

Why do so many children prefer an imaginary (aka virtual)  friend over their real, in-person, friends (and family)? What's so rich about a virtual friend compared to the, should-be anyway, richer experience in real life?

Why do so many children prefer spending so much more time away from their family and friends,  instead spending hours alone roaming the streets of the world wide web, unescorted, unprotected, with seemingly disinterested family members and friends not bothering to connect?

It's not the internet that's scary.

What's scary is why children have and want so much time on the internet, prefering imaginary friends and relationships over those real in-person relationships just on the other side of the door and why no one's escorting them or protecting them, in this virtual world. 

But I don't have any children in the house. So what do I know? But, how do you have a family if no one's participating?

Just a quick post.

Comments

[Blair Corbett]

Thank you for your article Zane. I have 10 children, mostly teenagers inluding 5 daughters and the Internet is a very scary place, especially after a stalker-type scare we had. But we chose to join our kids in becoming Internet savvy inlcuding joining MySpace (www.myspace.com/arkofhope). We also installed Internet safety software that alerts us if to words typed or sites visited that could mean another bad situation. This helps us and our kids sleep well.

Our family started a website and blog where we blog together about things important to us. Today I blogged about and linked back to your article. We also have reviewed and make available 5 of the top Internet safety software programs. We encourage your visitors to check them our at www.giveitakiss.com/internet-safety-software/

Blair Corbett
Giveitakiss.com/blog
Keeping the light on

[Damon Billian]

"Why do so many children prefer an imaginary (aka virtual) friend over their real, in-person, friends (and family)? What's so rich about a virtual friend compared to the, should-be anyway, richer experience in real life? "

I don't think that this is the case. If anything, the social networks & internet probably help extend the amount of time kids spend with their friends & allow them to communicate to them at all hours. Teenagers, at least in my overall experience, would prefer to spend time with their friends over their family so they can establish their own identity and autonomy.

Online predators: obviously a danger. But parents have a responsibility to monitor what the kids are doing, educate children about potential risks & establish proper parental controls.