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General discussion

the MySpace discussion and how to keep your kids safe online

Mar 2, 2006 12:52AM PST

Molly, I have to agree with your assertion that NetNanny type programs that block bad websites are not the way to go. Here are my tips on how to keep your kids safe online:

First, Education! tell your kids not to share personal information -- make it specific about what not to share and tell why. Include examples like how a person could figure out where you live if you give the name of your school, or the school's football team name, etc., esp. someone who meets you and develops a relationship with you online in a forum or some such place.

Second, Supervision! My husband (the interior decorator in our house) hates the fact that our main computer is in the kitchen. I'ts right there, next to the kitchen table. In fact, if you rotate the computer chair 180 degrees, you're sitting at the kitchen table (thought it's often quite difficult to get the kid to quit out of the game and actually make the chair rotate when it's time for dinner!). I think it was the best move we've made in the way of furniture rearrangement. It makes it very easy for me to know what the kids are doing on it. Now that we have a laptop, I make it a point to drop in frequently if the kids are using it in their bedrooms. But, my husband and I get first dibs on the laptop so the kids are more likely to use the desktop computer anyway.

I thought I'd share this since none of our hosts seem to have kids, so they don't have first-hand experience in this.

Discussion is locked

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I agree ..
Mar 2, 2006 1:05AM PST

Keeping the computer in a central location is probably the best bet in monitoring what a child does when they're online. Our computer is in the den, where it can be seen from the living room. Granted, my son is only 6, and doesn't do much of anything online, it will definitely be beneficial when he gets older.

-Terry

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Echo that...
Mar 2, 2006 1:09AM PST

At the risk of being overly "me too" on this I have to agree with beelissa on her approach to computer "control" for her kids - her advice seems quite practical. While I too am child-impaired, I've watched intently what friends and family have done and I have seen the effectiveness of having computers in common areas. My oldest nephew (9) is a RPG/Strategy gamer but he is VERY clear on how much time he's allowed AFTER homework.

Bottom line - your best way to protect your kids (and not just on the Internet) is to teach them about good safety practices yourself. Don't assume someone else, especially the school system, will do it for you. Abrogate that responsibility and reap what you sow.

</soap box>

Ahem.

- Micah

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MySpace is evil...
Mar 2, 2006 2:20AM PST

I think the best way to keep kids safe is to keep them from using MySpace. Use a Parental Control to block the site.

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NONONO!
Mar 2, 2006 9:13PM PST

Don't block myspace to "keep us safe!" We aren't little babies, and just because some of the millions of myspace users are sexually solicited, it doesn't mean that we should ban the whole site. Teenagers should be considered mature enough by adults to make good decisions online, yeah parents should be involved in what we do, but that doesn't mean that you need to ban everything. It is much more effective to talk to your kids about safe internet use, than to blindly ban them. After all, we are always one step ahead of you. We'll just use proxies or use different services, without any communication with you. DON'T BAN SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES ON YOUR KIDS COMPUTERS!