A common question parents with kids who are just gaining interest in going online is HOW to parent an online child. The answer really is simple. You parent your child online, the same way you do offline. You help them learn the new tool (the computer and Internet), use tools to protect them (parental controls from your computer or other free software), and work with them and monitor them as they learn.
Here are a few good web sites to start for kids who are probably just asking about getting online. Your child may already know a few that he/she wants to see:
- KOL - Yep, this is the AOL site for kids. It has celeb news, games, sports and style information. You can also sign your child up for an email address that is designed for kids. Because it is an AOL site, I will let you be the judge on how good it is.
- Nick.com - This site is from Nickelodeon and, as you might expect, it is filled with Nickelodeon characters. Everyone from Sponge Bob and iCarly to Rugrats and the Naked Brothers are represented with their own games and videos. If you like Nickelodeon channel, chances are you will like the site.
- Disney.com - Disney cannot be outdone for creativity, in my opinion. The games and videos are represented, all with the Disney characters, but there are a lot more interactive things to do on this site. My personal favorite is under the "create" tab, you can create mash ups.
- National Geographic for Kids - The fun way to learn and the best place for animal pictures.
- NASA - If you have a space nut in your house, this is a great site NASA made for kids.
This is a very short list of the many offerings for kids online. A good place to start looking for content for your kids is from their favorite activities, characters and toys. Do a search for the their favorite things and see what's out there. I would recommend you doing this search for the younger kids.
It is always a good idea to use tools like parental controls in conjunction with your help, especially when they start surfing on their own, but there is no tool that will parent better than you.
What are some of your young child's favorite web sites?
Parenting In An Online World
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
HelpViaVideo 12-11-2009 @ 11:38PM
With the pop ups that happen on computers today it is a must to have some sort of internet parental controls. But what is the best and how much does it cost. I will tell you it is free. If you search for Open DNS you will find the solution. Why is it good. Well like I said it's free, it works great. It blocks entire content topics, like adult themes, nudity, or gambling, gaming, social networking or chatting and more. Also there is no software to download. You log in to their site, create a filter level you want, then point your internet to their DNS servers and that is it. You can filter at a PC level or a router level.
I have created a helpful video on how to set it up to block sites. The link can be found here.
http://www.helpviavideo.com/watch.php?vidid=38
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Tom 12-15-2009 @ 1:44AM
Open DNS is good. It has to drawbacks that I have found. One it can be applied to the entire computer. so if several different people use one computer they all must share the same Internet filter. Also changing the DNS is a simple task. so simple that any kid 8 years or older that wants to get past this filter can simply change the DNS settings back with a few clicks of a button. disabling the filter. I found this product that yes you have to download but its less than 1 meg and it allows for and unlimited number of Internet filters to be set for an unlimited number of people on on the same computer. It cannot be uninstalled without a master password. It also has many different reports for each user that allow me to see all my kids activities. There are many other features too. It was only $40 for one year. You cant beat that. They even let you try it for free for 30 days.
I found it at
http://www.vision48.com
HelpViaVideo 12-15-2009 @ 11:40PM
In my video I clearly state you should not allow your children to have administrative privileges to the PC. I show the viewer how to verify that. Without the right permissions they cannot change the DNS settings.
Again the video is at.
http://www.helpviavideo.com/watch.php?vidid=38
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magnocabana2 1-26-2010 @ 3:29PM
make sure you the right filter for your kids on line . and always check there email....
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