The standard response to many frustrations with new technology is, “Find a 10-year-old!”

Because they have grown up with tech-driven toys and then real technology, kids have an intuitive grasp of how something new works.

Kids do not have any life experiences which prepare them for the need to know how to stay safe on the Internet or why privacy problems could change their lives—-and not for the good.

The article quoted below from an expert lays out what parents can and should do to get their kids ready for their citizenship in the world of the Net.

Additional resources are given.

Do read the whole article. It will be an enormous help to parents and grandparents who are responsible for a child’s Internet access and use.

Wired

“This is another in a series of guest posts by Adam Rosenberg (adam@cdt.org), New Media Manager, Center for Democracy & Technology.”

…”Today, the phone is no longer even the standard communication method between two 13-year-olds.  E-mail, IM and social networks are the most common forms of communication between teens and new studies have shown that Generation Y is becoming increasingly reliant on e-mail as their preferred form of communication.  This means kids are growing up to become even more reliant on the internet and technology in their lives.  There is no reason to think this trend is going to reverse itself, so when setting up e-mail addresses for your kids, you should work off the assumption that this will become a primary form of communication they will use for the near future and should be approached with that level of importance. (Emphasis added)

“So you’re probably thinking to yourself, “I want my child to enjoy the benefits of the internet as I do, but I am worried about what might happen when I’m not there.”  Adam Thierer of the Progress & Freedom Foundation put out a report about parental controls and talking to your kids about safe online use. GetNetWise.org is another great resource for keeping your kids safe online — the site has tips about online usage and how to report problems you run into.  (Emphasis added)

“There is no one right way to teach your kids to be safe and responsible online, but as noted in Thierer’s report — in the end, the responsibility for teaching your children proper etiquette online comes from you the parent.  The same approach to have towards teaching them to know right and wrong offline applies to their activities online.  Your kids are going to work off of whatever guidelines and principles you instill in them because at the end of the day, they are still your kids and your responsibility. (Emphasis added)

…”Setting up an e-mail account is one of the primary steps in establishing your online presence and digital identity.  As my colleague at CDT discussed recently in a post on this very blog — you are never too old (or too young!) to put your privacy at the forefront of your online presence.  This is key to raising a smart and savvy internet user later on….”

Source: Wired, Online, October 27, 2009