[Rick Ace]

Honestly, even the title itself makes me chuckle. It has become almost impossible to protect children online. I was reading FC's announcement on Internet Safety (I commend FC for taking this stance ), and I noticed an older piece of advice. "Keep computers in a shared family room." I've heard this one many years ago. But for better or worse, we live in a world where two-year olds have tablets and smartphones.

So, how would you keep your kids safe online in a world with many different ways to get online?

[Fergal]

we live in a world where two-year olds have tablets and smartphones.

Small children haven't developed the ability to know what is good for them and to understand a lot of things that can be dangerous. It's parents' responsibility to keep their children safe. It's not easy, but keeping an eye on what their children are doing online, but it is something that the majority of responsible parents will do to the best of their ability.

[ruthmongare]

I don't think it will help a thing..kids are very exposes to the the internet and I think its more becoming a swagger meaning if you not on the internet then you're outdated.

[rz3300]

I agree that kids are pretty saavy and will find ways to get around whatever is in place, but at the same time you have to try to keep up and prevent the worst from happening. It is certainly not easy anymore, though.

[ahmedo24]

I am of the opinion that you can only enlighten them on advantages and disadvantages of the internet because if you try to prevent them, once they mingle with their friends they will have access to without your knowledge.

[Kei]

I don't think you can totally take a Child away from the internet but you control to some extent the Kind of things the child views.

For starters you can activate the parental control features, educate the child about safety and harmful contents in the internet. Occasionally, you can monitor the browsing history of the child's device. These steps will not totally put the child away from the dangers of the internet, but it would reduce the risks of exposure.

[Rick Ace]

we live in a world where two-year olds have tablets and smartphones.

Small children haven't developed the ability to know what is good for them and to understand a lot of things that can be dangerous. It's parents' responsibility to keep their children safe. It's not easy, but keeping an eye on what their children are doing online, but it is something that the majority of responsible parents will do to the best of their ability.

And all the cyber-bullying we see occurring at younger ages each year...

Perhaps, responsible parents need to be educated about the dangers of the internet? Even tech-savy parents could use a few tips from professionals. There are times when I visit a site such as a sub-reddit on Reddit, and don't realize it could actually be harmful until a few minutes of browsing the site. A child could be deceived into joining communities that are rather toxic.

[sprite1950]

My granddaughter is almost 11 and received a picture of one of her friends sticking her middle finger up at her because they had fallen out. I contacted the parent and forwarded the picture to her. She didn't care at all and said it was just kids messing around. I would have been livid if my granddaughter had sent a picture like this to anyone but unfortunately not all parents feel this way so this child was not punished in any way.

What kind of message is this parent sending out, that it's ok to forward stuff like this on phones or computers? My granddaughter blocked the child but they are now friendly again so was the other parent right, just kids messing around?

[mildredtabitha]

Honestly, even the title itself makes me chuckle. It has become almost impossible to protect children online. I was reading FC's announcement on Internet Safety (I commend FC for taking this stance ), and I noticed an older piece of advice. "Keep computers in a shared family room." I've heard this one many years ago. But for better or worse, we live in a world where two-year olds have tablets and smartphones.

So, how would you keep your kids safe online in a world with many different ways to get online?

Buy buying them a smartphone when they turn 18

It is good to educate them when they are young so they can know the difference between right and wrong.

[mdbree17]

We never know what children are up to nowadays. The world now is so full of peer pressure and they are curious about almost everything. Having an access to the world web is definitely scary for the parents. We never know what they encounter by doing so. We can't be there 24/7 to see what sites they're browsing or what not.

[Fergal]

a picture of one of her friends sticking her middle finger up at her

If an eleven year old I know sent a picture like that I would be disappointed, I would speak to them try to explain how it could be very hurtful to the person they sent it to and try to ensure that they didn't do it again.

My granddaughter blocked the child but they are now friendly again so was the other parent right, just kids messing around?

It's probably a good thing that they are friends again and the person who sent the picture probably didn't understand fully what they were doing and hopefully didn't mean any harm. Honestly I don't know the answer to your question, but I would love to hear the opinion of other members on this one.

[Rick Ace]

Unfortunately, even when I was around that age, it wasn't uncommon to see someone stick up a middle finger. Just to give you an idea, that was about 12ish years ago (I'm 23 now). Vulgar language was also relatively common by the age of 12.

I lived in a pretty good neighborhood too. So, I can't tell if it was better or worse elsewhere. I guess you can say it was "just kids messing around." Sadly, most people will encounter much worse than a middle finger at that age.

My advice would be to tell your granddaughter to not tolerate that type of behavior. While you can't change society, you can try to teach your granddaughter to be independent and a better person in general.

[lejla1311]

I have two children and they are not allowed to use smartphones, tablet and laptop. I am cruel when it comes to that. People judge me, but I don't care that much about other people's opinion. They should play with toys and with other kids. Internet is not safe for kids. It is not even safe for the adults. So, no internet for my kids!!

[joemael]

my sister 7 years old, i really dont know how he can use internet, and im shocked when she typed " how to make childern" on google, internet is really wild world when you can search anything so easy, in the past if u want watch some nude stuff u must buy something like magazine, today just typing on internet

[angelrosei]

I don't have a child, but instead of letting them use Google while doing homeworks or when browsing, let them use Kiddle instead. It's a search engine powered by Google that's specifically made for kids. They also have a keyword blocking feature, as well as a site blocking feature so you can just type in the sites that you don't want them to see.

There's also the YouTube Kids app. My 2 year old nephew likes to watch videos, so his mom lets him use that.

Unfortunately, even when I was around that age, it wasn't uncommon to see someone stick up a middle finger. Just to give you an idea, that was about 12ish years ago (I'm 23 now). Vulgar language was also relatively common by the age of 12.

This is true. Swearing and sticking out your middle finger was considered cool when I was in fifth grade. (I'm 20 btw) Most of the time (in my experience anyways) it's not even used in an offensive way, but in a "I'm so badass look at my middle finger" kind of way. I mean, I vaguely remember me and my friends giving each the finger just because we thought it was funny and kinda cool. Most people would have taken it as offensive, but we took it as a sign of friendship (which is pretty immature now that I think about it).

[erix433]

it is true is becoming more difficult to protect children from the bad things that are on the internet and there are many ways to connect nowadays there should be an app to help us with this problem

[malot12]

we live in a world where two-year olds have tablets and smartphones.

Small children haven't developed the ability to know what is good for them and to understand a lot of things that can be dangerous. It's parents' responsibility to keep their children safe. It's not easy, but keeping an eye on what their children are doing online, but it is something that the majority of responsible parents will do to the best of their ability.

Providing gadgets and internet connection to children in replacement of parent's play time is too risky, for we don't really what they are searching and what accidentally they are searched for. Parental Guidance is always a must and its needs to strengthened is highly recommended.

[liah33]

I think you can keep children safe online if you blocked some malicious site which you're children can stumbled upon like a pornograhic site which is scattered online. Let's face it most children who used the internet can easily access to any prohibited site which can ruin their minds, morals and values. One time when I go to the nearest internet shop in the neighborhood to check my emails there was two young male children aged 8 to 10 above are watching some nasty YouTube videos online! It was a girl doing some dirty dancing with a man. It's really alarming that at the young age children can get perverts and into something they shouldn't be. I think internet play a major part for spreading pornograhic materials just to ruin young childrens mind. So, it should be blocked on everyone's computer for safe browsing.

[thisnthat]

Personally, I don't think 2 year olds should have tablets and mobile phones. Just because "everyone else is doing it" doesn't mean we have to. Children this young should never use devices that connect to the internet without supervision, if you ask me.

[A K Rao]

Personally, I don't think 2 year olds should have tablets and mobile phones. Just because "everyone else is doing it" doesn't mean we have to. Children this young should never use devices that connect to the internet without supervision, if you ask me.

That is very true! There is no need to give mobile phones unless the kid become wise enough to understand the actual usability. The kids must be explained about the pros and cons of any electronic devise given to them! Thanks!