Demented Rants

I have complained for many years that parents really need to watch their kids. It’s not the adult industries job to police your familiy. We do what we can, but there’s only SO MUCH that can be done. Free porn and adult commentary is available at the tips of their fingers in just a matter of seconds. According to CBSNews, 42% of online users aged 10-17 had seen online pornography between February 2006 and 2007. Of that, 34% had actively sought, and found it.

But porn isn’t the only issue with allowing your kids to have their own computers in their rooms, or accessable when you aren’t around to at least peek over their shoulders every once in a while. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you shouldn’t let your kids hang out on sites and forums. Just encouraging you to pay attention to what they are saying and doing. Believe it or not, this generation of teens and tweens can completely demolish their standings at school or in social groups, just by their behavior on the net.

Some seem to think that the internet is still “anonymous”, but it’s really not. On sites like myspace and facebook, everyone is encouraged to socialize with people that they already know. This itself makes for a bit of an issue, when your kid thinks it’s ok to start talking about how they are dating some 30 year old man, when they are only 14 or 15 themselves. Rumors spread, stories evolve and next thing you know, you are getting a call from the school about how your child got into a fight because of someone calling them a name or worse.

We should all do our part in raising our own kids. It’s no one’s job but your own. Giving them their own completely unsupervised access to the net is no different than handing them the keys to the car without a license. You need to make it very clear what kind of behavior you expect from them, and take appropriate action when they prove to be otherwise.

Now, I’m not telling you to install some sort of spy software on their pc, but you do need to have some sort of open lines of communication. I remember when I was a teen, I couldn’t say 5 words to my mom openly, without fear of some sort of retribution no matter what the conversation topic was.

On the other hand, if you are worried, maybe you do need to pay attention to what sites they are visiting, see what posts they make on forums, etc. They are your children after all and if an office can do it, I see no problems in keeping tabs on your kids.