Amen. I’ve been preaching that for years. The schools are fools when it comes to the internet/computers. It is undermining, not complimenting, education, at the present.
Much more structure and control is needed to actually make the internet/computers a constructive educational tool.
And, most parents have no clue what their kids are doing online or via text messaging (on cell phones).
I audit our kid’s cell phones nightly and record all their keystrokes via recording software.
I read the stuff their friends write on their pages, bulletin boards, etc. and GUARANTEE their parents have no clue what is going on.
“...their parents have no clue what is going on.”
It’s epidemic, I’m tellin ya. It boggles the mind.
Growing up we had a small collection of PlayBoy/Hustler type mags that we found in the trash and stashed in the woods—that was it. Nowadays, kids are exposed to complete debauchery, and an endless supply at that.
Not to mention the predators and assorted sickos that are actively seeking ‘companionship’ with YOUR kids.
The real cost is the innocence, I think. I’m glad I didn’t know women as a Gynecologist knows women. The mystery and the discovery was one of the highlights of my life, really.
NetNanny works well for kids that are NOT tech saavy. If the situation is more severe, or you kid is tech saavy then Spector Pro should do the job. (39.99 and 99.99 respectively)
But you probably don’t need any of these if you move the family computer to the living room where everyone can see the screen.
This is not 1982 with the Commordore 64, folks—the net is a dangerous place for kids.