Internet Use By Age
There are general guidelines regarding Internet use that are relevant for all children's age groups (see General Guidelines). But since each age group has its own characteristics and habits when surfing the web, there is a need to define specific guidelines. There are three major age groups:
Age 2-10 Years
Children at this age range are just starting to discover the cyber world. The Internet can be a great place for them to play, learn and improve their technological skills. Their language abilities might be limited so they will need help from an adult in order to surf. It is not recommended to let children at this age to surf alone without adult supervision. You can use this time to teach the child guidelines for surfing the Internet and to build trust between the two of you.
Age 11-14 Years
Children at this age range usually have good technological and language abilities that allow them to surf freely. On the other hand, they lack the maturity and experience to help them understand the content that they encounter when surfing; they need adult guidance.
Children at this age are influenced by their peers and are frequent users of social software such as, IM (=Instant Message) (Messenger and ICQ), P2P (=Peer-to-Peer networks), social network services (Facebook) and newsgroups.
They are a vulnerable population. They have the ability to surf the Internet alone, but they are lacking in judgment. Their high technological abilities and desire to socialize exposes them to risks ,as well as, their PC and private family information.
In order to minimize these risks, it is very important for parents to children at this age to be involved as much as they can in their children Internet activities and to understand their Internet experience. Be Internet savvy, place the child's PC in a family room with adult supervision and make sure your children are aware of the family guidelines regarding Internet use.
It is recommended to define an Internet use policy which the child will be obligated to follow (see Internet Use Policies). Monitoring and filtering tools (see Tools and Products) can also help to control children Internet activities.
More importantly, give your children confidence about approaching the adults in the family in case they encounter suspicious behavior on the web that makes them uncomfortable.
Age 15-18 Years
Teenagers have fully developed technological and language skills. They are confident surfing the Internet (sometimes more than their parents). The Internet becomes a strong social and educational tool in their life.
Teenagers are usually more aware of the risks that exist on the web. They have better judgment when it comes to the material they are exposed to than the other age groups described in this section. On the other hand, in this age group there is a tendency for risk taking. In addition, teenagers usually use a PC in the privacy of their own room, or they go to places that allow them to surf without supervision, such as Internet cafés or friends' houses. So it is nearly impossible to monitor the teenager Internet activities.
The solution is continuous communication, openness and involvement in the teenager surfing habits. Communication with teenagers on any subject can be hard sometimes, but it is very important not to give up, and not to leave the teenager all alone in the cyber world. In order to support them you should become Internet savvy. A use policy may help define clear guidelines to the teenager (see Internet Use Policies ). Monitoring and filtering tools (see Tools and Products) can also help, but of course can not replace good communication in the family.