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Helping Families Get Online

Internet Issues for Parents

10 QUESTIONS PARENTS HAVE ABOUT THE INTERNET

HOW SOME PARENTS ARE MANAGING THE INTERNET

A CYBERSAVVY FAMILY CHECKLIST

Privacy Policy

Here are comments from families whose children use the Internet often. Use them to focus the group discussions with the parents.

My eight-year-old granddaughter loves to write and uses the Internet to share her poems and stories with other children. She uses the Internet on her own and has several pen pals but accepts my rule that I get to read her e-mail first and will delete anything I don't think is appropriate. So far, we haven't had any e-mail problems.

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To review some of the important ideas about families on the Internet, click one or more of these icons.

• INTERNET BASICS
• FAMILIES ONLINE
• PRIVACY & SAFETY
• FAMILY PRIVACY RESOURCES

Help your audience summarize the issues to consider by using A Family CyberSavvy Checklist. Click here.

Do you agree with this grandmother? What do you like/not like about her approach? Our nine-year-old son is very smart but I never let him on the Internet alone. I've explained that there are adult-only and inappropriate areas that even I wouldn't feel comfortable looking at. I said it's like a video store. There are lots of sections I don't go into, and wouldn't want him to either. He understands.

Do you think her explanation is a good one? Would you want to or be able to be with your children all the time they are on the Internet? Do you think it's necessary? My 15-year-old is on the Internet for hours. He has plenty of friends and talks about sports, music and school work with them. I installed a software system that lets me check the Web sites he visits. I look over them occasionally, just to be sure he doesn't get into any adult-oriented or other places that could be trouble. Would this type of system work for you? Would you want to use it? Why or why not? How old do you think a teen should be before he can choose where he wants to go on the Internet?