The preteen years are a time of rapid change in kids' lives. Although at this age kids are still quite dependent on their families, they want more independence.
Kids who are 9-12 years old also start to take an interest in the world around them, and relationships with friends become more important.
Kids in this age group use the Internet to research school projects. They also download music, use e-mail, play online games, and vote for their favorite celebrities on fan sites. Their preferred way to communicate with friends is by instant messaging (IM).
1. | It's a great idea to foster open and positive communication with children. Talk with them about computers and stay open to their questions and curiosity. |
2. | Create a list of Internet house rules with input from your kids. |
3. | Keep Internet-connected computers in an open area and out of your kids' bedrooms. |
4. | Investigate Internet-filtering tools (such as Windows Vista Parental Controls or Windows Live OneCare Family Safety ) as a complement to parental supervision. |
5. | Talk to your kids about social networking Web sites. The recommended age for signing up for social networking sites is usually 13 and over. If your children are under the recommended age for these sites, do not let them use the sites. It is important to remember that you cannot rely on the services themselves to keep your underage child from signing up.
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6. | Help protect your children from offensive pop-up windows by using the pop-up blocker that's built in to Internet Explorer. You can also help block pop-up windows that appear when you're not surfing the Internet with Windows Defender. |
7. | Talk with your kids about their online friends and activities just as you would about their other activities. |
8. | Insist that your kids never agree to meet an online friend. |
9. | Allow your kids to use only monitored chat rooms on reputable kids' sites. |
10. | Teach your kids to never give out personal information when using e-mail, chat rooms, or instant messaging, filling out registration forms and personal profiles, and entering online contests. |
11. | Teach your kids not to download programs without your permission—they might unknowingly download spyware or a computer virus. Also teach your kids that file-sharing and taking text, images, or artwork from the Web may infringe on copyright laws. |
12. | Consider giving your child a limited user account to help keep them from participating in activities without your knowledge. |
13. | Talk to your kids about online pornography and direct them to good sites about health and sexuality. |
14. | Insist on access to your kids' e-mail and instant messaging accounts to make sure they're not talking to strangers. |
15. | Talk to your kids about responsible, ethical, online behavior. They should not be using the Internet to spread gossip, bully, or make threats against others. |
