Rules ‘N Tools- guidelines for parents broken down by age
General Rules for Kids of All Ages:
2-4 year olds
Kids at This Age: Will accept media content at face value, don’t have the critical thinking skills to be online alone, may be frightened by media images (both real and fictional), risk moving from appropriate to inappropriate sites through hyperlinks
Guidelines: always sit with your child at the computer (EIE recommends that children at this age not be exposed to the internet), Parents can begin teaching basic computer skills by introducing age-appropriate games and educational programs
5-7 year olds
Kids at This Age: Are very capable of using computers and cell phones (i.e. following commands, using the mouse, and playing computer games); Will accept media content at face value; Don’t have the critical thinking skills to be online or text alone; May be frightened by media images (both real and fictional); May be unintentionally exposed to inappropriate websites; Are vulnerable to online marketers who encourage them to give out personal information through surveys, contests and registration forms; Risk moving from appropriate to inappropriate sites through hyperlinks.
Guidelines: Always sit with your children when they are online; use kid-friendly search engines and/or “walled gardens” with parental controls (getparentalcontrols.org); Set age-appropriate filtering at the most restrictive level; Create a personalized environment by limiting your kids to their list of favorite or “bookmarked” sites; Keep internet-connected computers in an open area where you can easily monitor your kids’ activities; Start teaching your kids about privacy, tell them never to give out information about themselves or their family when online; Have your kids use an online nickname if a site encourages them to submit their names to “personalize” the web content; Block or disallow the use of instant message (IM), e-mail, chat rooms, mobile internet, text, picture and video messaging, and access to message boards at this age
8-10 year olds:
Kids at This Age: Are interested in the activities of older kids in their lives, are starting to develop a sense of their own identity, and they tend to be trusting and do not often question authority; Enjoy surfing online and using mobile devices for fun and playing interactive games; May be using e-mail and may also experiment with instant message (IM), chat rooms, and message boards (online forums), social networking and other interactive sites, and mobile devices although the use of these programs is strongly discouraged at this age; Are curious and interested in discovering new information; Lack the critical thinking skills to be online alone; Are vulnerable to online marketers who encourage them to give out personal information through surveys, contests, and registration forms; May be frightened by realistic portrayals of violence, threats, or dangers; May begin to communicate with online acquaintances they may not know in real life; May be influenced by media images and personalities, especially those that appear “cool” or desirable; May be exposed to search results with links to inappropriate websites; Are vulnerable to online predators if they use chat rooms, message boards, social networking, text messaging or instant messaging (IM)
Guidelines: Sit with your kids when they are online, or make sure they only visit sites you have approved; Keep any Internet-Connected computer in an open area where you can closely monitor your child’s online use; Set parental controls at the age-appropriate levels and use filtering and monitoring tools as a complement *not a replacement* for parental supervision; Use kid-friendly search engines or search engines with parental controls; Do not allow instant messaging, chat rooms, or social networking sites intended for older audiences at this age; You and your child should have the same e-mail address. Establish a shared family e-mail account with your internet service provider rather than letting your kids have their own accounts; Get to know your child’s online activities and friends. Talk to your kids about their online friends and activities just as you would about their other activities; Teach your kids to always come to you before giving out information through e-mail, message boards, registration forms, personal profiles, and online contests.
11-13 year olds
Kids at This Age: Can be highly influenced by what their friends are doing online and crave more independence; Tend to use the internet to help with school work, to download music, e-mail others, play online games, and go to sites of interest; Enjoy communicating with friends by instant messaging (IM) and chat features, and text messaging on their cell phones; Lack the critical thinking skills to judge the accuracy of online information; Feel in control when it comes to technology; Are vulnerable to online marketers who encourage them to give out personal information through surveys, contests, and registration forms; Are at a sensitive time in their sexual development *particularly boys* and may look for pornographic sites. Girls may try to imitate provocative media images and behaviors; Are interested in building relationships *especially girls* with online acquaintances, and are susceptible to crushes on older teens or young adults; Are at the most vulnerable age range to become victims of sexual predators; May be bullied or may be bullying others online
Guidelines: Keep internet-connected computers in an open area and out of your children’s bedrooms; Set parental controls at the age-appropriate levels and use filtering and monitoring tools as a complement *not a replacement* for parental supervision. Use parental controls on all internet-enabled devices such as cell phones, gaming devices, iPods, and PDAs; Talk with your kids about their online friends and activities just as you would about their offline activities; Instruct your child to avoid face-to-face meetings with anyone they only know online. “Online friends” may not be who they claim to be; Teach your kids never to give out personal information without your permission when participating in online activities (including e-mail, chat rooms or instant messaging, filling out registration forms and personal profiles, and entering online contests); Insist on access and passwords to your kids’ e-mail and instant messaging accounts to make sure that they’re not talking to strangers. Limit instant messaging to a parent-approved buddy list; Talk to your kids about ethical online behavior. They should not be using the internet to spread gossip, bully, or make threats against others; Disallow chat rooms; Do periodic spot checks (like checking browser history files) to monitor your kids’ online behaviors; Limit time online; Do not allow your children to have online profiles or pages on social networking sites that have a minimum age requirement such as MySpace (13yrs) and facebook (13yrs) - Only allow your children access to YouTube with caution. Sites such as Imbee, ClubPenguin, and TweenLand are more appropriate for users under 14 years of age; Your children should not post pictures or videos unless under close parental supervision.