I wonder why we need licenses and age limits on everything that we can experience in life, from driving to drinking, except using the Internet?
We protect our Children from driving when they are under 16 and to try to stop them from drinking and smoking before they are old enough to make adult decisions. You cannot start a business without a license or practice medicine and many other adult behaviors!
There is one major variant to those common rules of access– Having access to the Internet, the 21st Century Wild West Adult Show.
I am not proposing that we require an age limit, test and license, much less a tax or limits on access to the Internet.
I am curious why parents just give their kids access to a computer and turn them loose in this very adult and proven dangerous environment?
As an ICAC (Internet Crimes against Children), longtime Internet Safety instructor and Cyber investigator and Trainer, I have seen my share of events that have left me to ponder why we seem to put Internet Safety as the last thing we think of, until there is a problem. Don't we lock our doors and cars to keep out strangers and trouble ? Ok why then do we alllow the children open access and they can invite strangers and danger into your locked house??? Then when there is a problem we instantly blame everyone, except ourselves. We call the police then demand and hope for them to solve the issues but as parents we hold the majority of the blame for internet issues because we did not take any time to coach and watch over our kids, but we almost always blame the failure of society, the schools, teachers, police, law makers…etc but not the parents!!!
Important Rule #1 - No one is responsible for your children and their behavior except you, the parents!
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