Children and Internet Use

My group and I are looking at children and internet use. It's amazing to me because the use of internet and technology in general has changed so much, since we were kids. (Which is not even THAT long ago!) Kids today are using social networking sites, playing a bunch of video games and Disney even has virtual worlds specifically for kids. I was actually talking to one of my best friends this weekend and she was telling me that her cousin who is in the 5th grade has a cell phone and sent her a text a few days ago. I had to beg my parents to get me a cell phone and this was when I was in the 8th grade! Yes, time has definitely changed. 

I think it is wonderful how advanced technology has become, but in a way, it freaks me out a bit. Children using various websites and being exposed to SO much was unheard of a few years ago. I really think that parents totally have the right to be over protective of their children when it comes to internet use and they should be keeping an eye out when it comes to their online activity. This article that I read on CNN is about how Myspace kicked off 90,000 sex offenders from their website. Yes, 90,000!! If I were a parent, I would be horrified to know that my kids were potentially talking to networking with these people. I think children are being exposed to too much. 

Our group is looking into why children (preteens - mostly between the age of 10-14) use the internet. We are looking into what sites they use, and what their motives are when they visit these sites. We have started doing some research and are finding some pretty interesting data so this research is going well so far. 

We worry now about the kids of this generation, but I wonder sometimes, how things will be when we are parents and we are raising our kids. A bit scary, right? 

-Miko