Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Mom In Labor During Tornado: 'I Opened My Eyes And I Could See Out…
Christie O. Tate: I Love and Welcome My Daugther's Rage
Young Kids Spending More Time Online
Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Big Kids, Research Reveals: Tweens
Kids get friendly with the Internet. Photo: sxc.hu
The first time I used the Internet -- and I'm aging myself, here -- I was a college graduate. The year was 1996. My kids, on the other hand, could both handle a mouse quite nicely by the age of three. The Internet to them isn't a marvel -- it's just another way to entertain themselves, find information and communicate. And a Nielsen report proves that kids are incorporating the Internet into their daily lives.
Nearly one out of ten Internet users is a child younger than 11, and the number of kids in this age group getting online has grown by 18 percent. To compare: In the same time period, the use of the Internet by all other users grew ten percent. Boys spend more time online than girls, but girls surf more websites.
So everyone's online, and in some houses, everyone's got their own computer, too. But is this healthy?Parents are often resistant to things that they didn't experience in their own childhood, and computers are no exception. We're leery of letting our kids get overly involved in computer or video games, because we think they should be outside playing like we were. But at the same time, technology is a part of their childhood, and kids need to learn how to use and enjoy it.
So where do we draw the line? The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that kids younger than two get no screen time -- TV or Internet -- at all, since they should be busy learning to, you know, walk and talk. And once they hit the age of two, screen time should be limited to two hours or less a day.
Do you let your young children use the Internet? If so, do you limit their time online? Share your thoughts with us.
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Around the Net: Skiing Kid Can't Pizza
Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey head out around the internet in search of awesome viral videos, and come up with a guy throwing himself down the stairs, Skiing kid can't pizza, Peeing in Public Prank and Romney's Super Tuesday polls surging after flaunting his wealth.
-
Around the Net: Mariachi Kids
Around the Net's Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey present the top viral videos around the internet, including a the new ending of 'Entourage', a guide for trolling seagulls and the Mariachi Kids.
-
Around the Net: Kid Launched Into Ceiling Fan
Around the Net's Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey present the latest viral videos around the internet, including a kid launched into a ceiling fan, Chuck Testa MC Hammer Remix and a table jump fail.
-
Should Kids Use Facebook
Are you the parent of a child who has been requesting their own Facebook page? In this episode of The Lab, Daddy Clay sits down with the authors of "The Smart Parent's Guide to Facebook" to discuss this parenting dilemma. They give advice on what the appropriate age is for kids to start social networking, and also provide Internet safety tips on how to avoid things like cyber bullying.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
7-14-2009 @ 12:10PM
Sandyone said...Is this healthy? I once had a neighbor boy worriedly tell his mother that "The Sandyones are a dangerous family....they all have knives!" In their family, everyone had a GameBoy.
Reply
7-14-2009 @ 2:42PM
Frances said...I have been having similar thoughts about trying to find a healthy balance with regards to the use of technology, especially with my millenial students. I sometimes worry that there really are two extremes when it comes to kids and technology: the kids who have achieved the rank of general in some virtual universe's fight against alien races and have hours invested in the whole saga... and kids whose only exposure to technology is using the remote to find the latest and greatest adventure of SpongeBob. Somehow, I think that most kids use technology at home for little more than a diversion while dinner is heating in the microwave. I think I must be among the minority that that try to let my kids use the computer with parental monitoring/limiting. There must be others out there like me!
Maybe, one of my roles as an educator could be to model a wise use of the internet and its vast resources for my students' and their families? Maybe I could add internet information to the resources I provide parents at Open House, newsletters, or Family Math Night? Maybe by exposing kids to these "fun" educational resources, I can lure them away from the gun-slinging, lightsaber weilding, Club Penguin pursuits and encourage them to spend their time on something more worthwhile?
Just a thought. I'm off to play Lego Star Wars Wii with my husband now... I am an awesome Princess Leia! Just Kidding.
Reply
7-20-2009 @ 5:12PM
Lady Blue said...Video games. There's just no escaping them. Your kids love them. When they talk about their favorite game, its like hearing a foreign language being spoken. Their free hours are spent playing. You have the nagging feeling that they should be outside, exercising and socializing with friends, enjoying summer, learning hand-eye coordination while tossing a ball. Instead, they're holed up in their room playing video games. Read more....
http://www.articledepot.net/articles/43796/1/PARENTING-THE-AVID-GAMER
Reply