Age Appropriate Guidelines for Internet Usage

Age-Based Guidelines
Guidelines for 2 to 4-year olds
This is the age when children start interacting with the computer in the presence of a parent or sibling. According to a 2005 report from the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S., 67 percent of preschool-age children use a computer and 23 percent use the Internet.
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 be media images, both real and fictional
· May be frightened by realistic portrayals of violence, threats or dangers
· 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.
Guidelines for 4 to 7-year olds
Five- to seven-year-old children have a positive outlook and an accepting nature. They take pride in their new reading and counting skills and love to converse and share ideas. They are eager to behave well, are trusting and do not tend to question authority.
Kids at this age may be very capable at using computers (i.e. following commands, using the mouse, and playing computer games). They are, however, highly dependent on adults or older children to help them find Web sites, interpret online information or send e-mail.
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
· May be frightened by realistic portrayals of violence, threats or dangers
· May be exposed to search results that link to inappropriate Web sites
· 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 kids at this age when they are online.
· If introduced to the Internet, parents can choose to:
· Use kid-friendly search engines or ones with parental controls.
· Set age-appropriate filtering at the most restrictive level ideally a protected environment with pre-approved content (offered by many ISP's, AOL and Vista)
· Create a personalized online 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 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.
· Don't let your kids use instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms or message boards at this age.
· Encourage them to come to you if they come across anything online that makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened. (Stay calm if this happens; otherwise, they won't turn to you for help when they need it.)
Guidelines for 8 to 10-year olds
Eight- to ten-year-old kids have a strong sense of family. They are interested in the activities of older kids in their lives; they are starting to develop a sense of their own moral and gender identity; and they tend to be trusting and not question authority.
Surfing for fun and playing interactive games are favorite online activities at this age. They are using e-mail and may also experiment with instant messaging, chat rooms and message boards (online forums), although the use of these programs are strongly discouraged at this age.
Kids 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 Web sites
· Are vulnerable to online predators if they use chat rooms, message boards, social networking or instant messaging
Guidelines:
· Create a list of Internet rules with your kids (see Rules 'N ToolsSM Youth Pledge).
· Sit with your kids when they are online or make sure they only visit sites that you have approved.
· Keep Internet-connected computers in an open area where you can easily monitor them.
· 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 at this age.
· Talk to your kids about healthy sexuality in the event they come across sexually-explicit online pornography, either at home, a friend's house, school or library.
· Encourage your kids to come to you if they encounter anything online that makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened. (Stay calm and don't blame the child; otherwise, they won't turn to you for help when they need it.)
· 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. Discuss anonymous behavior.
· Teach them not to interact with people they do not know offline because an online predator can easily disguise him/herself.
· Keep lines of communication open.
· Do not allow instant messaging (IM), chatrooms or social networking sites.
· Check the history file on your computer to see which sites your child has accessed.
Guidelines for 11 to 13-year olds
This is a time of rapid change for children; although children at this age are still quite dependent on their families, they want to experience more independence. Also, relationships with friends become more important, and they can be highly influenced by what their friend are doing online. Kids at this age will be using the Internet to help with schoolwork, download music, e-mail others, play online games, and go to sites of interest. Kids enjoy communicating with friends by instant messaging (IM) and text messaging by cell phone.
Kids at this Age:
· 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, who may look for pornographic sites at this age and girls who 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 men
· This is the most vulnerable age range for victims of sexual predators
· May be bullied or they may be bullying others online
· "Tweens" may begin displaying "risky behavior" online and are very susceptible to peer pressures
· Mean girl scenarios, both online and offline, are common for this age range
Guidelines:
· Create a list of Internet rules with your kids (see Rules 'N ToolsSM Youth Pledge).
· Keep Internet-connected computers in an open area and out of your kids' 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, i-pods and pdas.
· Talk with your kids about their online friends and activities just as you would about their offline activities.
· Teach your child that if they don't know "an online friend" in the offline world, they can't be sure if they are safe and if they are who they claim to be. Instruct your child not to plan a face-to-face with someone they only know online.
· Teach your kids never to give out personal information without your permission when participating in online activities including: using e-mail, chat rooms or instant messaging, filling out registration forms and personal profiles, and entering online contests.
· Encourage them to come to you if they encounter material or messages that make them feel uncomfortable or threatened, and remember to stay calm; otherwise, your kids won't turn to you for help when they need it.
· Insist on access and passwords to your kids' e-mail and instant messaging accounts to make sure that they're not talking to strangers and limit IM to a parent approved buddy list.
· Talk to your kids about ethical behavior. They should not be using the Internet to spread gossip, bully or make threats against others.
· Disallow chatrooms or only allow your kids to use monitored chat rooms on reputable kids' sites.
· Do periodic spot-checks (like checking 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 such as MySpace and Facebook who have a minimum age requirement of 14. (Kids can lie about their age and gain access to these sites). Check social networking sites such as Imbee, ClubPenguin, and TweenLand. Follow the Rules 'N ToolsSM Parent's Guideline regarding social networking sites.
· Your children should not post pictures unless under close parental supervision.
· Talk to your kids about healthy sexuality (vs. porn message) in the event they come across sexually-explicit online pornography, either at home, a friend's house, school or library.
Guidelines for 14 - 18-year olds
Older teenagers need both group identity and independence. In late adolescence kids mature and are ready to interact with the world on an intellectual level. Generally, all teens are open to new ideas but lack the life experience to judge their validity.
Teens download music, use instant messaging (IM), e-mail, social networking sites and play online games. They also actively use search engines to find information on the Internet. Most of them have visited chat rooms, and many have participated in adult or private chat. Boys in this age group are more likely to push the boundaries - looking for gross humor, gore, gambling, or explicit adult sites.
Kids at this Age:
· Are more critical and selective in their media interests and activities
· Are more likely to receive unwanted sexual comments online
· Receive the highest percentage of pornographic spam
· Are interested in building relationships with online acquaintances (especially true of girls)
· Are more likely to be asked for a real-life meeting by an online acquaintance and more apt to accept
· Are still vulnerable to online marketers who encourage them to give out personal information through surveys, contests and registration forms
· May look for porn sites (boys in particular)
· May be bullied or be bullying others online
· Are more likely to use credit cards online
· May be experimenting with online gambling
Guidelines:
· Create a list of Internet house rules with your teens (see Rules 'N ToolsSM Youth Pledge). You should include the kinds of sites that are off limit.
· Set parental controls at the age-appropriate levels and use filtering and monitoring tools as a complement - not a replacement - for parental supervision. Use on all Internet-enabled devices such as cell phones, gaming devices, i-pods and pdas.
· Keep Internet-connected computers in an open area and out of your teens' bedrooms.
· Talk to them about their online friends and activities just as you would about their offline activities.
· Know which chat rooms or message boards your teens visit, and whom they talk to. Encourage them to use monitored chat rooms.
· Talk to your teens about their IM list and make sure they're not talking to strangers. Your teens should only use pre-approved buddy lists.
· Insist that your kids tell you first if they want to meet an "online friend." Then check out the online friend, and if you feel they are safe, accompany your child to the meeting.
· Teach your teens never to give out personal information without your permission when using e-mail, chat rooms or instant messaging, filling out registration forms and personal profiles, and entering online contests.
· Encourage them to come to you if they encounter material or messages that make them feel uncomfortable or threatened, and remember to stay calm; otherwise, your kids won't turn to you for help when they need it.
· Talk to your teenagers about online pornography and healthy sexuality.
· Help protect them from spam. Tell your teens not to give out their e-mail address online, not to respond to junk mail, and to use e-mail filters.
· Be aware of the Web sites that your teens frequent, and make sure the sites don't contain offensive information or content.
· Teach your kids responsible online behavior. File-sharing and taking text, images or artwork from the Web may infringe on copyright laws.
· Talk to them about ethical behavior. They should not be using the Internet to spread gossip, bully or threaten others.
· Make sure your teens check with you before making financial transactions online, including ordering, buying or selling items.
· Discuss gambling and its potential risks, and remind your teens that it is illegal for them to gamble online.
· Do periodic spot-checks (like checking history files) to monitor your kids' online behaviors.
· Prepare your kids for a college environment where they will have no Internet guidelines.
· Remember that kids are safest if not on social networking sites. Follow the Rules 'N ToolsSM if you allow your teens to use them.