Predator Presentation
Last week I went to a presentation at the expo center called Predators in the Upstate. The main speaker was John Walsh. Yes, THAT John Walsh. Host of America's Most Wanted, and sadly the father of a murdered child.
I have followed the Walsh story for many, many years. It was fascinating to hear Mr. Walsh tell his experience in his own words.
He is truly one who has taken tragedy and, through it, changed the world. There are so many laws on the books now because of his works. Awareness that was not present when his son disappeared in 1981. And 1,000 bad-guys captured through his television show.
After Mr. Walsh spoke, a panel of local, state, and federal experts answered questions primarily about keeping kids safe online. For the most part I agreed with them, but there were a couple areas where I just object completely.
In response to a question about when children should be allowed online, the panelist stated that they need to be taught young because 3 and 4 year olds are playing games online, and the internet is integrated in to the kindergarten curriculum.
Hold on now! If 3 and 4 year olds are online, that is because their parents are allowing it. Personally, we've never allowed online games, and don't intend to allow them for a very long time. (I don't like regular video games either.) The answer here is not to teach your children younger, it's to find more constructive things for them to do than to sit in front of a computer playing games!
Internet in the kindergarten curriculum? That better not be the case in our schools. Because that will be enough to get these two parents in to the Principal's office in the blink of an eye. Kindergarten is for learning to read, write, do basic math, begin learning about science and social studies, learning to use the library, and developing social skills. Until children have mastered those things, they don't need the internet.
We will definitely put our foot down at internet assignments for our kindergartners!
The panelists also expressed that predators can reach children through their cell phones. The kids are doing so much texting and image-sharing through the phones, that the predators are communicating that way as well. According to them, parents need to be checking in on their kid's texts and images.
Well let's hold on again! How was it that when I was growing up, we got by without cell phones? There was nothing so important that we needed a phone. Public places all had public phones, and they still do. Carry some change.
(Note: Even as an adult, I do not use my cell for social purposes. The schools have the number, hubby has the number, and one or two close friends have the number. I have never used even 10% of my monthly plan minutes, and I have the lowest plan available. I have no idea how to text, and my phone does not have email or internet access.)
I can accept that there is a safety use for cell phones as kids become more independent. But there is a big difference between safety use and texting and image-sharing.
If we determine that our boys need cell phones for safety reasons, they'll be getting those big ol' things that I've seen in my parent's AARP magazines! No texting, no image-sharing, and no built-in camera! They can call 911. They can call a few pre-programmed numbers. And they can receive calls from a few pre-designated numbers.
Period. No social use. Wait until you get home and call on the regular phone. I'm not having my kid walking around with a phone plastered to their head all day long, or texting 24/7.
Why are the solutions presented only about how to deal with the crazy things that kids are allowed to do?
How about demanding some parental responsibility in determining what their kids really NEED?
They don't NEED the internet in elementary school.
They don't NEED to play games online.
They don't NEED to have anything beyond the most basic features on a cell phone.
What they DO need are parents who are willing to say NO.
I have followed the Walsh story for many, many years. It was fascinating to hear Mr. Walsh tell his experience in his own words.
He is truly one who has taken tragedy and, through it, changed the world. There are so many laws on the books now because of his works. Awareness that was not present when his son disappeared in 1981. And 1,000 bad-guys captured through his television show.
After Mr. Walsh spoke, a panel of local, state, and federal experts answered questions primarily about keeping kids safe online. For the most part I agreed with them, but there were a couple areas where I just object completely.
In response to a question about when children should be allowed online, the panelist stated that they need to be taught young because 3 and 4 year olds are playing games online, and the internet is integrated in to the kindergarten curriculum.
Hold on now! If 3 and 4 year olds are online, that is because their parents are allowing it. Personally, we've never allowed online games, and don't intend to allow them for a very long time. (I don't like regular video games either.) The answer here is not to teach your children younger, it's to find more constructive things for them to do than to sit in front of a computer playing games!
Internet in the kindergarten curriculum? That better not be the case in our schools. Because that will be enough to get these two parents in to the Principal's office in the blink of an eye. Kindergarten is for learning to read, write, do basic math, begin learning about science and social studies, learning to use the library, and developing social skills. Until children have mastered those things, they don't need the internet.
We will definitely put our foot down at internet assignments for our kindergartners!
The panelists also expressed that predators can reach children through their cell phones. The kids are doing so much texting and image-sharing through the phones, that the predators are communicating that way as well. According to them, parents need to be checking in on their kid's texts and images.
Well let's hold on again! How was it that when I was growing up, we got by without cell phones? There was nothing so important that we needed a phone. Public places all had public phones, and they still do. Carry some change.
(Note: Even as an adult, I do not use my cell for social purposes. The schools have the number, hubby has the number, and one or two close friends have the number. I have never used even 10% of my monthly plan minutes, and I have the lowest plan available. I have no idea how to text, and my phone does not have email or internet access.)
I can accept that there is a safety use for cell phones as kids become more independent. But there is a big difference between safety use and texting and image-sharing.
If we determine that our boys need cell phones for safety reasons, they'll be getting those big ol' things that I've seen in my parent's AARP magazines! No texting, no image-sharing, and no built-in camera! They can call 911. They can call a few pre-programmed numbers. And they can receive calls from a few pre-designated numbers.
Period. No social use. Wait until you get home and call on the regular phone. I'm not having my kid walking around with a phone plastered to their head all day long, or texting 24/7.
Why are the solutions presented only about how to deal with the crazy things that kids are allowed to do?
How about demanding some parental responsibility in determining what their kids really NEED?
They don't NEED the internet in elementary school.
They don't NEED to play games online.
They don't NEED to have anything beyond the most basic features on a cell phone.
What they DO need are parents who are willing to say NO.
posted by Susan | 10:56 AM
2 Comments:
I definitely agree with you about parental responsibility.
I know people who have allowed their children to run up 100s (and I'm talking about the high end of that number) of $$ in cell phone bills. And then complain about it later.
Baby Bliss's phone is pre-pay, we only have to put $20 on every 3 months to keep the line active, and she knows it is only for important calls. Like she and grandma got separated from me in WalMart and grandma is ready to GO. LOL
Text messaging is blocked and she knows she had better not download ANY thing to her phone. Or else.
As for the internet, why in the world does a 3 or 4 year old need that kind of access? That's the time for our babies to be sitting in our laps, being read to and tickled and snuggled up to mommy. :-)
But you know... everyone's family is not the same...
Baby Bliss is a tween and she really just got "into" the internet in the past year or two. She is NOT allowed to be online unless her screen is in my direct line of vision.
She loves Disney dot com because we don't have cable and she can watch some of the shows she likes there. :-)
She is also to do online research and to visit sites that offer educational games.
I encouraged her to create an e-mail account to keep in touch with her friends back home. And I encouraged her to create a blog to express her creativity as well as for language art credit.
I am definitely saying no to anything I deem unnecessary. It's more important to me to be Baby Bliss's momma than her buddy.
Hmph!
I'm watching the news and they just did a segment about teens and a "new trend" in texting.
They are calling it "s*xting" because the kids are sending s*xually explicit text and photo messages to each other.
One girl said the photos are usually of girls who have sent the photos of themselves to their boyfriends who then pass them on to their friends and the pictures make the rounds.
AND the parents can get in trouble with the police if it can be proven that they knew their child was doing this and did nothing to stop it.
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