Kids and Entertainment

...and safety online

Inconsistencies will always remain a grand part of the upbringing traditions between parents and children; however, computer browsing need not be one of these trying areas of conflict. Online habits will certainly vary as parents look to surround their young ones with educational tools and teenagers attempt to explore the many wonders of the internet, but consistent, yet creative behavior can easily be combined with antivirus software.

Children of all ages are now undeniably connected with the web world as it grows and develops around them. The greatest hope for their online safety is to brief them in the many online dangers and as conditions change keep them informed so their learning curve educates them for the future.

The amount of freedom given to children is usually the biggest conflict of all between parents and children. Naturally adults cannot be around their kids 24/7 to censor whatever harmful activities may appear around them, especially now that children are using computers more at school. Parents could see this is as a good thing because it contributes to independent frame of mind in kids.

More often than not, however, they see this as a source of anxiety. This element can be decreased by independent home browsing with security features enabled. A child will pick up a pattern of browsing tailored to the system and adopt these terms for use when at school.

Governmental education recommendations actually favor children enhancing their IT skills saying that a firm understanding of information and communication technology is a key element in any modern child’s upbringing. Children who can handle IT skills early one will not find computer tasks an obstacle later in life when they almost certainly will have to perform them.

The critical game of letting children grow up exploring enough while simultaneously shielding them will prove equally difficult for parents as any other sphere of education a child will endure before becoming an adult. Antivirus software can provide a light buffer for this process.

Unsavory content is detected by Norton’s Family Protection software and dealt with before your child realizes its presence on your computer, keeping her or him away any potentially harmful content or malware. The software can also monitor how long a child browses the internet and which sites have been visited.

A current study by Moneysupermarket.com revealed that children between seven and nine years of age browsed the web for one hour and 45 minutes a week, with older children between 13-15 years of age more than doubling that at four hours a week. Their interests varied but search styles remained the same.

Social networking remained a favorite for all young people, as websites like MySpace, Facebook and Bebo kept older kids busy, as young ones tended to go for websites like Disney’s Club Penguin, which is a safer option for their age group anyway. Video and music websites like YouTube and Spotify were also clearly endeared by the younger generation.

We have compiled a list of different suggestions you may like to introduce to your children:

1. www.clubpenguin.com – A fun virtual reality community for children to interact with each other. They can customize their own penguin and venture into a digital world, play games and view many interesting activities.

2. www.kids.yahoo.com –Games, music and jokes for younger yahoo users.

3. www.yucky.com – Educationally beneficial and interesting for kids who like all things gooey.

4. www.ziggityzoom.com – Equipped with fun pictures to color in, this website also offers stories, tasks and games for kiddies to explore.

5. www.nick.com – A range of 40 fabulous games.

6. www.funbrain.com – Word games, puzzles, trivia and lots more.

7. www.disney.com – lots of Disney character-based games and tasks.

8. www.kidshealth.org – A useful site explaining the human body to children who may be curious about development and healthy living. It also has games and tasks.

9. www.funology.com – Filled with funky facts and mind-blowing magic, plus games and tasks.

10. www.pbskids.com – PBS’s youth site which has stories, games, and music.