After getting 4 kids into their 20's, and learning from my own mistakes (A LOT of them) this is what I have come up with.
TRUST. As soon as you expressly forbid them to do something, you have waived that red flag in front of them, and they will find a way. And you know, with the Zunes, Ipods, Cell phones, PSP's, etc, all with internet access, as well as library computers, school computers (the password to unlock the browsing safety program is well known) friends computers, etc, kids will access the net without you knowing about it, and they will do some stupid things. Teach them the consequences, both from you and from the real world, what can happen, and then be there. Don't take your organs to heaven, heaven knows we need them down here! Be an organ donor, sign your donor card today. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marlon K. Schafer" <[email protected]> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> Cc: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 12:49 AM Subject: [WISPA] how to protect your kids > Hi All, > > Here's the scenario. My kids are expressly forbidden from having email > addresses outside my domain. They are forbidden from having myspace, > facebook etc. sites. > > If they want an email, fine by me, but it's one that *I* can check on. > > If they want a web site, fine by me, but make it a real one that *I* can > delete things from. > > I'm trying to teach them to NOT do or say things on the internet that > might > bite them in the butt later. The days of people eventually forgetting the > stupidity of youth or passion are long gone. > > Anyway, my 13 year old has a myspace account. He used a hotmail email > address to get it. He had permission to use neither of them. I finally > found out about the myspace account and went in to check out what he'd > been > saying. His trash and sent messages had both been erased between when I > got > the password out of him and when I had time to check on it. (I didn't > know > that his zune, a video player!!!! would ALSO allow him to get on the net > and > work on his page, talk to his friends etc. deep sigh) > > So, I contacted myspace, using his account, and asked for all of the > deleted > information. I explained that I was the father of a minor and that he had > no permission to use their site and I wanted to know what was being hidden > from me. I gave my full name AND phone number as well as my email > address. > > They were very good about contacting me quickly about this issue. However > they flatly refused to provide me with any information!!!!! They had NO > proof of age etc. on the account. Nothing to verify that the child was > over > 18 etc. And *I* as the PARENT am prevented from accessing the account > information! "go get it from your teen" is basically what I was told. > > WTF is this??????? Absolutly amazing. > > So, what do the rest of you do to try to protect or control your kids > these > days? > > thanks > marlon > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > http://signup.wispa.org/ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
