By: MOLLY RIDENOUR
Staff Writer
Kids having freedom online is a controversial topic. Why would it be controversial? Many parents believe kids shouldn’t have freedom online, while some parents want them to have freedom. In all honesty, it depends on the parents. Although being helicopter parents is taking it too far. Kids need freedom online to explore and get comfortable with something they will have all their life.
From personal experience and other examples, kids should be allowed to explore the internet freely. Kids don’t like parents who are always limiting things from their kids. The internet is one of them. If parents are limiting things, such as the internet, kids will find loopholes to go online. Causing kids to lie more about what they are doing. Being more open with your children about the internet, telling them safe websites to go to, and what not to go to, makes trust between the parent and child. Growing up in the age of technology builds curiosity about what’s online. When a child or teenager knows how to explore the internet freely and safely, the parent is more comfortable knowing the child has access to the internet. At a young age, parents should be teaching safe websites they can access online and what not to go on.
Some limitations are good. Blocking inappropriate websites, screen time limits, and no phones at dinner. Hilary Achauer said “Every night at 9 p.m. I remind my daughter to put her phone away in the kitchen.” Depending on the age, screen time limits are okay. It can help the kid come up with another thing to do. Read, write, draw, and do many things in their free time. In order to build trust with the child, you have to be honest with them first. Giving them access to the internet with the right knowledge of what to do. Having online access is amazing, you can learn new things. Younger children can play attentive, hands-on learning games. For older kids, such as teenagers. They can research anything they are interested in, learn incredible things, and build opinions on things that are happening.
On the opposite side, of not allowing kids to have freedom online, there are also credible reasons to support that as well. Starting with inappropriate content and websites, cyberbullying, and online predators. That goes for all ages. Through social media, you can see and even be victims of any of those things. Even with the age limits for social media, not many kids listen. Sadly, they can go through those three things. The recommended age to start having freedom online is 8 years old, not meaning using social media as well. But just online access, if the parents teach their kids about the dangers at that age they will have more knowledge to deal with it in the future.
For these reasons, I believe children should have freedom online. I strongly think it’s up to the parents to teach their child/children about online dangers as well. Even if the parents don’t introduce the internet as young as 8, the child should know the dangers as well as the benefits. With that knowledge, they can surf online safely.