As a parent or guardian, at what age would you 1) allow your child to create a social networking profile (ie Myspace, Facebook, etc) 2) allow your child to play violent video games (ie a Grand Theft Auto) and for good measure 3) allow your child to participate in a virtual world environment (be it an MMO game or a place like Second Life) in which open chat is permitted?
Given some of my previous posts (er rants), this seems like a pretty obvious question to ask. And while I've discussed it in round about ways with a few friends and family members, I've never discussed it with people professionally. I'd like to think I have a lot of experience with games and social networks, but one thing I have absolutely no experience with is being a parent. I have a dog, but thankfully dogs are relatively low maintenance when it comes to dealing with... you know... complex social/ ethical issues and cognitive development. A lack of opposable thumbs also helps to alleviate some of that stress. I've baby sat before... but that is usually successful through an increasing series of bribes. So what that leaves me with is a mish-mash of my own childhood experiences, observations from watching other people parent, and a whole bunch of Stubstyle theories that may or may not be based on Mobster movies. And it goes without saying thats not quite the real thing.
I know most people who read blogs don't like to comment. And I know child rearing tends to be a very personal and sometimes sensitive topic even for people without children. So it goes without saying that there is no pressure to post your thoughts publicly if such things would makes you uncomfortable. I'd welcome offline conversations as well, or even just some private reflection =)
So if you have children of your own, would like children, are related to children, or have ever seen a child (no children needed to comment) and would like to share your thoughts - I'd love to hear what you all think.
I'm a parent; that doesn't necessarily give me more insight (nor more votes) than a non-parent, but I'm aware that I'm aggressively protective. I'd allow my children to do any of these things with supervision from whenever they first show an interest. It's here. They'll do it with you or without you. Do it together as a learning experience, and insist that their teachers do the same.
I had to check out the new diggs, Chris; nice place! For some reason I missed this post earlier.
I am not a parent, but I email with my cousins who are 12-ish. The one has been banned from aim, but has figured out how to log on when her father is out of town. So, if you do not allow your child to get on to something with supervision... shouldn't you be afraid they will be visiting a site at their friends house behind their parents backs or logging on when there is no adult supervision around.
As an older cousin, I am friends with other cousins and I do give them warnings when something seems inappropriate. So, if you have children encourage other adults who they are comfortable with to be friends also. I think it takes more than just their parents, but other adults to help guide kids through the new worlds of social networking, chatting, and virtual worlds.
As the parent of three acknowledged children I get jittery when I think about my kids on the internet. It may have something to do with the fact that the lawsuit related to the unacknowledged children began on the internet but I digress.
Ultimately though, my lack of comfort boils down to my callous lack of interest in parenting around internet activities. I think it's fine to let kids get involved in facebook/MMOs etc. with supervision. I wouldn't let my son go to a football game alone for obvious reasons - and it much the same way I wouldn't let him play an MMO alone right now.
The crux of the issue really seems to be what kind of effort are you willing to put into parenting - letting your kid on any networked computer raises the stakes.
For myself, the path of least resistance is to keep them away from it until they hit 10-12 years old and I don't have to be a hawk over their shoulder.
My daughter is a freshman in high school and she has an active Facebook profile as do many of her friends. I'm one of her friends, so besides being able to gauge her moods face to face, I also can see her Facebook moods and it helps me figure out how to help her. Sometimes I'm not thrilled about what she posts or the pictures she has, but rather than censor, I observe and try and gain information.
This is a hard question and one that must be decided individually and not by any external force, i.e., laws, in my opinion.
Is memory serves, there was a PA congressman last year making noise about legislation to up the minimum MySpace age to 18 years old. This is yet another example of the openness/safety push-pull, and I'd be interested in people's responses as well.
Is Club Penguin still popular? Not sure if there's open chat there, but it would be interesting to see what their min. age is.
Stubbs, in all seriousness, have you ever explored a field called Science & Technology Studies? Much of what you think about seems to exist at the nexus of socio-political culture & technology. With a healthy dose of nonsense, of course. Something to consider if you ever get the itch to return to schoolin'.