I found this report on the BBC site & thought it was a
interesting question. What do you think?
'Ban teens from chatrooms'
Children should be kept out of chat rooms, argues technology analyst Bill Thompson.
Do you know who your child is talking to on the net?
It was, it seems, the internet's fault. Young and foolish, 12-year old Shevaun Pennington found a friend online and decided that what he had to offer was more exciting than the boys in school.
She joins a long line of other children who have met people in chat rooms or over e-mail and been persuaded to turn an online friendship into a real-world one, with consequences that will terrify any parent.
It is traditional for those of us who have been online for many years to leap to the net's defence at times like this, arguing that parental ignorance is to blame and that anyway the net brings benefits which far outweigh any risks it may pose to children.
I don't propose to do this.
Shevaun's disappearance was the net's fault and we have to accept this.
She would not have had any contact with her 31-year old ex-Marine if it had not been for the easy access to e-mail and chat that today's children seem to demand as a right, and we should not pretend otherwise or blame inadequate supervision.
New understanding
Certainly, parents need to be aware of what their children are doing online, but none of us is perfect and always alert to danger.
We can restrict their access, or install safety software, but our kids also need space to grow up, privacy from even their parents, and a sense that they are trusted.
The experiences of Shevaun and other children like her have only confirmed my view that kids do not need to use chatrooms to talk to strangers
Bill Thompson
Forgot to add a link to original story for those who did not see it.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/...in563664.shtml
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