Growing Up On-Line

The PBS movie about growing up on line sheds a lot of light about the new challenges facing our students and parents. As a parent I found a lot of it very interesting. I had always thought that the computer should be in a common area of the house to ward off any potential predators, but the things that these kids were doing online were beyond my knowledge. I think that the important thing is to try to be as aware and open with your kids as possible (but that is nothing new). My daughter is 10 and has a cell phone. It is used mostly so we can get a hold of her while she is at her activities, but she does text her friends with it. Wrong or right, I feel that I have the right to check her text messages. I pay the bill, therefore, it is my right. This may change as she gets older and understands more about what is right and wrong, but personally I feel that if I am providing the cell phone, computer, etc, that I have a right to know.