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brie k
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Joined: 15 May 2002
Posts: 5661
Location: where the wild things are
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 Posted: 10/26/03 - 14:40 Post subject: kids and the internet...
We're pretty careful with what the kids do on the net anymore. I have activated the security feature in internet explorer, where I have a list of things that they can access all the time (kid sites only) and where if anything is unrated and has any kind of sexual or violent content, it cannot be accessed without a password. I also check the history to make sure no one has figured out how to get around the password. It's all good.
Well, the other day Libby and Shelby (also 11) were playing w/ barbies in the spare bedroom (where my desktop is). I checked on them, that's what they were doing. Then Allison comes over (13) and I guess she logged on to AIM with her nickname. I didn't see this, and the girls were only in there about 5-10 minutes before they went over to Shelby's house. I didn't know about the AIM until today when the computer started up and her AIM screen name loaded up. This 13yo has 68 buddies, and a few of them IM'd while hubby and I were futzing with the puter. Some of the screen names were scary, like sychoticmerder (that's the spelling they used) and a few others I cannot recall, and the profiles... ugh. Lots of inappropriate language for a teen to be viewing IMO, nevermind my 11yo. So we flipped out a bit, explained the internet (again, we've been over this stuff a million times) and predators & etc to Libby, and told her we'd be speaking to Allison's mother since we're not sure she is aware of this. It really scared us because even with all we do, all it takes is a stupid peer to muck up the works. As it is, hubby told her that she is basically grounded from having people in our house and she cannot use the internet for a month. We also explained that when she has friends over in the future, they will not be in the spare bedroom.
I guess it's a wake-up call, because if they are doing this here, they are likely doing this stuff at Shelby's too, so Shelby's mother has to be informed about this as well. I think we're going to be known as "those people" before it's over. We are more protective of our children than our neighbors, and certainly more disciplinarian.
Just wanted to share so you all might be aware of not perhaps what your kids are doing, but what their peers are doing... 13 seems so young to have AIM, but maybe it's not. Perhaps her parents don't even know. As it is, once we discuss this with her parents (thinking I will invite them over to see her buddy list since she saved the password to the machine) AIM will be coming off the desktop.
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