How to protect your children from bad Internet influence by Sharifa Kalokola

In a country where, according to a report by Internet World Stats, the use of the Internet has grown from 50,000 people in 2000 to in 41,048,532 in 2009, it is not uncommon to come across young people deeply engrossed in chatting online with friends.

Photo: Tina Phillips

You find them everywhere – on the bus, in public places, at shopping malls, while crossing the road and even at school. Motorists often complain of young pedestrian zombies, who chat on their mobile phones, even while crossing busy road intersections.

A recent study posted on website Kids.net supports the view that children find the Internet easy to use, and like to use it for fun, games, e-mail, chat and instant messaging. In fact, two-thirds of the children sampled in the study think that it helps them with their learning, and one-third would like to use it for lessons if they were home sick from school.

The rising incidences of cyber-criminal activities, and general negative influence has made it even more important in recent years for parents to confront the question: How well prepared are your children for the Internet?
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Related links
The Kids are Alright (PDF)

Are Your Kids Being Tracked?
GPS-enabled cell phones make it easy for you to find your kid, but if your kids are broadcasting their location, other people can find them, too. If your kid is "checking in," you need to check this out.

Source: The Citizen