What's your take on the use of computers -internet even for very young children?

I think that in this day and age that they should start younger as computers will be their lives as they get older. Also it can be a good experience for parents to go online with them to some kid friendly sites. I have 8 kids and my youngest is now 8 and they have all been on the computer since shortly after we got one. If you take care and watch what they do then they should be okay.

Yes, I completely agree with you and buy your argument that very young kids/children should not be exposed to internet. There is every chance of they getting addicted to the internet. If they remain busy in surfing net, they will not be able to study properly and would not indulge in some useful and creative activities for them, e.g. playing games and reading/writing etc. Even if young children wish to surf net, they should do it under the supervision of elders. Electromagnetic radiations can also effect their eyesight and brain functioning.

I started learning computer when I was in 3rd grade. That was in 1992 and I was only 9. I even took Summer class at that time. I remember during those days, computer is like a big thing, however internet is no existing, and so I thought so. But what I learned is useful, and a good learning tool for me. Computers that time uses MSDOS, the one with big disks (but not something big as plaques! Lol. I've learned using the MSDOS prompt which at the time was too complicated for a 9 year old, and even took me like minutes to complete a sentence to type on. It was really hard, but it was worth it. Now, computers expanded really humungous only in a nick of time! It has advantages and disadvantages I must say. Advantages cause everything is all updated, we can do researching with our fingertips in just few minutes, and Voila! However, on the bad side, very few people now would rather go to the library and do the researching the old school style, it not only takes time, but the thought of reading and taking a moment to stay in a quiet place. I love internet, but with the new technology and as it expands more and more at this age, we really have to balance our time and health. Prolong staying infront of computer can do harm with our body and so staying up so late at night. But I wouldn't mind my future kids to learn techy stuff and internet for as long as there would be discipline and time management. It is all about balance.

I think that now days they have all sorts of things for kids of all ages. It isn't that hard to instill a routine in kids that they can only be on the computer for a certain amount of time. It doesn't have to be addictive although, to be honest, I would rather my kids were setting at the computers than doing some other things kids want to do these days.

I have two kids, six and four. Both use the computer at least once a week, sometimes more. The only time they are on the internet is when they are using their Webkinz, and I am close by - not that they understand how to do anything besides play the games on Webkinz, but that's beside the point. Otherwise, they use the computer to play games - mostly educational. We have a great CD ROM that teaches them counting, letters, patterns, etc - and now that my daughter is in school, we will probably get her something more advanced game-wise. It's great for them, because it makes learning completely into a game; they only think of it as a fun game, without really understanding the educational benefits. Computers are a great tool, regardless of age, but they have to be used correctly. If a child is neglecting other things (friends, books, toys) in favor of the computer/internet, THEN there is a problem. Otherwise, I don't have a problem with kids using the computer.

For me, it's okay for children to use the computer.. as long as parents are there to guide them.. Block the sites that you think aren't useful for learning such as social networking sites, gambling sites, etc.. then make sure they don't overuse the gadget..

You do have some Very good points here for sure. I think that any parent with young children or children for that matter need to be in control if they are allowing their child to access and surf the internet. The internet has so much to offer, and sometimes it can be the wrong type of things there as well. Personally I feel it should be up to the individual parent on what they decide and how much time if any they allow their child as well. Also I feel the Computer needs to be in a General area with adult supervision at all times. And if you are going to allow your kids to surf the internet put a Parental Block protection on the Computer as well to keep them from allowing bad things in as well. Just my thoughts.

My youngest doesn't use the internet but they bought her that computer for little ones.....the next one...is 10. She gets to be on the internet to registar her webkins etc....but that's it. The older ones are very restricted as to the amount of time they spend on the internet....my granddaughter that is 14 has to do it in the kitchen in front of them after they found out she had a facebook account...anyway.....if moderation....for older kids is good....younger kids can live without it.

I do not let my kids play on it very much at all. My daughter is the only that likes it and she goes to build a bear to play with her animals. But she plays like an hour a week. This can't be worse than the Wii or anything else that they do. But I understand what you mean.

it would definitely be on the care of the family for that kid. if he needs to use it, make sure they are there to supervise him/her. otherwise, don't let them. there's a lot of bad people hovering around the net. for the radiation problem, if they are really paranoid about this, they could buy a prescription eye glasses with anti-radiation capabilities.

i agree with u..but if i may know, what range of age of the very young children u're talking about ? if its lower than 5 yrs old, then no..i wont recommend it for them. but if its higher, i might will teach them a little about computer, the games, and how to draw using the paint tools from windows, etc..just an introduction knowledge for them, coz it will trigger their creativity. but still, not too long in front of monitor, we have to keep an eye of them while they learning =)

I have a son who is six years old, and he has been using computers from the time he was only around 3-4, i would sit with him and use the mouse on some of the sites to his favorite shows, and we would use it as a different way to learn. I am however happy I did this because my son started kindergarden and guess what he has computers in the class that they use. Starting this year in grade 1 they started going to the computer lab as a class to do school work, once a week. Now I believe there can be a benifet to starting them on the internet when they are young this is because when they are young they are easier to influence and guide, so if we start them young we can give them time limits monitor what they do teach them from this young age what is an acceptable amount of time to use the internet and what is acceptable behaviour on the internet. Maybe starting them young will allow us to guide them to make better internet choices.

People should decide for themselves how they use the Internet and what they do on it. We all had to make decisions in real life as children, and the Internet is part of life of course. Just like how people are idiots in real life, people can be idiots online. Conversely, people can learn from experience gained from the Internet just like in life. Only if the child has severe social problems it would be advisible to restrict his/her time online. Also, there hasn't been any evidence of any correlation between computer usage and degraded eyesight.

I think that Computer is a machine you can obtain either bad or good things from. I understand by what you mean by children becoming addictive to Computers but being a parent of a child, it is easily possible to stop or authorize a child for using Computers to use/play number of things. Some might say it is hard to stop a child from using Computer for long time but the thing is it is normal - same as when it is hard to stop a child from any wrong thing he often does - because he is a child! We can put games on Computer and tell them how to play them. There are many good things which are good for a child on computer. As to a grown up child/adult becoming addictive to Pc. I think we can become addictive to anything we like a lot but we have good enough ability to control our desires!

Young children using computers are fine. What the parent needs to do is make sure the child isn't on the computer too much. But the computer is a excellent learning tool for the children. It opens a whole new world for children. They can actually go to different places around the world and see how others live. There is so much at there finger tips that they can access. The one thing I do believe is as I stated in the beginning that parents need to make sure that their children are not in front of the computer to much. It is easy to get addicted to the internet.

Jenaisle, I think text books and heavy school bags will be a thing of the past. Libraries, resource and reference sections will be going digital. Lectures and study groups will be conducted on a worldwide basis to enhance the sharing and exchange of knowledge and cultures. Eco movement will see more paperless newspapers and magazines. So, I do think that computers will be a way to go for young generations of the future. I am sure that the world health bodies are aware of the cons and are being addressed as we post. So thanks to this efficient tool of knowledge and communication, we will just have to wait and open our hearts for a readiness to accommodate and accept these changes and improvements. Cheers.

Even I don't approve a lot about this because internet has too much information all of which are not good for children but if parents are present with them then little surfing and gaining some knowledge that relates to them is not all harmful..but only under parental supervision..