Children and the Internet - What Age Should They Start

Great question! Myself, I hadn't actually allowed mine online...at least not without me hovering over them. However, this school year (4th grade) my son's class started going online to a special site where they could write each other. Well, I caught him last month sneaking onto my computer. Gotta love history button on here, check where everyone's been. Anyways, I learned then that I'd have to give him an alloted time either per week or month. I still am very hesitant but it's already happening in schools. His time will be with me in the room and setting up certain links he can view, no others until he earns them.

I think that when a child is able to read they should be able to start using the internt but with very strict guidelines. I would definitly use the top rate "net Nanny" like product out at the time. Right now My son is 1 and he is always sitting on my lap while on on the computer and he loves to watch the info change on the screen. Of course i would never allow him to play on his own - for the sake of laptop and of course who knows what his keyboard banging could bring up. I know that as I was going up thru school as well as my younger sister they had started introducing the internet during library visits for various projects, and they seem to be introducing younger kids each year. The internet is a great learning tool with the appropriate boundaries set.