At what age do you think children should be allowed to roam the internet unsupervised?

I think it depends on their maturity level, not necessarily their age. By the time I was online, I was mature enough not to get into any trouble, but I was also mature for my age and not very net-adventurous. Whereas my boyfriend was apparently a little online trouble maker at a later age and should have been more supervised.

Also, are we talking overt supervision (ie, parent beside the computer as you surf) or covert supervision (ie, net nanny or some other program to log where the children go)? I would say covert supervision should go on long after overt supervision if for no other reason than you should still be supervising them, but they’ll be super annoyed with it and you if you are literally standing behind them.

edit: I was very adventurous, I just wasn’t into causing trouble.

21, so they can spend their youth on something constructive instead.

I am 33 and I wish that I did not have the option to run the internet freely. I have seen some things on here that out weigh things that bombs do.

Allowed or smart enough to figure it out and do it anyway? I started college right when high-speed Internet took off and was available in our dorm rooms – I spents hours upon hours looking up every gross and perverted and illegal thing I could think of, until my curiosity was whetted and I moved on.

We’ve pretty much decided that our children will never have computers in their bedrooms. All computers are located in common areas. We’re not looking over their shoulders, but we could be, in about half a second. We also make a point of taking a deeper look from time to time.

I have decided to move all computers and televisions out of personal spaces for more accountability, but still relegate them to a low priority space, leaving plenty of room for conversation and other social interaction.

My children are 6 and 7, and the computer has been a big source of entertainment for them. I will definitely be having an internet dangers talk with them, once I notice them cruising to sites other than nickelodeon and disney.

I think it depends on the child and the situation. I have an adult child at home and I keep an eye on what he is doing on the computer. But that is probably the extreme, it just depends on the reasons a parent has to be concerned.

When they go off to college.

Man there really is stuff online that no one ever needs to see…........

Maybe they can surf unsupervised for bits, but be sure to have some kind of age/content restriction because kids are just plain curious and the world is crazy!

How will they learn the truth, how to hack, pirate, code, etc. if you don’t give them free range? I say asap. you just gotta try and be one step ahead of them.

When they move out to their own apartment and pay their own electricity and computer access or go to college.

I tell my 12 year old I wouldn’t be doing my job as a parent which is to protect her if I let her roam freely online, just like she can’t roam freely around a big city at night. 18 is the answer, and by then they are cognitively developed enough to know what to avoid.

I say whenever they use the computer, but to have talks with them about being careful of who they talk to, not that you can’t meet good people online, just be careful

No one, of any age, should roam the internet unsupervised.

Never.

47?