Children on the Internet

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer demonstrates that it is obvious that the Internet has become an important educational resource and a powerful social element for children. The writer also discusses that while the Internet provides children with a wealth of learning opportunities, it can also potentially expose them to negative content, for although it allows benefits such as socialization, research and communication tools for children, it also contains negative elements such as violence, hate sites, isolation, commercialism, predators, and pornography. The writer concludes that the best safeguards for parents are to remain involved in their child's activities by actively monitoring online usage and to establish open and honest communication.

From the Paper:

"In a series of studies published by the American Psychological Association on April 30, 2006, roughly 75 to 90 percent of American teenagers use the Internet to email, instant message, visit chat rooms and surf online Web sites, all of which can have both positive and negative effects, from encouraging self-injury practices to improving academic performance."
"One study, the HomeNetToo Project, by Michigan State University examined the positive effects of home Internet access on children's academic performance by following 140 children aged 10-18 years from low-income households for a two-year period (Borzekowski). Researchers found that the children who used the Internet for an average of thirty minutes a day had higher standardized test scores in reading and higher grade point averages at one year and at 16 months after the project began, yet Internet use had no effect on standardized math scores."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Borzekowski, Dina; Cassel, Justine; Jackson, Linda; Subrahamanyam, Kaveri; Yan, Zheng; Whitlock, Janis. "Internet Use Involves Both Pros and Cons for Children and Adolescents, According to Special Issue of Developmental Psychology." American Psychological Association. April 30 2006. Retrieved May 14 2006 from APA Online: http://www.apa.org/releases/youthwww0406.html
• "Chat Wise, Street Wise - children and Internet chat services." Internet Crime Forum IRC. Retrieved May 14 2006 from: http://www.internetcrimeforum.org.uk/chatwise_streetwise.html
• Cheon, Hongsik John. "Children's exposure to negative Internet content: effects of family context." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. December 01 2005. Retrieved May 14 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.
• Internet Usage Statistics. Internet World Stats. 2006. Retrieved May 14 2006 from: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
• "Research and Guidelines for Children's Use of the Internet." National School Boards Foundation. Retrieved May 14 2006 from: http://www.nsbf.org/safe-smart/full-report.htm

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