How young is too young for kids to engage in social networking?
My daughter Cassidy started out with Webkinz, and now regularly connects with others on http://furry-paws.com She’s 12, so I guess we’re a little behind the times - many kids her age and younger are already exploring MySpace and Facebook.
She also takes some classes through a virtual school, so online networking has become part of her daily routine. She discusses assignments with classmates, talks about her favorite movies, and follows lively discussions about the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana… all virtually.
But now we have http://schooltogethernow.com/, which is apparently the first children’s website with the explicit goal of engaging children in social networking. The site has more than 800 registered users, and more than 60% of those users are children aged 7 – 11.
This brings up a lot of questions about social networking and kids. How young is too young? Obviously, social networking will be an important part of our children’s lives as they grow older. Some might think they might as well learn to use it now. On the other hand, could we be hurting our children by allowing them to socialize online at an early age?
In an article in this morning’s issue of the National Post, psychiatrist Arlette Lefebvre explained that the younger you expose kids to all kinds of media, the more immature their neuro-logical system and their judgment is.
When my kids were young, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable having them spend a lot of time networking online. I strictly limited computer and TV time during their preschool and early elementary years. If online networking had been an option at that time, I ‘m quite sure I would have limited that too.
But also, I’m wondering if there are some plusses to letting our children network online at early ages, with the same level of parental monitoring we use when they want to watch a TV show or play a video game. Online networking gives our kids opportunities to meet people from all over the world and practice social skills in a safe environment.
Perhaps if we include social networking in our children’s daily lives on a limited basis, and still create plenty of opportunities for them to connect with others face-to-face, social networking could become another tool to help us to train our children to be confident, successful young adults.
