Be simple: Simple words can convey ideas much better. By jaypee
The dangers of being not simple
When it comes to the use of the Net for children, it is extremely difficult to say that it is equally beneficial for children of all age segments or it is equally harmful for all. It is pretty easy to say that, if they are instructed well, the Internet has much to offer for all children. So it is right to ask another question whether it is the Net that is wrong or it is the way we and our children use the Net that makes this conundrum more incomprehensible.

Unfortunately, what happens is this that today, most of the children are forced to stay online as part of their studies, and many children require great inputs too, like researches and paper works. Obviously, they get enough access to computers from their school itself. And most of the homes these days possess their own computers. It is either for their parents’ use or for the children themselves. This is a convenience, and many children happen to stay online for prolonged hours even when they have their parents around. Ajaypeesdoc.10.9.011

Here one may ask, is it not warranted of parents to control their kids. Of course, they can do it. But it would do more harm than good because most of the nuclear parents today are either employees or occupied with some income generating exercise. Naturally, children enjoy a lot a parent-free time. Here lies the problem. All the controls are likely to go haywires the moment they find their parents away. They may resort to all sorts of searches and findings. Here another question may prop up.

Why can’t, then, parents install some child-safe programmes so that access to certain sites could be denied? It is feasible of course. But we are all expected to know that our neighbourhood is full of internet cafes and booths where what is waiting for our children is nothing but limitless entry to anything and everything from across the world. Let us be conscious here. Kids are kids. They try to get what they need to get.

What is the way out for our children and the Net? The answer is simple, I reckon. We have to foster a healthy parent-children understanding which would make both the parties trust each other so that there is always provision for checks and balances simultaneously. Computers and their possibilities are here to stay. So are our kids. In such a scenario, what we need is the intelligence to exploit the Net both for the holistic development of ourselves and our children.

Therefore, let us not accuse the Net. Let us find fault with the way we allow our kids harness its possibilities. Our children need to, I repeat, our children need to be online. Stopping them is like clipping their wings of inquisitiveness. They may eventually fail to become independent learners. The latter, making one an independent learner, is the very purpose of education. The former, being inquisitive, is what children are known for. That is what I feel. 500 words