Am I the only parent shocked by text messages and social media postings of Jr. High kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It starts because parents give smart phones WAY too early. If your kid has to have a phone, a flip phone is fine.

Yes, exactly.

We have a college girl renting a room in our house, and she does not have a smart phone. She has a laptop that her parents have loaded some extreme parental controls on. There is no NEED for a young person -- or any of us, for that matter -- to get involved with the "social" aspects of internet usage. And there is never a need for getting involved with internet trash, pornography, etc. Unless you have some strange child, they are going to explore these things unless YOU, the parent, prevent it from happening.

A college kid with extreme parental controls on her computer? Honestly, that's rather horrifying. Any parent who cannot trust their ADULT child to navigate the internet is a shit parent, sorry.

I agree. Those parents failed to teach skills to her LONG ago. They may be delaying her exposure to the world but at some point, the training wheels have to come off and she won't be prepared to navigate society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the diff if it's a school computer? The 4th graders I mentioned HAVE SMARTPHONES or iPod Touches. I agree they don't need them ... Of course they don't. But somehow they have them anyway.

Their parents clearly aren't monitoring them (as I monitor mine, who are for the record older) or they'd see all the infighting among these girls, the ones who have the word "niggas" in their profile (yes, of course, from black girls), the ones with "F***" this and that in their profile, etc.

Look at your kids' accounts, people.

So they are older than 13? Otherwise you are no different than the parents you just bashed.

13 and older? Yes. Any other questions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It starts because parents give smart phones WAY too early. If your kid has to have a phone, a flip phone is fine.

Yes, exactly.

We have a college girl renting a room in our house, and she does not have a smart phone. She has a laptop that her parents have loaded some extreme parental controls on. There is no NEED for a young person -- or any of us, for that matter -- to get involved with the "social" aspects of internet usage. And there is never a need for getting involved with internet trash, pornography, etc. Unless you have some strange child, they are going to explore these things unless YOU, the parent, prevent it from happening.

A college kid with extreme parental controls on her computer? Honestly, that's rather horrifying. Any parent who cannot trust their ADULT child to navigate the internet is a shit parent, sorry.

I agree. Those parents failed to teach skills to her LONG ago. They may be delaying her exposure to the world but at some point, the training wheels have to come off and she won't be prepared to navigate society.

No, they haven't failed at anything. She's a great kid with a very solid head on her shoulders. Kids don't need extra temptations simply to proved opportunity to rise above it. There's a hundred ways to offer young adults the chance to grow and learn independence; full access to the internet is not necessary and does not provide added value.

She is still 17, by the way. Not legally an adult yet, anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It starts because parents give smart phones WAY too early. If your kid has to have a phone, a flip phone is fine.

Yes, exactly.

We have a college girl renting a room in our house, and she does not have a smart phone. She has a laptop that her parents have loaded some extreme parental controls on. There is no NEED for a young person -- or any of us, for that matter -- to get involved with the "social" aspects of internet usage. And there is never a need for getting involved with internet trash, pornography, etc. Unless you have some strange child, they are going to explore these things unless YOU, the parent, prevent it from happening.

A college kid with extreme parental controls on her computer? Honestly, that's rather horrifying. Any parent who cannot trust their ADULT child to navigate the internet is a shit parent, sorry.

I agree. Those parents failed to teach skills to her LONG ago. They may be delaying her exposure to the world but at some point, the training wheels have to come off and she won't be prepared to navigate society.

No, they haven't failed at anything. She's a great kid with a very solid head on her shoulders. Kids don't need extra temptations simply to proved opportunity to rise above it. There's a hundred ways to offer young adults the chance to grow and learn independence; full access to the internet is not necessary and does not provide added value.

She is still 17, by the way. Not legally an adult yet, anyway.

I agree. Parents who give their elementary-aged kids unlimited acces to the www and istore have failed.