As the future approaches, there’s no doubt that the world has become more and more reliant on electronics and the internet. With this heavy electric-reliant world comes easier accessibility to the internet, which is certainly a positive for the most part, until it comes to children.  

Children these days are able to easily access the internet without any protection or supervision.  

A study done by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2019 shows that 95% of 3 to 18-year-old children can access the internet. From ages 13-18, children should be able to access the internet on their own, but the more concerning part is the 3 to 12-year-olds. From those ages, kids have little to no knowledge of the dangers of the internet. On the internet, there are all types of threats such as viruses, stalkers, and terrible influences. 

Influencers are all over the internet, and some will take advantage of their younger audience. They plant their own views and opinions into the children’s heads, sometimes causing misinformation to spread. However, children can’t comprehend everything that is told to them; they are unable to get the big picture on serious topics. They oftentimes are too lazy to research what they say, and would rather trust the very first information they stumble across. Without any research, influencers can continue to spread false information and shape these problems into a bigger deal than they are. 

People will make the argument that having kids on the internet lets them mature faster or helps them get a better sense of how the world really is, which is true, but the aftermath isn’t worth it. 

Instead of kids spending their time hanging out with friends, they are instead worrying about issues that don’t concern them or are starting to fear how others look at them. This won’t only affect them, but also the kids at their school that they go on to tell, creating a never-ending loop. 

Rather than have this never-ending chain continue to spread, parents should start to take more responsibility in helping their kids understand the dangers of the internet. 

The internet is filled with terrible things, but that shouldn’t mean parents should be overly protective over it. The more parents keep the internet away from their kids, the more their children will persist in using it. 

Instead of locking the internet from their kids, parents should teach their children the rights and wrongs of the internet and help them get a better understanding of it; this way children will be more protected when using the internet.

Even with all of its positive features, the internet is still not a safe place for children. The internet is full of viruses, sketchy people, and bad influences that prey on children. Instead of having full access to the internet, children should be supervised or at least taught about these dangers so less have their childhood ruined. 

Even then, teaching children the ins and outs of the internet, and allowing them to use it, is important. If children know the dangers, it will hopefully start to become a place where it’s safe for them.