...Because not all adolescents are the same. I just turned 15 last month, and recently bought a modem for the computer I built for my room. I use it daily, and my parents don't put any restrictions on me whatsoever. A good majority of my peers are not as immpressionable as their age group may have once been. I think the internet makes teens more mature, because it provides access to millions of different viewpoints. Either then teen in question forms his own ideals by comparing and contrasting, or is uninterested (And believe me, apathy is rampant in my school). I've found that other kids my age are more interested in chatting on endlessly with their friends, and are usually smart enough to avoid potential internet stalkers (Or whatever you'd like to call them). A teen of today's generation might not be completely aware of malicious programs or business scams, but they are most likely going to recognize the threat of an ill-mannered (to put it lightly) stranger, since they've been introduced to that subject through other mediums (ie television, books, magazines, school, etc).
Judging from my own and some of my friends' experiences, I would venture to guess that most teens above the age of 14 are able to safely manage the internet in most respects. I'm sure there are those who aren't mature enough yet, but shouldn't a responsible parent be able to recognize this and take the proper actions? Just use common sense. It should be pretty obvious if your kid is the type to pick up whatever garbage he or she reads on the internet (or sees on TV) as the truth. And as far as that type of kid goes, I've never met one.
And on the subject of pornography, everyone discovers it eventually...If the internet wasn't around, you'd be finding hard copies of porno mags under your teen's bed instead of hidden.jpg files on your teen's hard drive.
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...Because not all adolescents are the same. I just turned 15 last month, and recently bought a modem for the computer I built for my room. I use it daily, and my parents don't put any restrictions on me whatsoever. A good majority of my peers are not as immpressionable as their age group may have once been. I think the internet makes teens more mature, because it provides access to millions of different viewpoints. Either then teen in question forms his own ideals by comparing and contrasting, or is uninterested (And believe me, apathy is rampant in my school). I've found that other kids my age are more interested in chatting on endlessly with their friends, and are usually smart enough to avoid potential internet stalkers (Or whatever you'd like to call them). A teen of today's generation might not be completely aware of malicious programs or business scams, but they are most likely going to recognize the threat of an ill-mannered (to put it lightly) stranger, since they've been introduced to that subject through other mediums (ie television, books, magazines, school, etc).
.jpg files on your teen's hard drive.
Judging from my own and some of my friends' experiences, I would venture to guess that most teens above the age of 14 are able to safely manage the internet in most respects. I'm sure there are those who aren't mature enough yet, but shouldn't a responsible parent be able to recognize this and take the proper actions? Just use common sense. It should be pretty obvious if your kid is the type to pick up whatever garbage he or she reads on the internet (or sees on TV) as the truth. And as far as that type of kid goes, I've never met one.
And on the subject of pornography, everyone discovers it eventually...If the internet wasn't around, you'd be finding hard copies of porno mags under your teen's bed instead of hidden