What age do you think children should be allowed online unsupervised?

36 Comments

I'm big into technology, so it might come as a shock for my friends to hear this, but I think children just should not be on the internet, certainly not under the age of 15 anyway. If they do really need the internet for their homework, then their internet access should be restricted to those one or two websites using a parental control program. Most entertainment things they'd use the internet for aren't really necessary or can be gotten another way. You can download video games yourself and then install them onto their computer (or they could use a console), you can download an offline version of Wikipedia for them, you can download certain Youtube videos for them that you find appropriate, etc. They just shouldn't be on social media period.

I know that they might not become tech savvy without the internet but they can still learn to type from writing school projects, they can still learn how all the different programs work. The only thing they won't know much about is internet culture, which to be honest isn't very important.

There's just so much vile shit on the internet that they can come across. I don't care when I come across it, but I'd hate for any kids to see it. Online bullying, child grooming, bulimic instagram models, snuff/gore videos, social media depression, hardcore porn, etc. (I don't think there's anything wrong with hardcore porn, it's just that it would damage kids to see it).

But what really pisses me off is all these useless parents who don't do a fucking thing to prevent their kids seeing all this stuff, and then blame the internet for containing it. They'll happily hand over a tablet to their 4 year old, without any parental controls, and then blame the world for not censoring themselves in case some kids (who shouldn't be there) happen to stumble upon what they're saying. And then they petition the government to censor the internet, to take away people's freedom of speech, because they don't wanna do their job, they fucking sicken me.

So I argue the opposite. I say it's entirely the parents' fault and that the internet should be an adults only environment. Do you agree?

Any age 1
07 1
10 2
13 7
15 8
17 0
Only when they're 18 3
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Comments ( 36 )
  • CozmoWank
    4 years ago

    47.

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  • SwickDinging
    4 years ago

    There's also physical danger attached. Kids are impressionable and easily led. If they're on the internet without constant supervision and some fucked up weirdo wants to snatch them or coerce then into sending pictures or whatever, then it's pretty easy to set a trap for a kid online. Even parental controls aren't necessarily going to stop predatory behaviours.

    The internet gives every sicko access to children. And yes, I know most people online aren't sickos, but I guarantee you that every single sicko is online targeting kids.

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    • GaelicPotato
      4 years ago

      Then there's the monitoring software that comes into place.

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  • [Old Memory]
    4 years ago

    18

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  • charli.m
    4 years ago

    I think I started using the internet at 13 unsupervised. I don't know that I would let a child that age use it unsupervised nowadays, though.

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  • ShrekFecker
    4 years ago

    I think you're exaggerating how bad it is, but other than that you're not wrong. Almost everyone growing up today has some flavor of mental health issue because of social media.

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    • mauzi
      4 years ago

      Or they think they do because social media

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  • LloydAsher
    4 years ago

    I'm putting it at 12 since that's when they start watching porn.

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    • JellyBeanBandit
      4 years ago

      I was 16 when I got my first laptop and it was only shortly after that I saw my first porn video.

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    • Doesnormalmatter
      4 years ago

      What do you mean this is when they start porn. I didn't start till 16 and some people probably start younger than 12.

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      • LloydAsher
        4 years ago

        Eh. I just dont want to find what porn my kid is in to.

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        • Doesnormalmatter
          4 years ago

          Yep, just leave them alone about it. If you find out its a lose-lose situation.

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          • LloydAsher
            4 years ago

            Yep

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      • curious-bunny
        4 years ago

        I discovered porn when I was like 7 due to my cousin

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        • Mrown
          4 years ago

          I knew what sex was when I was 8 but watched my first porn when I was 12

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          • curious-bunny
            4 years ago

            Yea just one of those things. I think children should be educated so they become adults sooner

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        • Doesnormalmatter
          4 years ago

          7??? Holy shit mate! I didn't even know what sex was when I was 7.

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          • curious-bunny
            4 years ago

            Haha yea. Saw his penis a year later. I had an interesting childhood. Alot of drug abusers and literal whores in my childhood.

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            • Doesnormalmatter
              4 years ago

              Well shit. You had drugs and child abusers and I had Christians. Seems about even lol.

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  • megadriver
    4 years ago

    I'd say around 12... And I'm just gonna put some filters. I'm not gonna sit and watch as my kid searches for video games and watches streamers. I got better stuff to do.

    I'm also gonna have a chat with my kid, tell them the internet is a double edged sword. It's a wonderful tool for getting information and doing all kinds of stuff, but it's also nasty, vile and even dangerous if misused.

    We got internet at our apartment back in 2002 I think... I was 10 and I was never supervised. Our internet company even ran servers that had games, movies and music, so I did very little actual browsing.

    Only when I realized I could use the internet to hand in homework without doing it myself, I started browsing more.
    But I've never deliberately searched for gore, or any retarded shit.

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  • AHorseWithNoName
    4 years ago

    I only had my own smartphone when I was around 13 and I thank God and my parents for that every time I see comments from 11 year olds, or even younger kids, on very disturbing and age inappropriate videos. I love horror and true crime, but there's no way I'd not be traumatized seeing stuff like that as a child. And I'd hate to know that furries exist too.

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  • TheBlindInquisitor
    4 years ago

    10

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  • perfectxsilence
    4 years ago

    13

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  • GaelicPotato
    4 years ago

    There's parental controls, sure. But the ads will still contain ads directed at the primary user.

    There's kid friendly devices nowadays, but I still think kids shouldn't have social media until they're 16, and they shouldn't be off parental controls until they're 16 either.

    And you know, if you're smart enough to evade parental controls I think you can handle the internet.

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  • curious-bunny
    4 years ago

    Abound 10

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  • leggs91200
    4 years ago

    I don't know why but this reminded me of this scene from Willy Wonka. It is towards the very end when he says he is not allowed to have a real gun. That is some solid parenting there.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klJGX3e4IfI

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  • mauzi
    4 years ago

    Probably never, by that I mean I would never want them to see anything on the "vile shit" list. Besides, it's just as bad as letting them watch tv 24/7 - they will grow up autistic and all that sort of thing from too much internet access to the retarded filth that's out there

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  • Jimbo24
    4 years ago

    Just put a parental control in there if you're that worried about it. They're all pretty effective nowadays.

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  • Doesnormalmatter
    4 years ago

    15 sounds about right to me. Above that age I don't think a parent should care much about what the kid does. Porn isn't some deathly evil voodoo shit.

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