Growing up, every kid is curious about the development of their bodies. They are also curious about why some people develop differently (boys and girls are built differently, in case you hadn’t heard). They also hear strange words like, “sex,” which make them more curious. When my generation was growing up, if you wanted to know about something, you looked it up in an encyclopedia. It gave a very sterile and scientific description and, if you were lucky, might contain some medical drawings. Woohoo!
Recently, a young family member of mine was curious about that same word and she went to the modern day version of the encyclopedia, Google. Google’s answer about sex was vastly different than the one I received. There was nothing sterile about the response, especially not for a seven year old. And that day, Internet security became personal for me. I knew how dangerous the Internet was in exposing children to inappropriate content, but when I heard this story, I felt the danger, especially as I raise two boys and one girl of my own.
More recently, my son was watching a YouTube video, but one of the recommended videos that he clicked on was vastly different than the one he was watching. The recommended video was “Take it Off,” a spoof on the popular Taylor Swift song. We caught it pretty quickly, but it reminded me yet again of the dangers of allowing kids unfettered access to the Internet.
It is for this reason, among many others, that something like Circle is making waves across the Internet. Circle has the ability to help parents manage these dangers. I did a full workup on it yesterday, so feel free to check that out, but regardless of how you choose to protect your family, you must take steps to protect your family. You must also make sure to keep communication lines open between you and your children.
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