Oy, parents, No!

[xyzzyplugh]

Would you let your child play with fire? Should fire be banned? (very silly). Would you let your child play in the road? befriend strangers? No, of course not. Would you let your child go into the town alone? I don't think so. Would you let your child into a dangerous situation dliberately? Hell no. Then why o why do you let your children have online pc's in their bedrooms or let them otherwise use the internet unsupervised. Why would you ever do that? Would you leave your child alone in your car with the engine running? Of course not. And yet we are continually told that the internet has low-life potentially dangerous areas. Parents can you answer this question; Why would you let your child surf the international network alone? Why?

[andy hughes]

I don't! My two older daughters are grown women who have their own homes (and neither of them use the Internet), my youngest (13) uses the PC under strict supervision, so although some of your analogies don't necessarily equate with Interent use, you do have a valid point. I wouldn't allow my daughter to surf unsupervised, and I don't think anyone should. But, we are in a minority I'm sorry to say.

[coemgen]

I would never let my kids go on the internet unsupervised.

[xyzzyplugh]

Nice one AB, thanks.

[PaulYukochan]

I think that children are considerably less likely to be run over, kidnapped, or burnt using a pc in their own bedroom than taking part in the other activities you describe.Sorry to nit-pick your attempt at being dramatic. Can you clarify the dangers of online pc use you are typing about?

[Gef]

I agree entirely with Paul. Why ask the original question anyway?

[quattro]

There are dangers everywhere for children its just today we are more aware of them . The internet can be a haunt for wierdos and paedophiles but at least they can be traced now , go back twenty years and think of how many naive we were then not knowing we could be putting our children at risk in any number of situations , we have since learnt that these sickos use certain occupations to target kids , where they can get them in a situation where they are in charge of them and the kids respect and trust them maybe its safer for them to sit in front of the computor all day