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FREE e-book: "Family Internet Survival Guide" <click here>

Marty,
It seems like all of the Web sites my children go to on the Internet have lots of advertising on the screen while we use them. Even disney.com bombards us with too many advertisements. Is there a way to turn off these ads? (Susan F. from Willow Grove, PA)

Actually no, there is no way to "turn-off" the banner ads that are on-screen while using many educational Web sites. Different Web sites handle the challenges of meeting the costs of producing and maintaining the site in different ways. Many "commercial" Web sites contain very valuable and educational content (disney.com is one of the best and most entertaining for children), but yet will also include advertisements on-screen. Other sites will not contain advertisements, but will charge users a subscription fee to use its resources (such as elibrary.com). There are numerous FREE educational sites that contain little to no advertisements (ipl.org for instance), but many of these sites are not as easy to navigate or as entertaining for children.

Marty,
My four year old daughter is already drawn to our computer. She loves to move the arrow all over the screen with the mouse, and even knows what certain icons will do when she clicks on them. Is she too young to be able to use the Internet to learn? (Colleen W. from Houston, TX)

Many educators will encourage children to begin using the computer at an early age. Others feel three and four year olds should be reading and experiencing their new world hands-on,  rather than use the computer for learning basic skills. Each parent must decide what's best for his/her child. The Internet features many Web sites that contain age-appropriate material that will entertain and educate a four year old (and other pre-schoolers). One of my favorite sites that you and your daughter may like is funschool.com.

Marty,
My children are 10 and 12 and whenever we search the Internet for school projects, we always run into Web sites showing naked pictures. I even sometimes have to shut off the computer because we can't escape the dirty stuff. It makes me want to get rid of our computer! Any suggestions? (Debbie C. from New Foundland, CA)

The only way you can begin to try and avoid Web sites featuring adult content is to search the Web using family-friendly search directories. There are search directories such as ajkids.com and studyweb.com that are monitored by educators, parents and civic groups to maintain an extensive directory while weeding out the sites containing inappropriate material.
 

Do you have a question about children and the Internet? Please send your questions to: Question@ResponsibleKids.net

FREE e-book: "Family Internet Survival Guide" <click here>

"How to Survive the Internet With Your Kids"  by Marty W. Stewart

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