Is WP safe for kids?

Post Reply New Topic

Hi. Is WP safe for kids to use without too much parental supervision, or do those of you who let your kids on it keep a fairly close eye on what they're doing? Do you put boundaries on which discussion forums they can enter? And with the kids discussion, is it mainly fairly positive or can it degenerate into "mindless drivel"? What age would you let your child start using it? (Sorry about all the questions!)

Well, the adult forum can get sorta racy at times (not that its anything that would scar your child if they stumbled upon it), but other than that it seems safe to me. Of course, my parents never really worried too much about the movies I watched or games that I played when I was growing up, so I am pretty loose with that kind of thing. I wish I had access to something like this site when I was younger, though.

My 9 and 8 year old sons are members of WP.

I supervised them closely initially. Hoewver they know the rules about not giving out personal details eg Date of birth, address etc. They often send PM's to other members scolding them for giving out private information.

Now I let them go for it! We did move our computer out into the lounge room so I can see the computer from the kitchen.

I do check what they're posting and where: all you do is go to member profile and click on 'view all posts'.

Helen

The one thing that I wouldn't feel comfortable about having my child on WP is the fact that there is often discussion of suicidal feelings and depression. That's an understandable concept for adults to discuss on this forum, but I would rather not have my son read about those things at a young age.

The moderators try to keep things at a fairly safe level. That said, there are some threads in some areas you should encourage your children to stay out of. Not only that, but do not let them be involved in any threads that ask for the divulging of personal information.

My sons don't bother with the Adult Forum (they can't get in) or The Haven.

They love the Kids' Crater and Random Discussion.

My 9 year old has posted heaps more than my 7 year old. My 9 year old is AussieBoy and my 7 year old is UbbyUbbyUbby .... you can click on their profiles and read their posts if you want to get an idea of what sort of things the kids look at.

Another really cool kid is Eddiedog8 (I think that's how you spell his name). He just turned 9. Again, look on his posts if you want to get an idea.

The kids all play with others on WP - other kids and adults.

For my sons posting on WrongPlanet has been incredibly positive. They feel part of a huge community and many older members of mentored them.


Helen

How old are your children, if you don't mind me asking? I joined when I was 14, about to turn 15, and it has helped me understand Asperger's a lot better, but the others are right, The Haven is probably not for anyone younger than 12 or 13, at least.

I thought that forum wouldn't allow access to kids.

My son just joined (Nelius). He's 9, and so far it's just kids crater with language support from me, as English isn't his first language. This means I know exactly what he is doing!
I also hope posting will really kick start his written English.

We have never made his autism a secret, but it is just recently he has really started thinking about it. I though WP would be a very positive place to start out - "there are 18 000 other people like me!" He also thinks Alex is pretty cool!

He was thrilled to find 5 pages on pokemon straight off. So far what he is doing is pretty mindless, but hugely entertaining to him.

it doesn't allow access to kids.

you do understand that a lot of children experience suicidal thoughts at very young ages as well as adults? i know i did as a child, and i just found out that my friend's daughter at the age of 7 has been talking about it. it is not something that you never want to discuss nor is it something you want to ignore or dismiss if a child needs to talk about it.

My son hasn't shown any interest in joining, but I wouldn't object. I think at his age monitoring ALL internet usage is important, I don't care how safe it seems, I want a general sense of where he is going, what he is saying, what he is reading, and what he is doing. So far, he hasn't ventured anywhere that worries me, and I mostly have the privilege of staying out of it. But he knows that out of concern for his safety, he doesn't do anything "private" on the internet, and he is TOTALLY ok with that, at his current age, anyway, lol.

I can't imagine prohibiting too much, as long as I know what he is coming accross. Children are going to run into all sorts of things in their young lives that we would prefer they didn't. I feel it is important to use it all as teaching moments.

Overall, I think WP is a good site for older teens and above. And, it's good there are a wide range of topics. But, I'm an adult and even some subject matters on WP have bothered me, so I have to screen and read subject lines carefully to make sure I'm not clicking on something I don't want to. There are boards here that I feel are not my cup of tea and and I don't read them. However, on the general/open topic boards, I get concerned about threads regarding murder, suicide, drugs...that sort of thing

So, I'd be concerned with a kid or youth on here without supervision.

Oh. See, I didn't know that. That's fine, then.

AS son is almost 8. From reading the above comments I think I might keep WP up my sleeve for when he is a bit older. Maybe when/if he reaches a stage that he is upset that he finds it difficult to make friends, then it would possibly be a good thing to then introduce him to a "world of friends" here.