Welcome to the Jungle

Helping Parents Understand Technology

by Larry Magid

When I first heard the expression, "it's a jungle out there" applied to the Internet, I got a bit defensive. Yes, the Internet does have some dangerous areas, but it's a wonderful place for both kids and adults. And then I thought about the actual jungles that I've visited and realized that the Internet really is like a jungle.

Jungles are great. They're rich, they're fertile and they're extremely diverse and complex. They're wonderful places to explore and, if you know what you're doing, you'll emerge safely with all sorts of wonderful experiences.

The trick - whether you're exploring a jungle, a city, an amusement park or the Internet - is to have a positive attitude but be aware of and prepared for the potential dangers.

Like a jungle, the Internet is a bit messy. It has paths that can take you to both delightful and unpleasant places. It has lots of pests that can annoy you and a few predators that can do you serious harm. But the vast majority of people who spend time online find ways to traverse the Internet's twisted paths and broad savannas with nothing worse than the cyber equivalent of a few mosquito bites.

It's not uncommon for people to be afraid of sending their children into places where there are potential dangers. Those of us who are parents worry about our kids a lot. Will they be physically injured on their way to school? Will they be bullied during recess? Will their self-esteem suffer while they're in class? When we hear of tragedies such as Columbine or the recent shooting in Red Lake, Minnesota, we even worry if our kids are safe at school.

My kids go on ski trips with their friends and I'm terrified the whole time. Will the car slide off the road on the way up the mountain? Will they break their legs on the slopes?

Fear has its place. It's a natural response to potential danger and, thanks to fear, we learn to protect ourselves. In that sense, fear can be our friend but it can also be our downfall. If we let fear run our lives, we would never send our kids out skiing or let them ride a bike or play soccer. We would certainly never let them venture into a jungle and, taken to an extreme, we wouldn't even send them to school.

Instead, we learn to manage fear and use it to take proper precautions. Our kids get proper training and wear protective equipment when they're engaged in sports. We secure them in seat belts when they're in the car and if they walk to school we teach them to use crosswalks or, better yet, wait for the crossing guard. We work with our school districts to make sure they have appropriate security systems in place. Yet, despite all we do, we know there is the remote possibility that something terrible and unexpected might happen. Yes. we take precautions, but we don't let that paralyze us or use it as an excuse to deny our children the opportunity to explore, to play, to learn and to live rich lives.

Most parents, I suspect, will nod their heads to what I have said so far about the dealing with danger in the physical world. That's because we grew up in that world and have come to terms with it. But many of those same parents have a tough time applying those lessons when it comes to the Internet and our children's use of technology.

One reason for this is because we didn't grow up with this technology. We had TV, telephones and other gadgets when we were young and some of the younger parents among us may even have experienced video games and early PCs as children, but back then the evolutionary curve was a bit slower and the content coming into our homes through TV and radio was not only limited but tightly controlled. Gone are the days of three TV networks and a handful of local stations under the watchful eye of the FCC. The Internet brings us millions of "stations" with virtually no regulation.

We learn to adapt to technology but technology is evolving at an ever increasing rate. Just when we thought we understood email, we had to come to grips with instant messaging. When we thought we had a handle on web sites, we had to start thinking about "blogs." We all thought we understood that cell phones were basically portable telephones but now we come to learn that they can also be used for text messaging, surfing the web, taking and sharing photos and video, listening to music and even watching TV.

The good news is that there are ways for parents not only to stay on top of the changes in technology but to remain in control of how it is used by their children. We are not helpless and there is no reason to be clueless. Our kids may be more tech savvy than we are, but we have some advantages. We're older, we're wiser and, yes, we are in charge.

My goal in writing this column is to help parents understand emerging technology and how it can be used by children and families. Over the coming months we'll explore tools, toys and techniques that parents can use to help their children navigate the twisted paths of the rich and fabulous but ever changing technology jungle. Having spent more than 20 years exploring the online world, I guess I'm qualified to call myself a native guide. Welcome to my jungle.