Information has long been sought out by many generations throughout time. It is
a powerful tool that has often been hard to find, until the evolution of the
Internet. The Internet has brought the world to the fingertips of millions
world-wide. What used to take days or years to find, a person with the knowledge
and ability may find in mere minutes of searching on the Internet. But along
with the value it brings, there are also many dark sides. Pornography, stalkers,
hackers, and other forms of evil are also prowling the Internet, many times on
children. Millions of households are now connected to the information
superhighway, with many of the parents “computer illiterate.” These parents
rely on their children’s knowledge of computers and the Internet to show them
the ropes. Often times the freedom that the children are given on the Internet
is put to good use in educational activities, such as games, chatting, and
tutorials on any subject that they may encounter in school. Parents often
supervise their children while they are on-line, but there are some times that
children are able to get connected, such as when the children have the computer
in their room. Without the proper supervision, children can often times find
vulgar material on the Internet. They might innocently click on a banner that is
advertising on a web-site that looks safe, but often times these banners can be
a link to a site with elicit material. The children were drawn in by the
attractive banner to a site that is not meant to be viewed by them. This is also
true for many of the chat rooms that they might wander into where pedophiles may
be lurking, often lying about their age to get close to the children. Although
there are many misleading and improper sites on the Internet, the overall value
cannot be looked past. The information provided to children of today is far
greater than what was offered just a few years ago. Children are now given an
advantage that many adults did not have. I believe that children growing up in a
home with and Internet connection have a definite advantage, as long as they are
properly supervised and warned of the evils lurking in cyberspace.