While your child may not type “dadda” before she says it, there’s a chance that she’ll surf before she walks. The fastest-growing segment of Internet users is now preschoolers and an estimated 10 million children are online every day, according to industry statistics.
Surfing the Web can help young children learn to use technology and teach them about their world, but identity theft, Internet predators and other Web pitfalls can be a concern for parents. That’s one reason experts advise people to sit with their children, review a few surfing ground rules and then visit sites together.
Parents and kids can check out age-appropriate sites such as KOL Jr., an AOL-owned Web site designed specifically for kids ages 2 to 5. The site has interactive features that can help parents introduce their children to the Internet.
For instance, it features a Web cartoon called “Pilar’s Adventures” that was created by a teacher turned program director. Kids can click on the cartoon and watch any of 10, five-minute episodes. The site also has interactive educational games, music and kid-friendly movie clips that feature the...