Would you, as a parent, happily invest in a digital reading device for your child if you were more comfortable about controlling its easy access to inappropriate reading material and internet sites?
I was teaching fourth grade in the '90's when our school district presented the students with a new math series. The first week of school I was leading my class in a Scavenger Hunt of each of their textbooks when we discovered that the math book had a math practice site for their home computers.
Suddenly, the hand of one of my new students flew into the air, and his troubled voice blurted out, "But teacher, there is some really nasty stuff on the internet."
Most kids know about that "stuff", and it's difficult to offer the good "stuff" without exposing them to the bad.
I understand that Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook, and Apple's iPad have optional password protection. Use a search engine (Google, Bing, etc.), and do some research about it.
If you are concerned, you really should be.
Also, be aware that if you have downloaded adult reading materials on one device, it might be automatically available on a second device of the same brand. I have two Kindles, one a keyboard Kindle, and the other a Kindle Fire. When I purchase a Kindle ebook for Kindle 1, it is also available for my Kindle 2.
Would I want my ten year old reading those top three books on today's best seller list? (You probably know which ones I mean. They have been the subjects of many television talk shows lately.)
And another thing, ordering books usually requires the use of a credit card, but does that reassure you? Until the billing arrives, isn't it possible that the adult card holder might not even be aware of some purchases?
So how else can we protect our young readers from their own curiosity? Talk about our issues with them, of course.
Make rules? Quite possibly.
The devices might have to be stored in common areas of the home where their use could be monitored--similar to the use of a laptop computer.
Should the Ereaders ever leave the house for sleep-overs or taken to school? Should they be taken to libraries or malls where free wireless service (WiFi) is available?
Each and every family has its own set of concerns. The Ereaders are a new tool for entertainment and learning, and kids love that kind of thing.
That is good, isn't it?
I hope so. By establishing some deliberate practices and sharing good ideas, I hope we can find ways to use the Ereaders safely.
As Percy's mother says in Pomegranate, "This is not a toy!"
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