| Age Group | Defining Traits | Common Concerns | Suggested Solution |
 |
2 – 4 Years:
Internet
Observers
| Online activities like looking at photos, visiting kid-friendly sites or using a web cam to communicate with relatives can be exciting for young children. | While they may try to emulate parents' activities, they are too young to make independent decisions online. | Your lap is a great vantage point for online activities. Kids 4 and under should not be allowed to use the computer without an adult. |
5 – 6 Years:
Do-It-
Yourselfers
| Eager to learn and use new skills — including newfound typing abilities — these children may want to explore the Internet by themselves. | Ability to access a broad range of sites grows dramatically. | Get in the habit of talking about online activities. Provide a menu of kid-friendly sites to explore. Age-appropriate browsers and parental controls can help restrict access to inappropriate materials. |
7 – 8 Years:
Boundary-
Pushers
| Growing independence and Internet skills may move children to see what they can get away with online. | They may attempt to visit sites or chat rooms not permitted by parents or teachers. | Maintain open communication, set clear rules for Internet use and strive for a healthy balance between online and offline activities. Use parental controls and review online activity reports to check that rules are being respected. |
9 – 12 Years:
Internet
Savants
| Children want to know "everything" and are well aware that there are many types of content online — both age appropriate and not. | They may feel motivated to form independent social lives, both online and off, but they don’t have all the skills to identify or handle difficult situations on their own. | Openly discuss online dangers to raise your child’s personal awareness. Consider introducing an online family safety contract. Maintain parental controls, user accounts and secure passwords. Monitor online activities and relationships as you would any other part of your child’s life. |
13 – 18 Years:
Online
Sophisticates
| Teens display growing maturity alongside naively accepting attitudes. Boys tend to seek humor, gaming or other media sites, while girls tend to spend time building and participating in social networks. | They may know more than their parents about the Internet, computers and software — especially as technology changes. | Maintain an active role in guiding Internet use with open communications that acknowledge teens’ need to make good, independent choices — especially
as limitations on content, sites and activities are loosened. |
