How do you monitor the websites your kids are visiting?
Your kids are searching “Miley Cyrus” or “Taylor Swift” on the Internet.
Okay, no big deal.
It’s when they’re entering keywords like “sex” and “porn” that you should begin to worry and intervene.
Think they’d never do something like that?
Don’t be so sure.
Check out this list of the most popular searches kids’ made in 2009 (and get ready to pick your jaw up off the floor…)
According to a service provided by Norton from Symantec, which specializes in Internet security and anti-spyware products for the home, “sex” and “porn” were among the top overall search terms for kids ages 18 and under in 2009.
Can you believe it?
Specifically, “sex” made #4 and “porn” made #5.
What were the top 3 for kids?
YouTube, Google, and Facebook.
No surprise there.
Between February 2, 2009 and December 4, 2009, Norton tracked 14.6 million searches that were submitted by those who used their OnlineFamily.Norton service and looked at the top 100 searches done by kids ages 18 and under.
Among the top results were “Michael Jackson,” “Taylor Swift,” shopping sites, games, celebrities and music.
Yes, the Internet is very entertaining and most often is educational, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to set some rules as to what your kids could search and what they can’t, especially if they’re way too young to be searching “sex.”
What are your thoughts on this? Are you surprised that many kids are not only searching things they see in the popular media, but are also searching inappropriate content? Do you monitor your kids’ Internet usage?
Sex, Porn, Team Jacob, and Michael Jackson Make Norton’s 100 Top Kids’ Online Searches of 2009 [Symantec]
