Are your kids teenagers before getting their own e-mail addresses, or are kids nowadays younger when they start e-mailing friends and family? My daughter is 8 and in third grade. I always thought she'd be too young for her own e-mail until she's a teenager, but now I'm wondering if it would be a cute way for her to have an e-mail penpal (friends from where we used to live) and a way for her to practice typing skills. I would never let her have access to it without me right by her side (she never gets on the internet on her own; I am always the one on the computer and she sits next to me if we are looking something up together). I thought about just letting her use my e-mail address, but maybe it would be nice for her to have her own...
So how old were your kids before getting their own e-mail addresses? Could I open a Yahoo e-mail account for her, or are there any free e-mail services for kids? Or should I just let her use mine? Thanks!
I don't remember how old my son was. 4 or 5, maybe? (Early reader at 3).
His gmail account had yet to have any spam... because it's NEVER used to sign up for anything and isn't on Fwd email lists. He writes to grandparents, parents, friends, etc and gets letter back.
My kids only got their own emails after starting High School. Prior to that they used mine. I don't think there's a right or wrong here, just what you as a family feel comfortable with. Since you sit with your daughter anyway, there's no reason for her to have a separate email at the moment (unless YOU prefer it)! Enjoy this precious time ... she'll be a teen before you know it! Best wishes :)
My grandkids, ages 4 and 7 have had their own sub-account email addresses for years. They get to keep in contact with their other siblings and get pictures, messages on birthdays, etc...these accounts are not for them to actually use between friends unsupervised.
We follow teachings from our church that made really good sense. Our computers that the kids can be on are in family areas. The screen faces the room so everyone can see everything on there. There is no time they are online unless my hubby or I are right there. There is also a picture above the screen of our family. It helps for them to know that we are looking on them and loving them.
Call me weird but I set up Isaac's email account when he was a newborn.
I use Yahoo mail for my main address. If you set up a Yahoo! Family account you have complete control over their email. http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/2005/07/email-for...
My older kids (age 13) only have e-mail because they need it for Facebook (I don't want their cell numbers as their ID). Older kids, as a general rule, don't e-mail at all - they text and FB instead. So with newer technology being used almost exclusively, e-mail isn't really a rite of passage, it's a tool that us old folks use. So for that reason, I think it's fine. I still have an msn account (dating myself much?) and when my kids were 8 or 9 I was able to set up child accounts so that they could talk to their grandparents and a few friends. I had to approve all of their contacts and had access to all of their messages from my own mailbox. I bet that most e-mail providers have similar functionality. I think it's a great way to encourage written communication and typing skills!
my kids have email-and they could care less. My oldest s 10. he has no interest. he also has a facebook page, again-he does nothing with it.
My older 2 were both 4 (they are 13 and 8 now). I have the passwords and can check it at any time. The type they have a re from yahoo and are family accounts.
My granddaughter was 9 when she got her own address. Her father lives out of state and the e-mail was a way for them to write back and forth. She was in Kindergarten when she started using the Internet to play games with her Webkinz. It is a good way to learn keyboarding and a good introduction to the Internet.
I think it is OK for your 8 yo to have her own address. You've thought it thru, know what she'll use it for and you will be supervising.
I'm so glad you asked this question as we were just talking about this with my 5th grader. She wants a cell phone and we are not ready for her to have one yet (lots of reasons but reality is she really only wants it to text--nothing else). We talked about getting an email address for her especially since one of her friends just moved out of state. It would be a good way for her to email her and her aunts, cousins, etc. Since the kids' computer is in the same room as ours and I can keep an eye on what they are doing online I'm thinking it might work out ok. Sounds like you are in a similar situation to me and the replies here have been helpful! Good luck!
My kids both had email accounts when they were very young. There's really no harm in it that I can see, since you would monitor it's use. I would just suggest that you choose a provider with good spam control, (not Hotmail) so that you minimize the amount of nasty email titles you both may see when you open the inbox. My kids primarily use Yahoo and it seems to be pretty good.
I told my girls that they would earn that privledge at middle school, along with a cell phone. IF they deserve it, and only if. If not maybe they are not old enough and will have to wait another year. I also told them that it was a privledge, not a right, therefore, I will set it up with them, I will know the password, and that they will treat it responsible, because they never know when I will go through and read it to see if something inappropriate was happening. I think I have only checked it once in the year she has had it and that was because someone said that she sent something inappropriate to another girl. (Which she didn't, the girl sent it to her and I was able to delete it before she ever saw it, TG)
My girls are really good girls, but I want them to stay that way. When they get in trouble, they lose their computer privledges for the day/week etc. depending on what they did. The world wants them to grow up so fast and they will have plenty of time for all of that grown-up stuff soon enough.
Good Luck!
