The Baptist Beacon

Our Children on the Internet

By Marilyn Spicer

Whether we agree with it or not, in a few years computers in our homes will be as necessary to strive and conduct daily business as the telephone. With computers comes access to the Internet, the "Information Highway", which is equivalent to a person having access to any and every library (of sorts) in the WORLD whether good or bad.

The Internet is the greatest invention yet to acquire or spread information and we have another great tool to spread the Gospel to any interested person in the ENTIRE WORLD. With as much extremity as its greatest assets is its evil side. Satan too has found use, an evil use, for the Internet just as he has for all other inventions.

Parents with computer access to the Internet can buy a software package called Net Nanny ($39.95 and less) that will monitor what is typed on the computer and what is received on the computer. If either contain a word or phrase that is contained in a table of offensive or dangerous words (a table which you can edit or add to) then it can lock up or shut down the computer. I understand that it also can be setup to not allow the receiving of pictures and such.

It is a goal of the U.S. to have Internet access in every High School in the country. Check your schools and demand that this or equivalent software is installed on all computers with Internet access and demand that an adult monitor its Internet use. Check with the parents of your children's friends to see if they have Internet access and tell them that you do not want your child using it unless they are supervised by a Christian adult. It is common for teenagers and children to visit friends to "play" on the computer. When the door is closed, check it out! They may be reading, seeing, or hearing obscene material or typing back and forth (called "chatting") with an obscene and dangerous person that has been prowling around waiting for an innocent victim. This is a very very serious matter. In a lot of households the children know more about computers than their parents because they are using them at school and the parents have never used one.

Yes, the Internet can assist your children greatly in their academic education, getting information for reports and projects from places they could never be in person but in a moment and a twinkling of an eye they could be in a dangerous or unchristian situation. You would not turn your kids loose in a huge city like Los Angeles or New York, regardless of the good that could be acquired, so do not let them loose in an even more dangerous world called the Internet or Cyberspace. For information about Net Nanny call 800_340_7177 or use the Internet address http://www.netnanny.com. Other software not as highly recommended is:

Net Shepherd (http:/www.shepherd.net)

Safe Surf ( http://www.safesurf.com/index.html)