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AIBU?

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Original poster

networking for 6yr olds at school

68 replies

meercat30 · 08/12/2010 00:37

My young son came home from school ecstatic having just spent an afternoon in an IT lesson learning about Super clubs . Great. I was eager to learn more.
It soon became apparent that Super clubs is basically the start of social networking for 6 to 12 year olds and that you can win points to build your own personal web page (without pictures).
He was so taken with the site, and wanted to start contacting his friends straight away.

There was a slight problem with this request, as my son is not allowed to be anyway involved with social networking until he has a fully formed individual.

Of course he is mortally upset as peer pressure to join in, came in the form of a phone call an hour later.

Enticing young children to win points get a web page is rather strange?

What exactly is super club trying to achieve with this site? what are the motives?

How did you manage to get schools to accept this?

OP posts:
ShanahansRevenge · 08/12/2010 07:46

Nooka...I have a 6 year old and you're right, it IS too young. Minegoes on he internet a lot...with me....to look p things like "What is inside a watertower" and to send an email to her Gran in Oz..which takes about an hour to type with one finger.

The internet is part of life as MrManager says and so the majority of children are already receiving an introduction into its power...with their parents.

School has a place in this of course...but it is not to teach MY child how to use social networking sites. I have been...and am still...planning to hold that one off as long as possible.

There's a good reason that Facebook has an age limit. The website we'e all talking obout here originated in Australia which has very different social problems than we have in the UK.

alison60 · 08/12/2010 10:03

I think its absurd to talk about IT being necessary for junior school kids. Firstly, technology moves fast: anything they learn at 6 will be obsolete by the time they're teenagers, let alone adults. Secondly, the whole point about computers is that they are EASY and they are getting more user friendly over time, not less. From an employment point of view there is no difference between a kid who has used a computer every day since they were 6 and one who has used one for a couple of years. So IT doesn't need loads of money and teacher time given to it.

So the only thing to consider about this site is whether it is educationally useful in itself. Personally, I would prefer schools to put more time and money into art, drama, and sport, and push IT down the priorities list.

Smithagain · 08/12/2010 10:14

My gut reaction to this was "What? No way! What are the school thinking of?"

But having looked at the site in question, I'm interested. If they have REALLY managed to set up a properly-monitored environment, it could be a really interesting way to help children learn the skills they need when they begin to explore the internet more widely. Which they will. Even if we think they won't.

But I do agree that 6 is a bit young to be encourage them to waste spend lots of time "chatting" online, instead of getting on with life in the real world. And we all know how easy it is to waste hours sat on our bums staring at a screen when we're supposed to be working Blush

Rollmops · 08/12/2010 10:31

Absurdia, before a child is ready to explore the virtual world, he or she must have basic interpersonal communication skills.
A 6 year old is much, much too young to start with online 'social networking' [triple boak].
Having confidence and ability to constructively interact with real people is far more important than ability to type words onto keyboard.

PhishFoodAddiction · 08/12/2010 10:59

My DD's school has an online community page (DD is 3 and a half). I think it's quite a good idea. The teacher posts questions and pictures on there for the children to answer, and there are links to educational resources. It has a mail function too.

I don't think it's a bad thing, as long as DCs are not sitting on the laptop all night messaging each other.

I want my DDs to be confident with computers as well as learning to read and write.

Rollmops · 08/12/2010 17:59

Anybody, everybody and their cat can learn to 'be confident with computers'Hmm - doesn't take much in neither time nor brain power wise.

It is so much more difficult to learn to become effective and confident communicator -skills absolutely vital for any successful career.

Online networking has it's place...errm... somewhere, however, it will not, ever, replace face to face interaction.
If it does, well, you're one sad pumpkin.

gorionine · 08/12/2010 18:07

YANBU, 6yo is far to young.

Not too young to use a computer but definitely too young to "social network" on it.

InPraiseOfBacchus · 08/12/2010 20:18

YABU, this is how people communicate now. This is the 21st century, and FaceBook naysayers are the equivalent to people in the 1920s who were convinces the devil would come for them if they had a telephone installed. Instead of The Devil, it's now The Pedophile. Almost just as statistically unlikely to harm your family.

Asteria · 08/12/2010 20:35

My DS8 has been on Club Penguin (which is partially interactive with other users) for ages and has his own email address. We didn't have any of this as children but that doesn't make it bad. I have very good parental limitations on my internet and am more than happy for DS to use Google for homework. I don't know about this site that you mentioned, but I am going to look into it and will consider it for my DS - although most of his friends are on Facebook (something that bothers me slightly as the parents don't seemto have done anything with their settings - I can access their pages very easily, which is a worry). In my opinion, if a parent is aware enough of what is going on then their chid should be encouraged to use computers and the internet - they aren't immediatly going to get sucked into the monitor (that dates my PC nicely!) by the first passing paedo

GotArt · 08/12/2010 21:48

Rollmops And everybody and anybody can learn about sex education, but the school has to teach that because a vast majority of parents don't or can't because they don't know or are embarrassed.

GraceAwayInAManger · 08/12/2010 22:35

The welcome page at SuperClubsPlus says "I'm web safe - are you?" which, imo, is a crucial point. Teaching children how to use the Web safely is just as important as teaching them which adults to trust, whether to get in a car with them, etc. And, as parents, choosing to ignore the issue is just as damaging.

No, the schools don't trust you to teach your kids how to get the most out of the Web at minimum risk ... many posts on this thread illustrate why.

classydiva · 08/12/2010 22:37

Maybe this is in order to make sure they do things properly and are not taken in by groomers on the net.

The majority of peado's target single parent women with young children.

GraceAwayInAManger · 08/12/2010 22:38

x-post, CD :)

MollieO · 08/12/2010 22:44

The most access I will allow my 6 yr old ds is CBBC. I have no interest in him using any social networking site. If he waits until he is older he will not be socially disadvantaged. I am not a social leper despite only having people I actually know and see on a regular basis as my fb friends. Xmas Confused

Ds learns computing skills at school. Learning social networking at 6 is not a required life skill imo. If his school suggested something like that I would object.

MrsDingDongMerrily · 08/12/2010 22:47

My DCs have a similar setup at school, it is vey restricted and so far my DCs (yes R and 2) have showed zero interest in the social networking and have only used it for the other activities. i think you have to send messages to whole classes, so individuals can't get more emails than each other. The teachers use it to give out work during snow closures. I'm quite happy with it.

gorionine · 09/12/2010 06:47

"This is the 21st century, and FaceBook naysayers are the equivalent to people in the 1920s who were convinces the devil would come for them if they had a telephone installed."

Not true, I resisted FB for a long time because I think it issad to comunicate via a machine with people you could just visit or invite to yours for a cuppa. Nothing to do with pedophiles. Same goes with 6yo online networking, why can they not just play with their friends rather than talk to them through a computer? IMHO it really kills communocation rather than promoting it. My 10yo in school has got something called VLE, you can only "chat" with your classmate. Chat I have seen go a bit like that

  • Hi Alfonzo how are you (gazillion of smilies of all sorts)
  • OK (smilies again)
  • What are you doing?
  • Nothing! you?(smilies)
  • Am on the VLE!

And you can repeat ad nauseam. It is not doing them any good it bores them even more to see that their friends are as bored as they are. Now if the same friends were in a room together, the dynamic would be very differentSmile. The noise levels too mind so maybe there is actually a point in itWink.

tjacksonpfc · 09/12/2010 07:45

I've just asked my 6 yr old dd if there school use this site.

Her reply was not till we get to ks2 so they use it from the age of 7.

Personally im not bothered by it as my dcs are both capable of using a pc and no what is and isnt accepable on there. Also being in a rural location its nice that they can communicate with there school friends, as there is a lot of distance between them, so not easy to meet up and play together after school Smile

MollieO · 09/12/2010 12:52

I worry that dcs are encouraged to spend time on the computer when they should be outside playing or (this time of year) inside playing. I hate the culture that seems to revolve around computers and computer games. Whatever happened to imaginative play? Xmas Hmm

Rollmops · 09/12/2010 13:09

Hear hear! MollieO

Oldjolyon · 09/12/2010 14:32

I hate the culture that seems to revolve around computers and computer games. Whatever happened to imaginative play?

Isn't this a false dichotomy? Why do we have to have one or the other? Why can't we have both? My daughter plays occasionally on the internet, still manages to fit in 6 hours of gymnastics a week, and shock horror, even goes outside to ride her bike unaccompanied at the weekend. Surely, with 168 hours in a week, I'm sure we can find time to fit in both online playing and real play too!

julesrose · 09/12/2010 14:50

It just doesn't seem right. I'm not so worried about the safety aspect as kids seem to be taught about this when they start using the internet. And the time spent in front of a screen is already a decision that is negotiated in homes.

It's just the sense that part of them will exist online. Their homepage will be all about them and they will have the chance to constantly add things about themselves.Anything they think or do will be able to be instantly shared.

No one knows how preoccupied they will be with checking their messages and updating their status or something similar. The fact is they are not grown up and no one knows what this type of preoccupation would do to their development. I think we have enough narcisistic individuals around as it is.
It could be absolutely fine - good fun and developmentally 'safe' - but who knows?

MollieO · 09/12/2010 20:21

Maybe I'm alone then in thinking that having a Wii, Xbox, Nintendo DS, computer games, social networking isn't the be all and end all? Ds had the chance of having a Wii for his birthday and chose chickens instead.

I would rather he learnt proper computer skills at school than social networking. That can come when he is older. I also think it is very odd that some 6 yr olds appear to have their own fb page and that parents (who must have set it up for them) think it is acceptable. In the same way I have refused to buy 18 rated games for a friend's 9 yr old (they suggested it when I asked what to get).

Last year I bought ds a playhouse for a joint birthday/Christmas present. I struggled to find a garden centre that actually stocked them and ended up buying one on line and taking a bit of a punt. Everywhere I visited said that there was no call for them as children don't play outside anymore. It is certainly true that ds plays outside a lot more than a lot of his friends (who do seem glued to their Wii, DS etc).

MrManager · 09/12/2010 20:59

I worry that dcs are encouraged to spend time reading books when they should be outside playing or (this time of year) inside playing. I hate the culture that seems to revolve around books and reading. Whatever happened to imaginative play?

MollieO · 09/12/2010 21:17

Last time I checked you couldn't access a social networking site through reading a book. You need a computer, hence my comment.

MrManager · 09/12/2010 21:20

MollieO you need a computer for a social networking site, but you don't need a social networking site to use a computer. Your comment didn't mention that, just that the very act of using a computer was against the ideal of imaginative playing. Same as reading a book - very sedentary.