so, i had a freaky experience with the internet recently and it got me to thinking, "ok, so just how safe is the internet?" so heres my poll!

psst. You might want to actually create a poll :P

sry. just did.

I think most of it is how safe and careful a person is online.

Well, I chose "i guess it could be a little dangerous" except, I know that it's dangerous. I don't believe that children should have adult supervision 100% of the time, but certainly a lot of the time.

yeah, i was just trying to generalize. im 13, but my parents trust me most of the time.

The internet can be dangerous, but not if people use common sense. I never give out my real name/address/etc., and I've been safe so far. As for adult supervision being necessary, I think it depends on the child. Mature, responsible children can be trusted to safely use the internet independently, as long as rules are laid down by the parents or guardians beforehand. My brother, who is eleven, is part of an online forum, and has never, ever given out personal information.

Also there's some phishing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing) websites and some websites and files that may contain viruses, trojans, spyware, adware and/or malware.

Consider watching this video from Youtube.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3atmWmWCwlw

It's the best idea to have a virus scanner and a spyware remover.

And always keep your PC and Windows up-to-date

The internet in itself is not dangerous, it's the way you use it that can be. If you proceed carefully, you will not be in danger. If you are stupid and give your credit card number to eveyrone who asks, then I guess you can find it dangerous, but it's your fault too.

I voted "I guess it could be a little dangerous"
However this depends on where you go and what info you give out.
As long as you're careful, it should be pretty safe.

I feel that if you don't give out your address and have a spyware removal program you are save. Plus you have to be smart and think about stuff. Dont open mail you dont know who it is from. Dont go sites you dont know anything about.
Be safe and think.
Kids should always be watched.

The internet can be dangerous, but not if people use common sense. I never give out my real name/address/etc., and I've been safe so far. As for adult supervision being necessary, I think it depends on the child. Mature, responsible children can be trusted to safely use the internet independently, as long as rules are laid down by the parents or guardians beforehand.

I couldn't have said it better.

the internet is a good tool, but should be used wisely at the same time.

I chose 'kids should have adult supervision always' but that's just because my younger cousin CANNOT be left alone at a computer. He would give his home address, full name and basically everything to anyone online. He is only 8 but I'm actually starting to worry about him. :scared: I think I'll need to send him here!

I love the internet and I think if you learn how to use it properly and be safe then you can have lot's of fun!

I voted who cares, because frankly I'm not one to worry about safety alot, hence me having injuries that I could have avoided. Also, if we're going for the "hacking" (smart people know that its "cracking" into computers/etc., not hacking) thing I'm good there.

I agree with iGeek. If you're a pretty smart person you have nothing to worry about as far as that stuff goes but with kids I do believe parents should take caution.