Many parents are allowing their children to spend at least a little time online, with some allowing them to spend hours a day online.
Then there are other parents who do not see the Internet as a safe environment for children, so they do not allow their Children any access to the online world.
Parents with an eye for raising children who can function in the future modern world while still protecting their innocence tend to fall somewhere toward the middle of this spectrum.
They allow their children supervised, controlled access to the Internet for activities, such as games, that are designed just for children.
Online Gaming for Children Just as children have always learned from interactive television shows such as Sesame Street, children are now learning through games on the Internet.
These games are featured on safe gaming sites where parents can easily set them up with the most appropriate games and then monitor their play time.
Some games are featured on websites devoted exclusively to children while others are on gaming sites that host a variety of games for all ages and skill levels.
Parents do have to put some effort into finding the most educational and fun games that are geared for the age of their child, but with many websites now offering children's games this is not a problem in most cases.
One example of a great game that teaches children in a fun manner is Wordtrotter.
This is actually a game that many adults find themselves addicted to, but older children learning to put together words will get a lot of learning value out of it as well as immense enjoyment.
Colorful bug creatures are the heroes of the game and the objective is to go through worlds chasing down bugs marked with letters, called alphabet bugs.
These bugs are used to spell a word which will save the bug world.
The lesson here is obviously in spelling, but there are games such as Math Man as well.
This game is a spinoff of the classical Pac Man and is designed to help children learn to think through math problems quickly.
These games are entirely safe and there are options available for children of all ages.
There are even some games that parents enjoy playing along with their children.
It doesn't all have to be about learning, either.
Many parents simply enjoy playing online games with their children when getting outdoors for a bit of fun is not possible.
Research and Schoolwork Another valid reason that many parents now allow their children online is to keep up with schoolwork or to do more extensive research into different lessons they are learning in school.
Children must learn to do research online, since they will likely need these skills to get any type of employment in the future.
Many schools are now encouraging children to do some of their research for reports online, and that includes elementary aged children.
Computer skills are going to be needed for everyone in the next generation.
We depend on computers to a huge extent in the world today and that trend is only going to continue.
It is good parenting for children to be allowed some access to this technology so they are prepared for the future.
This is why so many parents are now allowing children to get online in a controlled, supervised environment.