> Just don't give your children internet access till they are old enough that they can be responsible enough to use it correctly? Why this is not an option? It

> Just don't give your children internet access till they are old enough that they can be responsible enough to use it correctly? Why this is not an option? It can be very hard to enforce unless you are a stay-at-home helicopter parent who homeschools. Peer pressure (not just on the child, but also the parents) and the need to fit in will result in your child demanding their own device by like eight at the latest, and mounting pressure to do so. (Apps are part of the curriculum in some places now!) And failing that they'll just buy and hide their own device by like 14. Though as you imply, if they aren't capable of self-regulating by about 14 you've probably already lost. Everything from game consoles to the television to the fridge may be Internet-connected. Prepaid plans with data are as little as a single day's lunch allowance in some parts of the world. All their friends have electronic devices with internet access. Along with access at school. And probably some circumvented access at home... it's quite hard to actually keep kids offline.