Should I create an email account for my daughter?

Question

My ten year old daughter loves to surf the net for cartoons and dolls. She keeps asking can I create an email account for her. I think she is too young for one. She says her friends have one and she is the only one without one. I am afraid she may get into somethings I don't know about. The internet is so dangerous at times. What should I do?

Answer 1

i think she can have a email.

Answer 2

Yes. Just don't let her do IM. Make sure you have her password, and check her account regularly. Email isn't the dangerous part of the internet! Just make sure she understands that her email address is not to be public - it's just for close friends and family.

Answer 3

I'd look into a couple different email browsers.  For example, i think aol is able to be watched by a parent, like you can limit what the mail the child receives, etc.  good luck!

Answer 4

Have her get one, but block all the sites you don't want her to use.  I had an e-mail when I was that young.  It can be dangerous, but if you go to the right sites, you'll do just fine.

Answer 5

I think it is okay to give her an email address but talk to her about what sites on the internet she can give it to.  Everyday go through it with her and on the sly check for bad emails and spam. She probably wants it so she can sign up for things like neopets.

Answer 6

she is too young. I didnt get my first e mail account until I was twelve. Many girls get killed and make many mistakes on the internet. My freind got disturbing  e mails and no she refuses to even use the internet. Dont let your daughter be a victim

Answer 7

MY GOD!!! I GOT MY EMAIL ADDRESS WHEN I WAS 7 YEARS OLD!!!!! GIVE THE POOR THING AN EMAIL!!!!!!!

Answer 8

Okay, my daughter is 6 and has her own email account. Granted I have the password and she doesn't know how to change it.  

She emails grandma and grandpa daily, as well as her college age aunt and uncle.  I see no problem with it as long as I monitor her.

Answer 9

Create one for her before she makes one for herself.

That way you can monitor the account (set up parental control features if there are any > I'm sure there are) because sooner or later, she'll figure out how everything works.

Technology is reaching younger kids everyday

Answer 10

chnope

Answer 11

My 10-year-old has an e-mail account.  So far though we have only given it to family members and now one friend who moved out of town.  We also have the computer in a common area, not in her room, and she knows if she is caught e-mailing someone we don't know or surfing someplace she doesn't have permission to go she will lose her account for a while.

Parental controls are definitely important - to keep people she doesn't know from sending her messages and to block spam.  Think of some of the subjects of the spam you get and then think about whether you'd want your daugher to read something like that.

FYI, our parental controls for e-mail work, but the website controls don't work well at all.  My daughter found a way around them (it was blocking a Disney site she wanted to visit) - I'm not going to post how here.

Do what you are comfortable with.  You know her better than anyone else here.

Answer 12

as long as you have full control of it, it would be ok, my kid is 8 and just uses my account on the rare occasion she needs it

Answer 13

She's 10??  Forget it.

Answer 14

I had an email account from a very young age. (like, 8 I think.) It helps to make accounts on games, and contact with friends. The danger in email is she could recieve unwanted spam, and what-not. You can create an email account where you recieve the emails that she recieves, or you can simply monitor the account, to make sure that nothing bad is going on on the internet, since it can be a very dangerous place. I think It's be okay as long as she is mature, and you trust her.

Answer 15

i was 9 when i got and email adress

i just used it to email my grandfather at that age

its no big deal just watch what she signs up for with the email

Answer 16

How many of us have heard that our child is the "only one without something"  or "everyone is doing it"??

Answer 17

i don't see why not.  just make sure that you have programs set up to limit the sites she can visit.  make sure you know all of her passwords.  also, make sure you have a program set up so you can know what kind of instant messages she is sending and to whom.  you can limit what a child can do while on the net and find out exactly who they are talking to with the right programs

Answer 18

Let her but have some rules along with it.Like if you can,set parental locks on some websites and stuff like that.I understand where she's coming from because I'm 12.But me and my mom have a special type of mother-daughter relationship where we trust each other.If you and your daughter have a bond like that,let her go for it.

Answer 19

this is what you do, setup an account where you are the parental guardian, you explain to her you are allow full access that is because there are a lot of sickos out there and you need to protect her, and that you are trusting her, once she is old enough, she can have one where u dont know the password but just explain to her, right now you need to make sure she stays safe, and give her explains of how pedophiles lure girls off the internet and she will understand

Answer 20

I have a ten yr old, too.  (and a 20 year old).  She has her one email account but my rule is that I also have her password.  She goes to her dad's every other weekend and I use the email to talk to her and it's alot of fun.  If she's already surfing the net (which is where most of the danger is anyways) then she should be OK w/ an email b/c for the most part only ppl she knows would contact her.  Explain to her to not open anything that is not from someone she knows.  Hope this helps.

Answer 21

if you don't get her one, she'll just create one herself behind your back. I'm telling the truth. A few years ago, I wanted a MySpace account, and my parents said No. (Of course, now, they don't mind) So I just created one without telling them, and they didn't find out until about a year ago. Considering I've had one for about 2 and a half years, that's a pretty long time. You should let your daughter have an E-Mail account. I got mine when I was 10, and my little brother's had one since he was 9, so I think you should do it. Oh, and I'm seeing things on here about setting parental controls, you should add some, but don't make them so strict that she can't even send messages to her friends, because if you do, then whats the point of having one?

Answer 22

We you can give her the email and make the password on your own so you know it...That way you will be able to check to see what kind of things she has gotten into.

Also incase theres anything you dont want her to get into block the sites

Answer 23

I let mine get an account, since there were several sites she wanted to participate in, but needed an email addy to use.

I have sat down and talked with her about safety, etc. Her acct. is a yahoo acct, and so far she has not even gotten any spam mails. But then again, she's only signed up on a couple of her favorite game, Barbie, etc. type sites..good luck!

Answer 24

i would allow her to have an email account, although i would keep her password to allow for some controll. that way you know what she is getting into

Answer 25

My 8 (just turned 9) yr old sister has one and she feels so empowered even though NOBODY knows her e-mail. She doesn't even know her own log in! But I think that if you think she is ready then do the following...

1. know her user name and password so you can check on her if you are worried

2. most e-mail services have "child lock" on them which makes it so that she can only e-mail people on her contacts list and vise verse

3. Teach her about Internet safety and "cyber-bulling"

4. Tell her that if she wants to sign up for an account to anywhere then tell her to ask you first to prevent "bad guys" and or "bad places"

It is all up to you and if you don't think she is ready then stand your ground and don't back down, eventually she WILL give in.

Answer 26

YEAH LET HER HAVE IT

Answer 27

monitor it

Answer 28

Create her one, but make srue you have the password and check it every so often to make sure shes not doinig bad stuff on it.

I made my self one when I was like 10 and I got like 11 more over 3 years, but my parents don't know the password to any of them.

Answer 29

10 is too young, why does she even need one at that age? let her look at dolls and such, but always watch what she does. but i dont see why a 10 year olf would need an email

Answer 30

Do not create an email account for her.  I tell my 10 yr old that she can use my email address if she needs one and then I see what she gets.