Kids: Chief technology officers

Or maybe that should be families’ chief information officers. Because of their Net literacy, young people are increasingly becoming their families’ top product researchers and online shoppers, the Christian Science Monitor reports. “Three-quarters of students between the ages of 8 and 14 say they have completed an online transaction, according to a national survey released May 9 by Stars for Kidz.” The Monitor adds that nearly 25% of kids shop with their parents’ credit cards, 26% use gift cards, and 8% use their own credit card. “Almost half say they help with electronic transactions because their parents are ‘clueless’ online” and a third help because parents don’t have time to shop.” But parents turn to their kids for a lot of other tech skills – from learning about sites like Wikipedia and YouTube to editing and printing digital photos to finding directions for parent drivers. The Monitor quotes experts as saying this development is great for children’s developing self-esteem and independence, and I think it fosters healthy and necessary parent-child dialogue about constructive use of the Net.