Should there be exceptions to your house rules for Internet usage? This is something that you need to think about and decide if some exceptions would work for you and your family. There are some reasons you might need some exceptions to the rules and sometimes where the rules may not be enough. As you learn more about the Internet and how your family navigates it you may need to make those exceptions to the rules.
As you are going through the rules for Internet usage you might need to think about what types of exceptions you want to make to your house rules. You will need to think about when you can make exceptions and if that would be fair to all Internet users in your home. You can make big or small exceptions but you should allow some room for some type of exception. These can be one time exceptions for a person or a website or it can become more of a permanent change.
You should make some exceptions to your Internet usage rules when situations call for a change. These situations may include research for a school or work project that may take longer then the allotted time, adding friends to social websites and adding or deleting websites. You may even make some exceptions to the rules that you have set for the publishing of websites.
Allowing more Internet time for someone who is doing research is a good exception to make if need be. More time on the Internet will insure that the research is done correctly and the person was not rushed. You may also make the exception that the research does not count toward their fun time on the Internet. Also, as the children in the home get older so will their use of the Internet creating a need for a change or exception in the rules for the time and the websites they visit.
Adding new friends to social networking sites is another situation that may call for an exception to the rules. For the kids who use the networking sites their friendships will be changing and they will want to add those friends. If you approve of the addition ahead of time the exception should be fine. However, you still need to have final approval on the friends that are added. You should not make an exception to monitoring these sites. There are too many problems that can arise from not watching close enough.
Another exception to Internet usage may be that you need to reevaluate the websites that are visited. Maybe the content on a particular website has become questionable or maybe you need to add a new website. This would also be a good time to make an exception. As you navigate the Internet more you will find more websites that you like and can add to the website list you have generated. Favorite websites may also become harder to navigate or include too many undesirable qualities. You will need to make exceptions for adding or deleting these websites.
If you or someone in your home has online scrapbooking sites or personal websites that they like to publish to the web you may think of making some exceptions to these rules. If you make your web sites by invitation only it will cut down on the traffic you get to the site. You could then allow more pictures but you will still need to make sure that most of your personal information stays off. Be careful of the information that you do share. You should hold final approval on anything put out onto the Internet.
Should there be exceptions to your house rules for Internet usage? Yes, if you still proceed with caution and continue to monitor the younger children. All rules should have exceptions because times always change. Use your own judgment for what exceptions should be made. You may not make the same exceptions for everyone but it is up to you to decide.