For MSNBC’s Mika Brezinski, who’s frequently on her BlackBerry or laptop, technology is just a routine part of daily life.
But monitoring her kids’ online activity hasn’t been as effortless. In an essay titled “Internet Intervention” in September’s Ladies’ Home Journal (no link available), Brezinski writes of being “mortified” to realize 12 year-old daughter Carlie had tweeted under her mom’s account.
The message — “Can anyone help my daughter meet Justin Bieber?” — was sent to 19,000 followers, even garnering a re-tweet from NBC White House correspondent Savannah Guthrie.
After Carlie also signed up for a Facebook page (gotta be 13 for that), Brzezinski and her husband created a “contract” for the kids’ internet use.
Rules include “No going onto the Net without having first asked a parent’s permission”. And the children’s internet histories can be checked “at any moment”.