Talking to Your Children About Downloading Music -- A Parent's Guide

By Parry Aftab
InformationWeek
December 1, 2003 12:00 AM (From the December 1, 2003 issue)

Parenting is tough enough. We need to balance work, home and parenting. We need to be the math tutor, grammar expert and able to paint the backdrops for the school play. We have to bake (or fake it by buying ) cookies and cupcakes, and do science projects last minute.

We also need to be up-to-date on technology, the Internet and safe surfing, when we can't even set the clock on our VCRs. And now, we are facing subpoenas and lawsuits from the RIAA for what our children are doing online... for what everyone's doing online! Without hiring copyright lawyers, how do we address the issues with our children? How do we figure out what our kids can and can't do with music online? And how do we answer their questions. Or our own? Hopefully, this guide will help.

It's not easy, but our job as parents to teach our children the difference between right and wrong. Even if we disagree with the RIAA's tactics, piracy is wrong. And downloading and sharing music online is piracy. This guide is designed to help you understand the issues, and how to talk with your kids about downloading music. You may have additional questions we haven't addressed. If so, visit WiredSafety.org for updates to this guide at "Ask Parry" or if you still haven't found an answer to your question, ask Parry yourself (at askparry@wiredsafety.org).

Contents
You can read the guide from start to finish, or just review the sections you need. Follow the section headings below to go straight to the section.