With every new technology comes the possibility of great good—and great evil. Tim Berners-Lee (the nominal originator of the internet) was, himself, ambivalent about the technology that has come to pervade our lives. On the one hand, he was hopeful and optimistic about the “global village” the internet could enable for the free and open exchange of information and opinion—on the other hand, he was concerned about the loss of control of our personal data, the spread of misinformation the internet potentially enabled, and the ability of the internet to manipulate. While we may feel empowered to mitigate these dangers in our own lives, as parents we share a heightened sensitivity for protecting our children (who are now growing up in an environment in which “imaginary friends” have been subverted by cheap, portable digital devices providing 24/7 access to peers and a seemingly endless stream of information and entertainment). 

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