Hard Truths About Software

By David S. Jackson

Software designer Kai Krause, whose firm, MetaCreations, makes design and editing tools, was giving a demo at a technology conference when someone asked him which program his kids liked best. "I try not to be a computer dad," Krause said. "I let them play with a couple of simple programs, but then I kick their butts to go play some soccer." The audience burst into applause.

No one--certainly not a techie--suggests that kids shouldn't use computers. But even industry insiders say parents need to set some guidelines for their use. Mary Furlong, the founder and CEO of Third Age Media, says she steers her two boys, ages 11 and 18, toward creativity-enhancing software like Kid Pix, a drawing program, and SimCity, a strategic-planning game. "Be as careful choosing software as you are with books," she advises parents. "Learn what's right for different ages." Marleen McDaniel, the CEO of Women.com lets her two boys, ages 7 and 10, play "almost as long as they like--as long as their homework is done." Intuit executive Scott Cook allows his three kids virtually unlimited time on the computer, with one trade-off: "We sharply limit TV."

How about educational software? So far, there's little hard evidence to prove it really works, even though Cook insists that the Reader Rabbit series helped his eldest son learn to read. But software doesn't have to be educational to be a good buy. Just Grandma and Me became a best seller among preschoolers even though it was little more than an interactive picture book. And parents who found Arthur's Teacher Trouble such a charming diversion from the tube will also like Arthur's Computer Adventure, which has reading and math games.

So take some advice from the experts: introduce your kids to a computer, but set some ground rules. And keep a soccer ball on hand.

--By David S. Jackson/Los Angeles