How old were you when you started using the Internet??

United States
August 5, 2010 2:48pm CST
I was about 11 years old when I started using the Internet... and oddly enough, I didn't start out playing games like most young kids do. I started out in chatrooms on MSN like Kalahari and the Teen chatrooms.. I was doing a lot at that age.. nothing illegal of course but more than I'm sure that my parents knew that I could do. I had even started my own MSN Groups sellings tags and signatures (bka "sigs") that I'd make for people when pretty personalized pictures at the end of each email was the "thing" to do. I can only imagine what children are doing now.....
1 person likes this
19 responses
@asiregar (864)
• Jakarta, Indonesia
6 Aug 10
I know the internet when I'm old enough age about 28 years, first I knew the internet make your email address and chat in MIRC it is still remembered until now
@asiregar (864)
• Jakarta, Indonesia
10 Aug 10
mIRC internet relay chat is a client with a complete feature for windows that can be used to communicate, share, work with others on IRC networks around the world, in a multi-user group meetings or personal discussion
• United States
10 Aug 10
Wow that sounds interesting. I can't say that I've ever used it before.
• United States
9 Aug 10
My first chatting experience was on MSN. What is MIRC?? Thanks for commenting!!
@much2say (53958)
• Los Angeles, California
5 Aug 10
Oh geez - now I'm feeling so old - hee hee!! I'm in my early 40's right now, but I didn't start going on the internet until my mid 20's. I had a job where I didn't need to be online - and then I finally bugged my boss get us online because we DID need to get online. I mostly went online to email everyone - continuing on with my letter writing - except not snail mailing anymore. My daughter is 5 and she has grown up with the computer . . . she already has her favorite sites and knows her way around the web - scary!!! My 8 month old son is on one particular kids site where smashing the keyboard makes "something happen" - so even he knows about computers already!!
@much2say (53958)
• Los Angeles, California
6 Aug 10
I guess I can't put in links, but look up Knee Bouncers! You literally press any key and just different silliness happens to the "theme"!
• United States
9 Aug 10
Will do!! Thanks!!
• United States
5 Aug 10
Wow... I'd like to know that site about the smashing of the keyboard if you don't mind. My daughter might enjoy that!! Thanks for commenting!!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Aug 10
If I'm able to recall correctly, I was about 16 years old when we first got the internet into our house. I started off using both AOL and Prodigy. I used AOL to play the games that they offered and I used Prodigy for the chatrooms. I got addicted to it fairly quickly. We'd had a computer in our home since I was eight years old, but when I was eight years old the internet wasn't something that was offered to ordinary people. Now that I have two children of my own they are both already using the internet. I have a great kid's browser installed on the computer that they use that only allows them to go to kid safe sites. They are seven and three years old.
9 Aug 10
I was around 7 years old. I was getting really fascinated with computers at that age and here I am still in front of a computer lol good times... good times :D
• United States
9 Aug 10
Wow quite young. LOL Cosmo from Fairly Oddparents on Nick said that. I wish that show still came on!! Thanks for commenting!!
• Hong Kong
7 Aug 10
I've known what is internet from 1993... and I'll die if one day the World goes without internet :)).
• United States
9 Aug 10
LOL I think I would, too!! Thanks for commenting!!
• United States
6 Aug 10
I started using the internet when I was about 5, I remember going to a christmas party and joining a local network connected game of Quake, the old style quake... I caught on about 10 mins in and got to the top of the "kill charts" my dad took me around the party and showed me all of the office working guys 25-40 yr olds who I beat... I felt pretty accomplished =)
• United States
9 Aug 10
That is hilarious!!! LOL And I can say that 5 years old is pretty young... but if you were that smart, you were just that smart!! Thanks for sharing!!
• New Zealand
6 Aug 10
a 25-40 year old getting beaten in quake by a 5 year old...I wanted to see their faces.
@ivygrey (550)
• Philippines
6 Aug 10
I was not that young, I was 17 when i started using the internet and I was not that very interested at all, I find it very odd now, how come I was not interested before? hahaha. Whenever I think then why I was not into it. I remember that I was very busy singing. but now I love internet so much!
• United States
9 Aug 10
I love the Internet, too!! And I can't imagine not ever using it!! Thanks for commenting!!
• Philippines
6 Aug 10
hmmm that was long time ago.. I guess I started when i was in my freshman year in college, 17 years old??? And like you I started with chatrooms like mirc and yahoo chat. there wasn't so much scam over the internet back then, unlike now.
• United States
9 Aug 10
Yes, you are right about that. So many people out to get you... I don't understand why hackers sit and waste their time by creating viruses to destroy other people's computers that they are not even there to see or even benefit from most of the time. Thanks for commenting!!
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
6 Aug 10
I was a late bloomee for my introduction to the internet. i didn't know much about computers until i was in my mid thirties. The internet was a whole new world to me. It is a world I am very at home with now.
• United States
9 Aug 10
Well, I'm glad you decided to make the choice to introduce yourself to, familiarize yourself with and master the Internet. It is a great accomplishment that reaps benefits for a lifetime. Thanks for commenting!!
@ebuscat (5935)
• Philippines
6 Aug 10
For me when I was in high school day's I'm 17 years of age until now I spent every day in the internet.
• United States
9 Aug 10
I spend most of my day on the Internet as well. But, I feel, at least I'm doing something constructive! Thanks for commenting!!
@bettydeng5 (1822)
• China
6 Aug 10
I was about 19 years old to start use the internet, I remembered I went to school to learn knowledge of computer. First time I used internet to play game, it's so fancy.
• United States
9 Aug 10
Well what can I say?? Most people that start using the Internet and grow to like it can't say that they'll never use it again. A lot of people become addicted! Thanks for commenting!!
@reetu3 (262)
• India
6 Aug 10
i was 21 years old when i started using net....it was just because i was doing a computer course and i'd seen there and after that so many years i didn't use net so much only i just see my results sometimes....emails and ecards etc...but now i use it regularly...
• United States
9 Aug 10
The Internet experience seems to change everyone's life lol. Thanks for commenting!!
@sinaj292 (602)
• India
6 Aug 10
I was about to 15 year old when i started using internet.......
• United States
9 Aug 10
That's cool! A lot of kids are starting way younger nowadays and most parents don't even put blocks on the sites or monitor their activity... so sad!! Thanks for commenting!!
• Philippines
6 Aug 10
It was year 1999 when the internet hit our city. i was 14 years old that time. I just do what my friends do. We started playing need for speed and it was really fun. Then later on we were chatting at MIRC. I could barely remember it now. I had lot of chat mates then. I had my first email account at yahoo by year 2000 and until now i'm still using that account.
• United States
9 Aug 10
Wow!! I can't say that I have the same emails as I did at first. I remember my first email ever was kiwi081187@hotmail.com (no longer available). I had one on tomgreen.net, boeingmail.com lots of odd websites because I didn't want to be mainstream like most people.. I had to be the odd one. Now I mostly use yahoo or my school email through MS Outlook. I am ready to create 2 specific ones for business and personal use. My accounts tend to become flooded even though I use the spam feature and mark those emails that I don't ever want to receive again. Sometimes even unsubscribing doesn't work. The developers really need to work on that feature.. Thanks for commenting!!
@lulu1220 (1006)
• United States
5 Aug 10
I was about 20 years old when I started using the internet (about 1992). The internet was nothing like it is today. Not many websites and all of the websites had IP addresses and not domain names. The chat rooms and newsgroups were all DOS based instead of window based. I have seen it change so much since then. I cannot imagine life without it now.
• United States
5 Aug 10
You know what?? Neither can I... Thanks for sharing!!
• India
6 Aug 10
Hi, I was about 18 years old when I first started using computers. After one year I knew about internet but still couldn't use it efficiently. It is after 2005 when I became an expert in handling computers. I didn't have a modem of my own. My friend sometimes shared a modem with me. Then I bought internal modems. It was a dial up connection. No one believes that I actually started my blogging with that dial up connection. I have done many researches and downloaded and read some really valuable books with that dial up connection. Soon my requirements went up and I had to go for a broadband connection. I still use the broadband connection. Thanks. God bless you
• United States
9 Aug 10
I remember having dial up, too. I've had AOL, Earthlink, Gamewood, Netzero... I've had them all. Once we moved up to broadband/dsl which is what the desktop downstairs still is (wired connection), we used Verizon or Comcast... Adelphia when that was out. Now since we have notebooks, we only really tend to use wifi connections. Data cards are pretty cool, too. I want one soon so I can have the Internet everywhere. Thanks for sharing!!
@akopoaysi (739)
• Philippines
6 Aug 10
i was 14 yrs old when i start that was 14 yrs ago. i asked my parents for my 14th birthday to hooked me up! so i got 1 yr unlimited internet. i was so happy! but i do have curfews on weekdays. but not on weekends! happy day to all!!
• United States
9 Aug 10
Wow, your parents were pretty cool. I didn't get the Internet when I initially asked for it because I was told I was too young. But, once I took an Internet course at the local community college as a young kid lol they had no choice but to let me! I was determined!! Thanks for sharing!!
• United Arab Emirates
6 Aug 10
I remember this incident. My brother asked me to join a crash course in computers basic. It was Q basic. I dint know what it was, the trainer was teaching me programming when i didnt know how to switch on the pc. I was so scared that i started running away from computers. Then took the initiative and learnt to use computers when i was 21.
• United States
9 Aug 10
Wow, I can understand why most people could be like that.. my grandmother has never used a computer and says that it's nothing but trouble. But, once you get the hang of it and learn to enjoy the many benefits of the Net and computers and likewise the risks... you can pretty much protect yourself and learn something new that you never thought you could master!! Thanks for commenting!!
• United States
5 Aug 10
hmmmmmmmmmmm......I would have to say I was I was about 9. So I've been using the internet for 8 years =]
• United States
5 Aug 10
Wow... well I guess since I've been using the Internet since I was 11 and I'll be 23 next week... I've been on here for about 12 years lol... wow Thanks for sharing!!