My older son, at 9, has spent 3.2 percent of his life on the Internet. I made that statistic up, though it sounds plausible. What’s certain is that he has spent at least three hours on the Internet,...

My older son, at 9, has spent 3.2 percent of his life on the Internet. I made that statistic up, though it sounds plausible. What’s certain is that he has spent at least three hours on the Internet, because I saw it with my own eyes, last spring, when third grade culminated with an assignment to research rainforest animals. His animal was the anaconda, and the Internet assisted him in writing a highly factual report that touched on the snake’s habitat, prey (occasional goats and ponies) and size (freaking huge).