You should know whom they interact with online, just as you know whom they play with in the neighborhood and at school. The recent public service ads concerning drug and alcohol use are right on target with their message. Be involved in your kids' lives. Know where they are going, whom they are with and when they'll be back. The same applies to online use: Be aware of their activities and be involved. They should be communicating with people you know and approve of. Hopefully you're creating an open dialogue with your children at a young age, and you're working to keep that dialogue active as they grow up. It's much easier to start that way than to try and make up for years of isolating when you finally decide to be involved in what they are doing.

Just moving the computer into an area where those who pass through the room can see the monitor will make a huge difference in your family's Internet use. It may seem as though you are helping your child with their homework requirements by providing computer access in their bedroom, but in addition to the risk of dangerous Internet behavior, recent research has shown that the sleep habits of kids are greatly improved when electronic devices (phone, TV, computer, video games, etcÖ) are removed from the bedroom. Sleep cycles of teenage kids are already in a state of disarray and when you encourage behavior other than sleeping in the bedroom this deteriorates more. Getting enough sleep and being well rested are key factors in student success. You get two benefits by removing computers from bedrooms. Take advantage of this opportunity.

Personal information includes their name, address, phone number, and photograph. Information given out on the Internet, via web pages, chats or e-mail, is like a bullet from a gun. Once you've pulled that trigger, there is no way to get the bullet back. After you've given information to someone online you have no control over where that information ends up. You don't own it anymore - it's free for the giving by whomever you've provided it to.

Avoid all suggestive terms or sexual connotations; they are magnets for online predators. You want your child to 'own' their screen name or login ID, so let them be creative with it, but be involved to make sure it does not draw the wrong kind of attention.

There are three main types of tools you should investigate. Monitoring and filtering software, both readily available for all modern operating systems, and child safe search engines. Monitoring tools allow you to view and review all activity on your computer, from screen shots taken at regular intervals to transcripts of all chat and e-mail messages. Filtering software prevents access to content, applications and material that you wish to block for individual users of the computer. These tools are not intended to replace parental supervision or internet user education.

This provides you with several useful outcomes. One is that your user accounts won't be administrative accounts and thus cannot inadvertently, or maliciously, damage the operating system or important files.