Is your child or teenager interested in meeting new people online? At this age, they aren’t very likely to meet the person in real life, but communicate through way of the internet instead. As nice as this sounds, it is important to remember that it can still be dangerous. Just because your child is talking to someone who claims to be another teenager, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are.

Since it is relatively easy for false identities to be created online, especially for internet and child predators, you will want to set strict rules if you intend to let your child use online message boards and internet chat rooms to do this communicating. As for what you rules you should set, it will honestly depend on your child’s age. Teenagers may have a little bit more freedom, but still don’t let them use online chat rooms, online message boards, or the internet in general without at least a few rules.

One of the many rules that you may want to impose, concerning internet chat rooms and online message boards is approval. Instead of letting your child pick which websites they want to visit, you can do so for them. Favorite place the approved message boards and online chat rooms so that your child can easily find them.

As for how you can find safe chat rooms and message boards for your child to use, you will want to get started with a standard internet search. Closely examine all of the websites that appear on your screen. Are private messages allowed? Most chat rooms and message boards for kids have them disabled, as this is how many internet predators target children. Also, look for moderated forums and chat rooms, as this means that all content is reviewed by an adult.

You may also want to set rules as to when your child can use an online message board or an internet chat room. For example, only allow your child to communicate and socialize online when you are at home or even in the same room. This internet safety for kids step works pretty well, especially for teenagers. They are less likely to have adult conversations, share personal information, or exchange pictures or videos when you are in the same room or when they know that they are being watched.

It is also a good idea to limit the amount of time that your child can use online message boards or internet chat rooms. It often takes internet predators more than one discussion to gain the trust of a child target. For that reason, you will want to be cautious if your child signs onto the internet at the same time everyday. Ask your child if they can wait until later or start using the internet earlier. If they can’t or don’t want to, they may be meeting someone online to talk directly to. That is why it is always a good idea to limit when your child can use online message boards and chat rooms and for how long.

You should prohibit your child from posting pictures or videos of themselves online, as this makes them an easy target. If your child wants to post a picture, have them pick out a generic picture online, of like a football or a flower. Also, do not let your child exchange personal information online. Remember that they are not the only ones in danger if your child gives away your address or phone number, as the rest of your family may end up in danger as well.

What many parents, especially first time parents, do not realize is that some elementary schools teach their children how to use a computer as young as first grade. Of course, they may not learn how to surf the internet, but they do often learn the basics. These basics may include learning how to type, how to turn on a computer, how to use a computer mouse, and so froth.

In keeping with young age, there are many parents who allow their toddlers and preschoolers to play computer games. Although software for those games can be purchased online or in most media stores, some parents turn to the internet. The good news about this approach is that many trusted websites, like those for Nick Jr, PBS Kids, and PlayHouse Disney do not have harmful advertisements on their websites that your child could accidentally click on.

Young elementary school children are also likely to use the internet and a computer in general to play computer games. Towards the fifth or sixth grade, children may start to use the internet to do research for school projects. This is when it is really important to start monitoring your child’s use of the internet. Even if your child doesn’t use online social networking websites, use internet chat rooms, or visit pornographic websites, it doesn’t mean that they can’t accidentally come across them. Some websites are not very careful with what advertisements they show.

Junior high school and high school students, honestly, need the most monitoring online. These are students who not only use the internet to research, but to communicate with their friends and to make new friends. Unfortunately, not all teenagers are educated on the dangers that lurk online, especially where internet chat rooms and social networking websites are concerned.

So, is your child ready to use a computer and the internet? As stated above, it is your decision to make. With that being said, be sure to use your best judgment and be sure to establish some firm ground rules. Children who are at least seven years of age should never be allowed to use a computer alone. Strict rules should be imposed for older children.

Speaking of internet safety rules, be sure to make your views on social networking websites and internet chat rooms clear. If you don’t want your child to use them, state so. If they are allowed, establish rules. A few rules to get you started involve making a social networking website profiles private, not communicating directly with strangers, not trading personal information online, and not posting personal pictures or videos online.

As a reminder, you have the ability to determine when and where you child can access the internet. Just be sure that if you do allow your child to use the internet that you establish ground rules. Even toddlers and preschoolers should be able to follow these rules, such as only playing games on the website you get them set on.

When it comes to determining if you should let your child post personal pictures and videos of themselves online, you, as the parent, should have the final say. With that said, it is first important to examine the pros and cons of letting your child post these items online. Pictures and videos are common on social networking websites, like MySpace and Facebook.

In all honesty, the only true pro or plus side to letting your child post videos or pictures of themselves online is because it is what your child wants to do. Letting them post their pictures and videos online will likely make your child happy. They can easily share videos and pictures with friends, as opposed to actually bringing them to school.

As much as your child or teenager may want to post personal pictures or videos of themselves online, it is also important to know that there are many cons or downsides to doing so. One of those is the wrong impression. Say you have a teenager daughter who posts a picture of herself wearing a low-cut shirt online. Even though no cleavage is showing, the picture can create the wrong impression. Sexual online predators may think she is welcoming attention, and so forth. You and your child need to know that not everyone interprets things the same way.

Speaking of the wrong impression, it is important to know that pictures and videos can easily fall into the wrong hands online. If your child is using a social networking website, like MySpace, is their profile set to private? If not, anyone with their own account can view their private and personal pictures and videos. Your child may be interested posting pictures and videos to share with their friends, but that doesn’t meant that others can’t see them. Unfortunately, those others can have impure intentions.

Another con or downside to letting your child post personal pictures and videos of themselves online is that they are easy to copy. Yes, a picture or a video can be taken down, but did you know that it may already be too late? People can easily copy and repost or copy and save videos and pictures that are posted online for whatever reason, including their own personal pleasure.

As you can see, there are a number of pros and cons to letting your child post pictures and videos of themselves online, namely on social networking websites. As the parent, the decision is yours to make, but be sure to use your best judgment. When it doubt, the best answer may be no.

If you do decide to let your child or teenager post personal pictures and videos of themselves online or if you already think that they do, be sure to check them. Ask to see the photos yourself. Make sure that your child is well covered in any photographs that they post. As for videos, make sure they aren’t doing anything illegal, like stealing, or showing anything suggestive, even if it is simply meant as an inside joke among friends.

As nice as it is to hear that you should be active, involved, and in the know when it comes to your child or teenager and the internet, you may be wondering what is so important about doing so. Although you may use the internet to search for jobs online or pay your bills, it is important to remember that there is so much more out there. Your child can and may be doing more than just doing research for a school project. They may be using online chat rooms, private instant messaging programs, and social networking websites.

As for why online chat rooms, private instant messaging programs, and social networking sites are dangerous, it is important to remember that the internet makes it easy to pretend to be someone else. Your child may unknowingly end up making a 50 year old friend, thinking that friend is their own age. Information posted online has also been used for harassment or harmful purposes when otherwise high school or junior high school friends have a falling out.

Now that you know the importance of staying updated and in the know about your child’s internet use, you may be curious as to how you can go about doing so. The good news is that it is relatively easy to do so.

The first step is to make sure that you are computer literate yourself. Do you know how to check your computer’s internet history? Better yet, do you even know what a computer’s internet history is or does? If not, you will want to take a computer course or ask a trusted friend or relative, other than your child, to give you a crash course. You will want to learn as much as you can about the internet and a computer, but be sure to know about parental controls, a computer’s internet history, and so forth.

Speaking of checking your computer’s internet history, be sure that you do so. Your computer’s internet history records all of the websites that are visited within the last week or past few days. To do so, open up a new Internet Explorer window. Towards the top of the page you should see a number of icons. Click on the one that has a clock with a green arrow partly around it. This should be the computer’s internet history. What websites has your teenager or child visited?

Another easy way to stay involved in your child’s internet use is to set parental controls. Most computers come standard with them. Make your parental controls password protected. Do not give your child the password, but do use it to unlock websites that may innocently be blocked on accident, like those needed for a school research project.

Moving your child’s computer into a family room or a frequently traveled room is advised. In fact, your child should be able to use a shared family computer. This tends to limit the visiting of potential dangerous chat rooms and social networking websites, as most teens like to view these sites in private. If you must, limit your child’s use of the computer to certain times, like when you are home or in the room.

Be sure to talk to your child about the dangers of the internet. Let them know that it is possible to meet internet predators online, especially with the use of private chat rooms or social networking websites. Let them know that if they are harassed, whether it be by someone they know or don’t know, contact you immediately. You may, in turn, want to contact the proper authorities.

Since there are dangers that lurk online, such as the potential for meeting an online predator and the potential of being harassed online, you may be curious as to how you can protect your child. Of course, you will want to discuss internet safety with your child and you will also want to set rules for your child to follow, but did you also know that you have other options? One of those options is internet safety tools.

What is nice about internet safety tools that are designed for parents is that you have so many options. Typically, you will find that most of these tools fall under the heading of parental controls. For information on ways that you can protect your child with the use of internet safety tools, please continue reading on.

The ability to rate websites and set levels for what you want your child to view online is an option that you have. This often is featured in the safety tools that are provided by Internet Explorer, as well as other similar internet browsers. What you do is decide what type of content your want your child to view. Would you like to keep your child away from internet websites that use crude or violent language? If you do, set your website level ratings to say so and the websites should automatically be blocked.

In addition to blocking websites through the use of website rating tools, you also have the ability to outright block websites. This is another option that Internet Explorer gives you. For example, if you would like to block social networking websites, like MySpace and Facebook, all you need to do is enter in the website address and hit the block option. Internet Explorer also gives you the option to let a list of approved websites.

There are also internet safety tool programs out there that work to keep your personal information safe. This is a great way to make sure that your child doesn’t share personal information about themselves with strangers online. Although these programs do vary, you can usually enter in information that you want to prevent your child from sharing online, like your phone number, email address, or home address. The program, if it works properly, should catch the information before it is sent.

As you can see, you have a number of different options when looking to use parental controls to keep your child safe when they use the internet. Additional online safety tools can easily be found with a standard internet search.

When it comes to determining if your child is ready to use online chat rooms, it is best to examine the pros and cons of them. For starters, there are chat rooms out there that are designed for children and teenagers. By visiting these chat rooms, your child should be paired with their peers. They may also be able to make new online friends and communicate with their friends from school easily online.

Meeting new friends online and communicating with current friends over the internet, by way of internet chat rooms, is nice. It, however, is also important to remember that there are dangers to doing so as well. For starters, it is important to remember that anyone can get into a chat room. Just because a chat room that your child uses is designed for kids between the ages of 8 and 15, it doesn’t mean that everyone in that chat room falls into that age range.

As for why it is easy for an adult to get into a chat room and pretend to be a child it is because not all internet chat rooms are monitored. With that said, you should be able to find a number of chat rooms for children and teens that are monitored. This means that an adult will be there watching all conversations to make sure that they are appropriate. Remember though that an adult pretending to be a child may be able to slide under the radar.

As previously stated, an adult could easily pretend to be a child, enter a chat room for children, and target those in the room. This is easy for many internet predators to do because the internet makes it very simple for children to be targeted. A whole new, false identity can be created and you and your child may never know until it is too late.

Despite the fact that there are a number of cons or downsides to letting children and teenagers use internet chat rooms, many parents still let their children do so. If you want to be one of those parents, that is fine, but be sure that both you and your child know the dangers that lurk. Make sure they know not to give out personal information in a chat room because the person on the other end of the computer may not be who they say they are.

Also, for your child’s protection, find internet chat rooms for them to use. Even if your child knows that dangers lurk, they may still opt for the most popular chat rooms, even if they aren’t very safe. When searching for safe chat rooms for your child to use, start with a standard internet search. Next, look for those that have staffed monitors, as well as those that do not have private messaging features.

For added safety and security, have your computer in a well trafficked location. This is likely to reduce the amount of time that they spend in a chat room, as they may feel like they are being watched. You can also limit the use of chat rooms unless you are home or in the same room. Of course, you can ban your child from visiting online chat rooms if you wish, as you do have the right to do so.

As a reminder, be sure to talk to your child or teenager about the dangers of communicating with strangers on the internet. Having online friends are nice, but make sure your child knows that they should stay just that “online,” friends.

One of the many reasons why you should set parental controls is because you can protect your child when they are online. Although parental controls come in a number of different formats, most allow you to block websites that you don’t want your child to view. This means that if you don’t want your child to use MySpace or other social networking websites you can easily block them.

Another reason you should have working parental controls on your child’s computer is because they are easy to install. Most parental controls are self-explanatory. This means that even if you don’t know how to use a computer, you can still get protection set. For example, if your computer uses Internet Explorer, all you need to do is open a new window and select “Internet Options,” from the heading of “Tools.” There, you will find a tab that is labeled “Content,” and here is where you can set your parental controls.

In addition being easy to install, parental controls are also often easy to find. In fact, many are also free. If you use Internet Explorer, as previously stated, parental controls are already built in. Another popular internet browser is that of FireFox. Although FireFox does not have built-in parental controls, they do make it easy for to find add-ons, many of which are free. Even if you must purchase a parental control program for your child, you should know that they costs are more than worth it.

Unfortunately, many parents do not install parental controls, as they believe it will limit their own use of the internet. Just because you want your child to avoid websites that have crude language or violent themes, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t want to view them. But, did you know that most internet controls for parents can be used on shared family computers? This is because they let you set up a password to override any websites that you would like to access.

Since parental controls are often free or very affordable, easy to install, and a great way to keep kids safe, you should use them. However, before you get a false sense of confidence, there are some important things that you should know. First, know that many teenagers are computer smart. Your teen may actually know how to get around parental controls, even if they don’t know your password. That is why you will occasionally want to check the computer. If you block a website, like MySpace.com, occasionally check it to make sure that it is still blocked.

Speaking of having a password, be sure not to give this password to your child. If they need to gain access to a website that was accidentally blocked, like for a school research project, you will want to use the password yourself to unblock the website, even just temporarily. As nice and as mature as your child is, there are some who go through great lengths to be able to socialize online with other internet users.

The first step that you should take, to help keep your child safe online, is to know as much as you can about computers and the internet. Did you know that there are ways for you to see which websites have been visited on a computer? Did you know that some computers already have parental controls installed on them that just need to be set? You can only benefit from these tools that can help to protect your child if you know that they do exist.

Speaking of parental controls, be sure to know what your computer has. If you have an older model computer, you may benefit from purchasing additional software programs. These programs can easily be found for sale online or in most media or office supply stores. As for the programs that may already be on your computer, open up a new Internet Explorer window. From the main headings at the top of the page, click on “Tools,” and then “Internet Options.” A new window will appear; highlight the “Content,” tab and right away you will see an option that lets you block certain content from showing on a computer.

In keeping with parental controls, don’t give into a child who complains about them being used. If you create a password to override these controls, which you may need if your whole family shares a computer, that password can also be used for your teenager. Don’t give them the password though. Use it to unblock certain sites that they ask and you first approve.

Another easy way that you can protect your child when they use the internet is to have the computer in a frequently traveled room. You can also limit the use of certain websites, like social networking websites or internet chat rooms. Make them only available when you are home or in the same room. If your child has their own computer, like a laptop that they can take anywhere with them, be sure to check the internet history of their computer randomly every week or so.

Speaking of which, do not let your child have their own login information. When you first turn on a computer, you often see a button that says someone’s name. Many families use one standard account. Your child can easily create their own. If they do, do not let them have their own password. This can make it difficult or impossible for you to examine their online activities. Having you checkup on their online activities may not be something that your teen likes, but you likely purchased the computer and you, as the parent, have the right to check.

As it was previously stated, you will want to check the internet history of a child who has their own computer or if your child uses the family computer when you are not home. If you have Internet Explorer, which most computers do, open a new internet window. Towards the top of the page, you will see a menu bar with a number of pictured icons. You can check the history of a computer by clicking on the icon with a clock and a small green arrow. This should tell you which websites your teenager has been viewing online.

Finally, it is important that you talk with your teenager about the dangers of using the internet, namely social networking websites or internet chat rooms. Teach them what to do if they are harassed online or approached by an internet predator. Make sure they know not to erase the information, but rather to save it or show it to you right away, especially if you decide to contact your local police department.

As it was previously stated, numerous situations can develop online that have the potential to be dangerous. One of those situations is when personal information is exchanged with a stranger. Has your child recently given away your phone number, address, or their email address to someone who they don’t really know?

If so, be sure to change as much information as possible. This may involve changing your home phone number or your child’s cell phone number or email address. Be sure to take additional safety steps, such as always being aware of your surroundings, locking your home and car, and you may also want to contact your local authorities. Be sure to talk to your child about the dangers of exchanging personal information online.

In keeping with exchanging personal information online, your child may end up talking to an adult, thinking that they are another teenager or close to their age. If that is the case, your child is likely dealing with an internet predator, who can be old enough to be a parent or a grandparent.

If your child has made contact, intentionally or unintentionally, with an older person online, has any personal information been exchanged? If so, change that information, like your child’s email address, cell phone, or even if your home phone number. Make sure that the contact stops immediately. Contact the authorities, school officials, and make sure that all family members know. Get as much information you can about the real person behind the computer. The police may be able to help you do so.

Many high school and junior high school students use social networking websites, like MySpace. Unfortunately, many also mistakenly believe that it is a good idea to try to look “cool,” online and at any cost. Your child may post pictures or videos of themselves online doing illegal activities, like smoking or drinking underage, stealing, or doing drugs.

If this is something that your child has done, be sure to remove the pictures or videos right away. If your child’s pictures or videos have been viewed by school officials or authorities, they may be facing punishment. A lawyer should be called if your child is arrested. If your child is suspended from school or extra curricular activities, speak to school officials. What can be done by both you, the parent, and your child?

Online harassment is another common problem that children, namely junior high school and high school students face. This harassment can be done by a complete stranger, an online friend, or a friend right at school. When friends have a falling out or even just a simple disagreement, many turn to the internet to seek revenge, as it is easy to hide behind a computer.

If your child finds themselves a victim of online harassment, the authorities should be contacted. This is particularly important if your child does not actually know, in person, the individual who is making threats or spreading harmful rumors. If the individual doing so is a former friend or another individual at school, there are a number of steps that you can take. If you know the child and their parents, consider arranging a meeting, but be cautious and use your best judgment. Alternatives involve contacting the authorities or the school.

As you can see, there are a number of troubling and potentially dangerous situations that your child can find themselves in online. Just make sure that you, as the parent, take steps to help and protect your child.

As nice as it is to hear that internet parental controls can help to protect your child from danger online, you may be curious as to how they work or how you can get started with them. Although you will find some variances, most parental controls for the internet are free, cheap, and extremely easy to set up.

If you are using Internet Explorer as your internet browser, which most computer users have, you have parental controls that are built right into your computer! How neat is that? To set these parental controls, you will want to open up a new internet window, just like you would when surfing the web. Next, select “Tools,” and then “Internet Options,” from the dropdown menu. A new window will appear and then you can click on the “Content,” tab. Enabling the content advisor will allow you to start protecting your child online.

Although Internet Explorer comes standard on most computers, there are some internet users who use FireFox instead. If you are using FireFox, setting parental controls for the internet isn’t as easy as it is with Internet Explorer. This is because there are not any built-in controls. With that said, they do make it easy for you to get them. The main website for FireFox has links to add-ons that you can easily use and install. Many of these add-ons are free of charge.

AOL is another common internet browser that is used. AOL also has parental controls that are easy for you to use. AOL provides parents, like yourself, with the largest options. In addition to customizing your options, AOL also has preset controls. These controls are based on a child’s age range. Even if you choose to set your own options, these are great guides to follow, especially if you are unfamiliar with computers.

Now that you know you have a number of different options, when looking to get started with parental controls, you may be curious how you can make the most out of them. Some parental controls allow you to set ratings for certain websites and choose levels that you want to accept. For example, Internet Explorer can allow you to block websites that focus on just fighting or you can go higher up and block websites that have blood and gore for content. This option is nice, but it may unintentionally end up blocking some “safe websites.”

A more direct approach to take is to outright block the websites that you don’t want your child to visit. The parental controls that come with Internet Explorer easily allow you to do this. What you will want to do is perform a standard internet search to find these websites. For example, if you want to block social networking websites, perform a standard internet search with the phrase “social networking websites.” Any websites that you find, you can simply just add them to your blocked list.

As you can see, parental controls are easy to install and you have a number of different options. That is why you should get them set as soon as possible.