Your children may be part of the reason you decided to get Internet access. After all, it is a great learning tool that's fun for them to use. They may even be more comfortable and confident using it than you are. But as positive as it can be for them (and for you), the nature of the Internet presents special safety problems for children. Because the Internet is an open, largely unregulated medium, there are parts of it that many people object to, especially if they have children. And the Web, with its largely unstructured, interrelated network of sites makes "surfing" off a safe site to an unsafe one a real possibility. That is why parents are encouraged to sit with their children and help them use the Internet, whether it is sending email, surfing the Web, or chatting. Though you probably can't be with your children at all times, you can make the Internet a much safer place by instilling in them a number of rules to ensure their privacy and safety online. 

1.         Advise your children never to give out any personal or home information to anyone, or to enter it into an online form. This includes their email address, telephone number, street address, school name, age, gender, or birthdate. Tell them to ask you first if they feel they should give out any of these items and you can then validate the source requesting the information.  

2.         Tell your children not to order any "free" things online without asking you first, even if it seems to be from a company they recognize. Complain to organizations or businesses that encourage children to provide personal information.

 3.         Surf with your children for a while, until they get to know Web sites you approve of (like the Sprint KidZone and About.com's Family Internet and Kids' Internet Games sites), and tell them to surf only on those sites, unless they ask you first.

 4.         Keep them away from newsgroups and bulletin boards. These areas are notoriously hard to control and police, and children are more likely to encounter objectionable material.

 5.         If your children do participate in interactive areas like chat, newsgroups, or bulletin boards, make sure they know never to arrange an in-person meeting with anyone they've "met" online, even online "friendships" they develop. Tell them to tell you if they encounter anyone who threatens or propositions them in any way or if they see or hear anything that makes them uncomfortable.

Taking an active role in your child's Internet experience will encourage proper use of the Internet and help keep you involved with your child's interests and development. It's a good idea to keep the computer in an area that you can view while your child is online. This ensures that you can keep an eye on you child and help guide them from danger.