Tips for parents for keeping their teens safe online

#1  Supervise their online activities!  Place your home computer in a highly visible, high-traffic area such as the family room.  Unsupervised teens behind a closed bedroom door are more likely to post inappropriate content than one who is under the watchful eyes of a parent.

#2  Talk to your teens about their online friends.  Get to know the screen names of the ones they communicate with frequently both in instant messaging sessions and through their blog sites.  When a new screen name pops, ask them who they are.  Most importantly, help them choose appropriate screen names for themselves and not create something sexually suggestive or socially inappropriate.

# 3  Set reasonable limits for their time online.  Networking socially with their friends shouldn't interfere with homework time or occur late into the night.

#4  Remind your teen to never post personally identifiable information.  The risks are real, no matter how tech savvy or sophisticated your teen is.  If they have a personal MySpace page or other blog site, view it often and ask them for their passwords.  Ask them to remove any photos, comments or other links that may be damaging to their reputation or tarnish their shadow résumé in any way.

#5  Knowledge is power!  Your teen may know more than you about technology, but you still know more about life.  If you're not a frequent computer user, go online more often and surf the Internet.  There is a wealth of information and resources you'll find and setting aside just 15 minutes a day can be a huge help in understanding better your teen's online activities.  Learn about your web browser (Internet Explorer) and learn how to view your computer's Internet history log of websites visited.

#6  Protect your home computer with an Internet safety software program.  Weighing out your personal standards for your family's computer use can be a tough decision.  Nothing is better than open, personal, honest and meaningful dialogue between you and your teen about expectations for online use.  Viruses, worms and other dangerous programs that can compromise your computer's security and make you vulnerable to identity theft are ever present.  Choosing an appropriate security program that not only protects your computer, but also protects your family by blocking, controlling or even monitoring online use can be an excellent proactive solution.