What Are Your Children Doing on the Net?

It has come to the day where the internet is the "superhighway" for homework, social networking, research and information. With "cyber-bullying," sex offenders, predators, hackers, phishing sites and viruses, to name a few, the internet is not a safe haven for our children. The only research available, when I was in school, involved hitting the books at the library. The internet is definitely a useful tool for studies.

Do you really know what your children are viewing on the internet? Be aware that it is very easy to sign up for an account, without a parent, even if your child is young. "Click here to certify that you are X age or older" is an easy access website for your child. Some do require that a credit card number be entered to verify your information, while others do not.

Limiting your child's time on the internet is very important. My teenage daughter was busted on the internet at 11:30 one night, two and a half hours past her bedtime. That was a big wake-up call for me. I monitored her visits on the internet using Internet Explorer's history and by viewing the temporary internet file folder once a month. I thought once a month would be okay, but I was wrong.

The local news channel was constantly popping up with alerts of missing girls abducted by someone they met on the internet. I preached to my daughter day in and day out to stay out of chat rooms. She would reply, "I know, I know. Stay out of chat rooms. I'm not going into any chat rooms, trust me." Those were her famous last words before I went into her history and found that she was going into chat rooms. The computer was immediately removed from her room. The only time she can use the computer is for school work, with supervision.

Another good idea is to keep the computer in a place where there is constant traffic. If you spend most of your time in the living room, place the computer there. This way, while you are watching T.V., folding laundry, etc., you can keep an eye on what your child is doing.

I know there are commercials on the television about cyber-bullying. Make your child aware that cyber-bullying is not okay. My daughter always kept the line of communication open with me regarding any bullying that was happening to her.

Have your child provide you with a list of internet sites visited, along with his/her username and password. You may feel that you are prying into their business, or maybe your child will feel that way. Explain to them that it is for their safety. Logging into their sites will give you a first hand view of what they are doing.

Remember to make your rules and explain them carefully to your child so that he or she can understand. Most important, stick with the rules. Your child's safety depends on it.

You can download a good program called "Net Nanny" at http://www.contentwatch.com. It provides the essential elements for parents who cannot be around every second of their child's internet time. It blocks pornography sites, hate sites and others alike. It also provides a chat log so you can monitor what is being said. Net Nanny logs what web sites the user was trying to access, even if it was a blocked site.

Again, keep your child safe on the net. Know what they are doing. Know whom they are talking to, if you allow them in chat. I never let my child on MySpace, but that was my own rule. Kids are very sneaky at hiding things.