Here's a terrifying statistic for you: according to wired.
safety.
org, one in four teenage girls in the United States has admitted to meeting strangers on the internet, and one in seven boys has admitted the same.
Most of the time, the stranger they meet turns out to be another kid, so everything is safe.
Sadly, though, this is not always the case.
You can talk to your kids until you are blue in the face about the dangers that lurk on the internet.
But unless you are monitoring what they are doing online, how do you really know that they are listening? You don't, and in order to combat this, you need to use your parental control and take steps to monitor the online actions of your kids.
There are a number of ways that you can keep an eye on what your kids are doing while they surf the net.
Having the computer in an area of the home where you can keep an eye on it is a terrific idea.
Also, you may want to consider setting up a special kids browser and kids email.
These will allow you to restrict their online actions and monitor them at the same time.
Many kids are looking at pornography and going into sex chat rooms and their parents don't even know it.
Open up a line of communication with your kids.
Tell them you are interested in what they are doing, and let them know that you are always available to answer any questions that they may have, about anything.
Online predators don't just restrict themselves to adult websites.
Many visit sites that are supposed to be just for kids, pretending to be kids themselves.
This is how they gain the trust of kids and get their personal information, such as names, schools and addresses.
A kids browser will help to combat this by allowing you to restrict access to any search engines that aren't kid-safe and approved by you.
Kids email allows you to have full control of who your kids are exchanging emails with.
You have a right to protect your child, and in this day of technology, it may be difficult to stop your kids from going on the internet, you can definitely have some control.
With kids email, you are aware of all incoming and outgoing mail.
It blocks any unwanted mail, spam and images.
It acts as a great filter for things you do not want your child to see or know about, just yet.
When you do this, you need to let your kids know why you are doing it.
The last thing that you want is a war on your hands because your adolescent or teenager is accusing you of controlling them.
Let them know that you are doing this because you want them to spread their wings, but also for them to be safe while they are doing it.
Explain to them that the kids browser will keep them from coming in contact with online predators and other things that may endanger them.
Let them know that you love them and that you are just trying to protect them until they are old enough to know how to protect themselves.
Basically, you are preparing them for adulthood, and this is just another step along the way.
Your kids are going to access the internet away from home, and you will have no control over what they are looking at and doing.
But if you are using a kids email, you can monitor their email activity at all times.