For Parents Only

• Establish online rules and an agreement with your child about Internet use away from home (i.e., at a friend's house, at school, at the library, etc.) SEE RULES FOR THE ROAD

• Become more computer literate and develop Internet savvy so that you can keep up-to- date on products, news, and opinions surrounding the issues of children's safety on the Internet.

• Spend time online alongside your child and establish an atmoshpere of trust regarding computer usage and online activities.

• Place your computer in an area of your home where you can easily monitor your child's Internet activity.

• Regularly ask your kids about their online friends and activities.

• Implement software tools to protect your family from the intrusion of inappropriate content or activity. If you are already using FamilyClick's filtering service, this important step has been done for you. For more information on FamilyClick's filtering service, click here.

• Supervise your child's chat-room activity and only allow your children in monitored chat rooms.

• Block instant/personal messages from people you and your child don't know.

• Do not permit your child to have an online profile. With this restriction, he or she will not be listed in directories and is less likely to be approached in chat rooms where pedophiles often search for prey. (Some Online Service Providers such as America Online, offer subscribers online profiles.)

• Many Internet sites allow children to set up free home pages. Discuss with your child what information he or she can have on the page. For example, interests and hobbies are probably okay, but a home phone number is not!

• Check with your child's school to see if kids' projects, artwork, or photos (where material is identified by name) are being put on school home pages. Schools often want to post school newsletters or sports scores, but every time a full name is displayed, there is vulnerability. Schools need to be reminded of that risk.

• Monitor the amount of time your child spends on the Internet, and at what times of day. Excessive time online, especially at night, may indicate a problem.

• Watch for changes in your child's behavior (mention of adults you don't know, secretiveness, inappropriate sexual knowledge, sleeping problems, etc.).