The Internet is like a big city. There are bright, sunny streets, and then there are dark alleys where you don’t want your child to venture, even in broad daylight. When allowing kids Internet access, you must proceed with caution by sending them out with a “road map” of safety rules and by being an involved parent. With a few precautions, the Internet can provide a safe and positive experience for your child.

If you allow your child into a chat group, make sure that group is monitored by visiting the group yourself and making sure it has a human monitor. You can also save chat transcripts. Individual chat programs come with documentation that will tell you how to save, store, and review transcripts of chats. Older children might object to this invasion of privacy and close their chat windows before you have an opportunity to save them, however. In this case you may need to determine whether it is possible to retrieve the transcript after the session has ended. Purchase this book to learn how to protect your children. Protecting Your Child from Internet Pornography and Other Online Dangers