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Parents

If you answered yes to any one of the above questions then read on.

The Internet, among the many great things it offers, has a very dark side and it makes all of the dark stuff out their in cyber space available to your child. Rather by accident or intentionally your child will come across inappropriate sites and more than likely even inappropriate people. Most kids will just move on and forget about it, some kids will explore further and some kids will, unfortunately, fall into the darker side of the Internet.

Parenting Internet usage in your home takes a lot more than talking, it takes hands on active parenting.

“How many children have to be taken advantage of before parents realize the internet must be supervised?”

Communication is a key factor when it comes to internet safety and your kids. Discussing the dangers and setting rules are necessary. However, without follow up or monitoring it's useless. Kids will be kids, they are curious, they rebel, they mess up, they are naïve, and they make mistakes. As a parent, specifically, as a Internet parent, you need to do your best to make sure your child is safe online and knows how to handle sites and people that are inappropriate. You also must be aware when your child is in trouble online and you can only know that by being involved. Don't just assume they will always do the right thing online.

The good thing is that the computer with all of its advancements in technology can be very easy to monitor and parent. Usually inexpensive software will be all you need. If you are having major problems you can always take away the mouse and keyboard and lock them up or take them to work. You can unplug the computer, cancel your Internet access or sign up with a provider that blocks the bad stuff before it even gets into your home.

TheparentsEdge gives you many options to protect your family online. Regardless of which option you choose to parent your kids Internet usage, the important thing is that you do more than just talk about online safety.