We can teach our kids about strangers, manners, and social equality but how do we teach them Internet safety? That’s a good question because it’s such a touchy subject.

Most teens don’t want their parents interfering with their social lives as it is, so when parents start talking about internet safety, most teens just roll their eyes.

To make matters tougher, most kids these days have computers in their rooms, and Internet access at all hours of the night. This makes it all that much more difficult for parents to police what their children do online, and leaving them defenseless if they decide to look up inappropriate things.

There are passwords, and blocks, secret social media profiles and all sorts of other things are kids can and do put on their computers to ensure that mom and dad stay out of their personal business. Therefore, we need to stay one step ahead of them and practice open, honest communication to ensure that our kids use the Internet properly and safely.

The first step you can take today is by keeping your family computer in a high traffic area of the house; the kitchen, living room, and family room for example are all great places for a computer.

If your child has their own computer in their room, move it. If they use a laptop, make a rule that they can’t use it in their room or after midnight.

Until your teen or tween is old enough for a computer of their own, let them use the “family” computer.

Next, only allow them one or two hours of free Internet use on the weekdays, and a then perhaps longer slot on the weekends. Doing so will encourage them to seek out other activities besides surfing the net.

Keep involved in what sites they enjoy, and visit the most. Don’t be shy about reviewing their internet history or social media profiles. Then communicate with them in a non-threatening way that you’d very much like to have an open door policy on what goes on during their time on the computer.

If your children are younger than thirteen, you should encourage them to keep all their online profiles private, and you must insist that you have access to their email, and social networking accounts. They won’t like it, but enforcing this rule will go a long way toward keeping them honest and doing or saying things online that they shouldn’t.

If you feel these measures simply aren’t enough, you also have the option of using parental blocks on websites that you feel are not appropriate, or even installing parental control software like PC Tattletale or some other internet monitoring software on the computer that they use.

When encouraging our children to use the Internet safely, becoming overbearing can be a huge issue. If you feel you can’t patrol computer use without stepping your boundaries than you should reevaluate.

Good parenting means good Internet use from your children, and although it’s scary, some slack must be given in order to function in a happy, healthy way!

Author Bio: Ami Cainfield is an online safety expert and she recommends PC Tattletale parental control software to all her clients. Find out more at: http://www.pctattletalereviews.com

Category: Parenting
Keywords: pctattletale,pc tattletale,parental controls,parental control software