LIKE OTHER CHILD-REARING practices, the most important action for any parent is to become involved in their children's online activities. Certainly, with so many areas of potential risk, the internet itself cannot be expected to become a vicarious babysitter. When children are left to their natural tendency to explore, they could readily expose themselves to salacious or undesirable content. In responding to these concerns, many technology exponents have established a group of recommendations for parenting in the digital frontier:

Ten that can add up to a lot:
1. Computers are made to be seen: Consider it an area that promotes monitoring and reminds your children that you will be overseeing what they are doing online. Remember, without parental monitoring, just as in other life activities, children are more likely to encounter problems.

2. Require children to share e-mail and other online account passwords so that parents can easily log in to review activity. Invite children to maintain a public and private e-mail address to share with friends or close family.

3. Encourage dialogue about the internet, information available and the diversity of people who participate in the online world. Keeping a non-judgmental, inquisitive attitude will help parents gain important insights into the children�s online activities and may facilitate these moments to launch other necessary conversations about life matters. What they are doing can create new lines of communication.

4. Establish rules about meeting people online and how to share personal information: Children, naturally trusting, need to understand that private information such as full names, telephone numbers and street addresses shouldn�t be shared without parental permission. If and when a child makes an online acquaintance, parents need to talk with this person and his or her parents about the conversations they may have. If a child wants to meet someone in real life, parents should plan to be present, allowing such meetings in public venues only.

5. Create a home network that permits an additional layer of security between one�s computer and the internet: In home networks, hardware devices can be used to filter content, restrict access, or limit certain software applications from being used. 

6. When a child encounters something or someone uncomfortable, they should be taught to simply turn off the computer and report what happened to a parent. 

7. Limit computer time: Children should be provided with specific days, times, and length of online time permitted. The Internet should not be considered a surrogate babysitter.

8. Restrict internet and text messenger features on cellular phones. Parents can request cell phone companies to limit features on children�s phones. 

9. Install monitoring and blocking software. Parents will need to weigh the pros and cons when installing these.

10. Create a �"Cyberspace passport" as an agreement between parent and child about online usage, following above recommendations. Post this passport next to the computer as a reminder about online behavior.

Erich Merkle, M.Ed., M.A., is a certificated school psychologist with the Trumbull County Educational Service Center in Ohio and a PSI presenter and consultant. He can be reached at: info@psi-solutions.org.