You’re not going to be able to control how your kids behave online 100% of the time, but just like in the real world you can give them the tools they need to make the right choices. Here’s five ways to make the web a safer place…

1.Talking Works Wonders: Here’s an old school way to share information, sit down and have a conversation. It still works great and is the best way to help your kids understand the internet, both good and bad. Nothing else that you’ll read past this point is nearly as important as having a good old fashion face-to-face with your kids. Here’s what you need to discuss in this 21st century version of, “the talk.”

Everyone Gets a Say: There’s all different points of view out there, some are good, some are bad, some are crazy and some are just plain made up. When your kids are online they’ll be exposed to all types of ideas so you will want to make sure you give them the tools to determine which ones are which. You may also want to use this time to help clarify your family’s values and why you believe what you do.

Never Talk to Strangers: That saying doesn’t work so much online, but the principle still holds true. Kid’s are trusting by nature, so educate them a little on the art of holding back. They don’t need to be giving away their home address, phone number, email, social, birthday, favorite color, you name it to anyone. Even if they THINK it will be okay.

Right and Wrong: Your kids already know right from wrong, but reiterate the basics of ethics, respect, etc. Most importantly you’ll need to hit on where indecent exposure falls into this category.

2.The Router is Your Friend: If you’ve got high speed internet and a router you can control what goes on in your home. With a few clicks you can choose when the internet is available, what sites can be visited and more. This is so easy that it doesn’t matter if you’re a computer genius or barely know how to turn on your monitor.

The most common brand of router, NetGear, has a site, routerlogin.net, which is where you’ll go to set up your controls (Note: make sure you’re plugged in to your router to do this). If you don’t have a NetGear router, don’t worry; they all have security features built in, just check the box or instructions about how to get started.

When you login to your router, here’s what you’ll want to set:

Update the Password: By default, most routers use admin and admin as the username and password. Change this right away so that someone from outside your home can’t hijack your system.

Set Up Some Type of Security: There’s more and more things that are going online in your house from the computer and printer to the PlayStation and Refrigerator. Set up a special key that that someone has to know to get onto your network. It’s called a WEP key and is very easy to set up. Most likely, you’re just preventing that cheap neighbor from using your internet for free. But you may also be preventing a bad guy from sneaking into your computer and stealing your credit card number too.

Control the Time: Just about every router out there has a parental feature that lets you control when the web is available. This means that you can let your kids get online from 8:00am – 9:00pm only and don’t need to worry about them checking out an inappropriate site at 3:00am.

Parental Controls: There’s also a ton of other parental controls in your router such as which sites are safe and which ones you want to blacklist. I’ve heard mixed reviews about these since they often cause far more problems with usability than they solve. Give them a shot and if they work, great, if not, there is parental software out there that can do a better job filtering the bad stuff off the web.

3.Get Vaccinated, for Free: If you’re reading this article, you’re online and should have some kind of virus software. Did you know it’s probably available to you for free?

Just about any internet provider (I have Road Runner) offers free spam, virus and spyware software built into your monthly price. It’s an easy way, to make sure you’re not going to have any scary computer virus, plus it’s free and there are not many deals that can beat that price! Check out your internet provider’s site for the specifics.

4.Keep an Eye Out for the Little Ones: Just like that miter saw, you don’t have to let your kids use the internet alone. There’s nothing wrong with a little parental supervision over their browsing history and what they’re up to. This can be as simple as checking out the sites they have visited to more complex software that tracks every single thing that your kids do on the whole computer.

An important part of this is communication. You need to decide if you want to let your kids know you may be monitoring what they are doing or keep in covert. I would recommend letting them know that you have that ability to see what they’re up to for two reasons. First, you may be able to prevent them from seeing something they don’t need to see. Secondly, it helps to build trust with your child. As long as they know why you are monitoring they’re likely to better accept the concept. If they only find out you’ve been spying on them after they’re caught, you may be creating deeper trust issues.

5.Make Friends with Your Kids: Did you know that you kid has a MySpace and/or Facebook page? Well the odds overwhelmingly suggest that they do. I’d recommend that you have one as well and become their friends. You’ll get a deeper understanding of your kids, their culture and what they’re thinking. You will also be able to make sure they haven’t posted the code to your security system to their page as well.

MySpace: You don’t need to register here and it’s the most popular social site for the teen crowd. If you’ve got a kid, they’ve got an account here.

Facebook: You’ll need to register to view member’s here. It’s also more popular with the later-teen and college crowd.

Twitter: Think of this as a mass instant message to anyone who cares to read it. Signup just takes a moment and you can then search and subscribe to your kids updates. Twitter has not yet caught on with younger kids, but it’s a good to keep an eye on this one since it’s so easy to use and works with cell phone text messages.

The web is wide, and getting wider every day, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a safe place to work and play. The best thing you can do to keep the little ones safe online is to be involved. It goes back to point #1; talk about the internet over dinner and you’re going to be a lot less likely to talk about it in hot water.

Pete Dimaio is the author of TheRogueParent.com.  You can read reviews of family products, parenting tips, and politics at his website.

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