The internet is continuing to become a primary form of communication, and therefore it is very important that our children learn how to use it from a young age. But as we are aware, the internet is far from being completely safe for children to be able to surf freely.

Here are some tips to help your kids keep safe:

The computer should be placed in a communal area of the home where the whole family can use it, rather than out of sight in a bedroom. It should be easy for parents to see the screen and monitor behaviour.
Discuss with your children what kind of sites they are allowed to visit. Then make sure that they stay within these agreed limits.
You should monitor your child’s use of chat rooms, and they should be kept out of those that are unmonitored. Good Internet filtering software blocks access to all chat to keep children away from the threat of dangerous people, pretending to be kids.
Let your child know that everything they are told online may not be true.
Encourage the usage of quality family-friendly and kid-friendly sites on the Web. Load your computer with bookmarks to those sites, such as:
Chat sites are a great way to meet people online and can be lots of fun. But they are open to misuse, so ensure that your children are as careful with strangers online as they would be in the outside world. Should your children receive any obscene, offensive or intimidating messages, they should let you know, and shouldn’t respond. You should consider telling your Internet service provider of any problems.
Find out what computer safeguards are utilized by your child's school, the public library, and at the homes of your child's friends. These are all places where your child could encounter an online predator, when not under your supervision.
Take advantage of the filtering software readily available in the marketplace. It can help block access to inappropriate sites related to sex, drugs/alcohol, hate/violence, gambling etc and even chat.
Know your child's e-mail password and tell them to inform you immediately about disturbing, unsolicited e-mail. They should understand that it is not necessarily their fault if such e-mail arrives.
Let your child know that you are there to talk anytime, about anything they come across that may cause distress.
Instruct your child to never do any of the following without your permission:
- Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they meet online. If you do give permission, make sure that the meeting is in a public place and that there is a responsible adult accompanying your child.
- Never give out personal information such as their name, age, telephone numbers, home address, school name or location, or financial information.
- Never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance there could be sexually explicit images.
- Never to upload pictures of themselves on to the Internet or online service to people they do not know personally.