Keeping an open line of communication between you and your child is key to helping them stay safe online.

• Talk openly and honestly about the dangers on the Internet.
• Make sure they know why they should not give out personal information.
• Ask them about and have them show you their online activities.
• Help them to feel comfortable about coming to you if something make them feel uncomfortable or scared.

Conversation Starters

• Our family has rules about going online, they are...
• How big is the Internet? What happens to the information you put online?
• Have you ever seen or read anything online that makes you feel uncomfortable? It's okay to talk to me about that.
• Do you know how to get out of a situation that makes you uncomfortable? Close the program and talk with me. I won't get mad - together we can keep you safe.

Communication Tips

• How to talk to your kid
  Tips on how to talk to your kids about better protecting their online lives.

• Communication with your Child – Take a class
  Five mini-courses have been developed to address how parents can communicate with their children on a variety of issues regarding the Internet.

Safety Pledges, Rules of the Roads and Parent Child Contracts

• Safety Pledges
  Age-appropriate safety pledges were created by Netsmartz for parents and guardians to facilitate in-depth discussions about internet and real-world issues with children.

• Using family contracts to help protect your kids online
  Before your children start to explore the Internet, it's a good idea to make sure everyone understands what they should and shouldn't be doing online.

Know the Lingo

• Internet Definitions
  A list of internet definitions to help to help parent wade through the new terminology was created by Netsmartz.

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  Online Lingo/Acronym
  View a list of commonly used Acronyms used by kids in Instant Messenger (IM) and chat rooms.

• Suspect Icons - PDF
  This document contains suspect Icons that parents should be aware of. If any of these icons are found on the desktop of a computer (or anywhere else for that matter) parents should talk to there children about why they are using these programs. Keep current with news.