Teach your children to never give out personal information in chat rooms or message boards, or to send pictures of themselves via email to people they do not know. Also instruct them to never make arrangements for a face-to-face meeting alone with someone they meet online.

One way to control what your children see on the Internet is to set you start page at a safe, child-friendly place. Also, there are settings in both Microsoft Explorer and Netscape (through their NetWatch feature) that allow you to block inappropriate content. Finally, you may want to consider using parental control tools such as Net Nanny (www.netnanny.com) and SafeSurf (www.safesurf.com) to help manage what your children have access to on the Internet.

Establish reasonable guidelines and rules for computer use by your children. Set limits on daily use of online services and the Internet along with time of day restrictions (excessive use late at night may be a clue to potential problems). Set strict rules for ordering products online and joining online clubs/groups.

Teach your children how to use their "back" key or to log off when they find information that makes them uncomfortable and to tell you about their experience. If they get emails containing inappropriate content, make sure they know not to respond to these emails and that they tell you about them. Finally, instruct your children not to click on any attachments or links in emails that came from someone they do not know.