Letting your children use the Internet without monitoring their activity is like leaving them alone in the big city. Your children are never more than a few clicks away from dangers like sexual predators, pornography and information not suitable for young eyes. Because computers are such a vital part of the way we do business and socialize in the United States, barring your children from the Internet also shields them from learning important skills that they'll likely need throughout their lives. The Internet, however, can be safe for children as long as parents closely monitor their activity.
Step 1
Keep your computer in a room where the family spends a lot of time, such as the living room or TV room, so you can keep an eye on Internet activity. Never let your children keep a computer in their own room or use a computer in a private area where you can't see the screen, recommends the FBI.
Step 2
Set ground rules about Internet use and set consequences for breaking them, recommends Kids Health. Set up specific times your children can be online, what sites they can use, what sites they cannot use and whether one parent has to be present. Also create general Internet rules like never sharing or posting images without permission, avoiding chat rooms and alerting an adult right away if a stranger tries to contact your children.
Step 3
Install child monitoring software on your computer. Monitoring software has several functions, such as logging all your children's activity, filtering out sites with adult content, blocking sites you specify and alerting you if your children violate an Internet ground rule, according to the University of Michigan Health System.
Step 4
Create your own profiles on sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social networking sites. Set your children's privacy setting so that only approved friends can see their profiles. Get on your children's friends lists and monitor their activity regularly.
Step 5
Write down your children's user names and passwords to e-mail, instant messengers, social networking and game sites so you can log in if you need to. Check your children's e-mail, recommends the FBI.
Step 6
Apply these same rules and techniques to your children's cellphone, if applicable. Many phones have full access to the Internet, chat and social networking sites.
