Comments on: Teen online safety mostly about behavior

Old Internet safety messages about "stranger danger" need to change in favor of helping kids protect themselves online.

[Harrison912]

I couldn't agree more. As a web site owner of safety and security products, I'm always looking for products to help parents keep their children safe and that includes teens. A keylogger is a great way to monitor your teens internet activity. The one I sell is under $50 and is as easy to install as a cordless mouse. By using it and letting the kids know you will be keeping an eye on them helps with that educational process. Knowledge is power when parenting and you need to know when your kids need help and when they need to be educated so they can prevent problems in the future. Thanks, Larry.

[LiviaWeb]

Very nice article. With regard to filtering products, I agree that they should be used as a tool to assist parents in helping control their children's behavior, especially at an early age. As children grow, the restrictions can be lessened. Filtering is not a silver bullet to protect kids online but it does provide that added layer of security for parents for times when they are not around or when children are too young to fully understand what they are doing online. Education and setting guidelines for what children can and cannot do online is first and foremost important. Thanks! http://twitter.com/liviaweb

[JimBrittTN]

You do not give kids (even older teens) the freedom to venture into areas on the internet that can do them harm. You don't leave loaded guns out do you?

PARENTS have to be parents and be in charge as much as possible, but even more important, they must be examples.

[ALALibraryVal]

The name and also the web address for ConnectSafely.org are misspelled, and therefore the link is bad -- there are three Ns instead of two (and the same mistake appears in the news article).

To reach the web site, go to --

http://www.ConnectSafely.org

[mlccrc]

Your article is on target. Most parents are in denial and do nothing to educate their kids about the online dangers. Their approach is 'not my kids'. Alternatively, some resort to parental control software when it's too late. I run a website, www.guardchild.com, designed to help parents learn about the dangers online by developing their skill-set around real statistics and real-time news. The site also sells parental control software; however, the objective is for parents to understand that technology has become a part of their lives and how to start educating their children at an early age.
We believe with early and continued education, the installation of blocking software (to protect youngsters from stumbling upon pornography) parents will be in a better position to teach their kids how to surf the web safely.