It seems that every child these days almost needs access to the Internet. This is the way that they interact with their peers and how they do their homework at the end of the day. But that doesn't mean that everything on the Internet is safe for them to view and will provide a positive experience. As a parent, it's your job to make sure that they know how to be safe when using the Internet and protect them from what's on it. Here are some pointers for doing just that.

First, you should teach your children what information is already to provide online and what they should keep to themselves. They might want to sign up for a gaming site that asks for their address or be looking to enter a contest that will get them entered to win a gaming system. You should make sure that they even know to be careful about what they send to those that their emailing with online. And teach them to create secure passwords.

If you have an email address than you're going to eventually get spam emails that you don't want and that your children shouldn't be looking at. Teach them that it's important not to open emails from people that they do not know no matter what the subject line might be. While it's unlikely that they are going to want to open something advertising for cheap medication, they might be tricked by those that know their first name and pretend to be from a friend. You should also do your best to set the security settings high on your home computer and their email account.

Bookmark the sites that your children will want to go to often that have been proven to be safe for them. Make it as simple as possible for them to have a safe and secure online experience. This might mean adding their favorite game site beside your business documents or bookmarking school related materials. You should also keep the family computer in a place where you can glance over and see what they're looking at. Even if you're not right beside them, they should know that you're in control of what they're looking at.

Inform your children about the dangers of the Internet. You don't need to go into detail about the sites that you're trying to keep them off of but you can tell them that some sites are not what they claim to be for.