The Internet has been heralded as great of a technological breakthrough as the telephone, railroad, or even sending a man to the moon. In only a few short years, it has undoubtedly changed the way businesses and people communicate and conduct business. Someone sitting in the comfort of his or her home is only a mouse click away from virtually any type of information imaginable. Reference information such as news, weather, sports, stock quotes, movie reviews, encyclopedias, airfares, hotel rates, and many current articles are readily available online. You can find information about your local schools and government, read an out-of-town newspaper, or obtain vital health information. On the business side, users can conduct transactions such as trading stocks, making travel reservations, banking, and shopping from a nearly inexhaustible list of online vendors. Millions of people transmit and receive almost countless numbers of electronic mail (email) messages daily to just keep in touch or to conduct vital business communication. Truly, as an informational, educational, communication, and entertainment tool, the Internet currently has no equal.

Yet, with all of its fanfare and endless capabilities, the Internet is truly no place for unsupervised children. Woven into this intricate web, and sometimes deceitfully, is information and material that would cause even the most seasoned adult to blush. The Internet, and more specifically the WWW, has become a haven for volumes of pornographic content. This is primarily because of the unregulated status of the Internet, but can also be attributed to the fact that its protocol easily supports the delivery of text, graphics, video, and sound. Additionally, users of the web, a.k.a. surfers, are continuously bombarded with advertising. Offers of all types pour across our computer monitors. Sometimes, they appear to be so good that it takes the acute, analytical reasoning of an adult to decide not to follow the advertisement. Chat rooms are no better. Many chat areas are hosts to groups and forums that would clearly be objectionable by most parents and even those that may be designed for children are subject to monitoring and even inclusion of unknown individuals. Lastly, there's email. Anyone who has ever opened an Internet account can and probably will attest to the numbers of unsolicited emails that they receive. By now you should also be aware that email is no more private than standard mail, in that it can likewise be just as easily opened and read without your consent. These electronic threats form the foundation for the fact that the information superhighway must be navigated with extreme caution.

Possibly after reading the previous paragraph, you may have decided that the best way to protect your children from this digital assault would be to forbid their use of the Internet altogether. This however, does not have to be the case. As stated earlier, the Internet is an information, education, communication, and entertainment tool that knows no boundaries. Not allowing your child to explore its vast treasures could be likened to disallowing their use of an encyclopedia or even going to school outside of the home, either of which could expose your child to unscreened information. Rather than forbidding its use, parents should endeavor to establish guidelines for a safe and meaningful online experience. This can be achieved by educating parents on the hazards that exist and then suggesting methods that can preclude potential threats. Additionally, these guidelines must be taught to children, and enforced and monitored by parents.

So what are the risks that parents should be aware of? Currently, (I'll use "currently" as a qualifier because the Internet constantly changes and parents must therefore stay abreast of its risks) it is exposure to inappropriate material, harassment, legal and financial consequences, and even the threat of physical molestation.

The first and unquestionably most significant threat is the exposure to inappropriate material. This can occur in even the most innocent of circumstances. Take this test( WARNING!!! This is intended for education of mature audiences.  Objectionable material will display.). Go to just about any of the popular search engines, try www.hotbot.com, and do a search on "girls chat" (a fairly innocent search that a girl could make). As you probably quickly found, the search results varied greatly between the different "engines", and that some of them probably returned some fairly objectionable material just within their titles. Here is another example. Say your child is writing a research paper on government and wants to find information on the "White House." Many Internet site names (Uniform Resource Locators) are the same as the organization's name. Examples include www.microsoft.com, www.canon.com, etc. Using this process, one could easily deduce that the White House might be www.whitehouse.com. However, if you go to this URL you would find that it is actually a pornographic site. The correct URL for the White House is www.whitehouse.gov. Then there is the unrelenting tide of banner ads and email, rich with links that most often promote electronic commerce (online shopping), but can sometimes lead to other objectionable sites. To some of those sites credit, many now require verification of age by requiring a credit card number to enter.

Harassment can appear in any online forum, i.e. web page, email, chat room, however the predominant form is chat rooms. Chat rooms are electronic gathering places. These places are commonly associated with cyber-space because it is a virtual location. Chat rooms come in all types and thus invite people of all types. You should be aware that many are not places you may want your children to visit. Homosexuality, promiscuity, pedophilia, gangs, drugs, violence, and hatred are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to some of the discussion groups. Of more important note, many chat areas are open to the public, and can be monitored by anyone with an Internet connection. An uninvited guest who insists on using objectionable language has interrupted many innocent and fun chat sessions. Email can also be used as a vehicle to deliver unsolicited, offensive material.

There is also the risk that children could get into legal or financial trouble. This could occur by a child violating someone's rights or by possibly giving out a parents credit card number. Without further exploring the many details regarding the legal rights of others, just consider how easy it would be for someone to use the Internet's communication network to spread slander or a threat toward a business or someone. That aside, also consider that e-commerce does not put a face or signature to a credit card number. A determined child could gain access to objectionable information or even purchase products without a parent's consent.

And then there are the "children's" sites. New forms of deceptive advertising and privacy invasion pose a serious, though less recognized threat to kids. A site called KidsCom does market research on children through the disguise of an electronic playground, rewarding children for answering questions with "KidsKash." General Mills offers sound and video clips to promote its cereal products. McDonald's sells company merchandise and passes off corporate press releases as history lessons and environmentalism. KidsCom does advise children to get their parents permission before answering questionnaires and also notifies parents by sending an email, but to an address supplied by the child.

Lastly, there is the risk of physical molestation. Though remote, this would most likely occur if a child were to disclose personal information such as name, address, phone number, school, photos, etc. to someone with malicious intent. This could be someone posing as another child, or maybe monitoring a chat session between children or teens. An information request form on objectionable or foreign web sites could also obtain this information.

Are you discouraged to the point of not wanting to let your children go online? You shouldn't be. Remember what was stated earlier, this is just another community. Consider the risks that have been identified. Are any of these different than living and working in your current neighborhood or are these things that you have already warned your children about and take precautions for yourself? Now let's look at some common-sense approaches to reduce these risks to a negligible level.

The first is a type of universal approach in that it addresses all of the risks discussed earlier. It also comes in two formats. This approach is filtering software or use of a filtering Internet Service Provider (ISP). Filtering software is software that resides between your web browser and the Internet and attempts to screen objectionable material based on levels you define. Some have features that control chat sessions, email, and even restrict using credit card information. Though these may be the exact features you are looking for you should be aware that each comes with its list of shortcomings. A recent study (www.filteringsoftware.com) examined the most popular (Cyber Patrol version 3.10, CyberSitter version 2.1, Net Nanny version 3.1, SurfWatch version 1.6, and Internet Explorer version 3.0) and found that none were totally effective. Of 22 objectionable sites, they allowed 6, 8, 0, 4, and 19 respectively to make it to the test computer. All had controls to prevent disabling and some even went as far as disabling the computer. Some provided reports of surfing activity to the parent.

Another filtering method is one executed at an even higher level than the computer. This is ISP and online service filtering. With the latter, online services such as America OnLine (AOL) allow parents to restrict their children's access to certain objectionable material like websites, chat rooms, and bulletin boards. As long as you are able to confine your child to these areas, these work pretty well. ISPs are popping up that differentiate their service by offering to filter out objectionable material at the server, so it never makes it to the child-surfer. A couple of these are ClearSail and Integrity Online. Of the two filtering services, ISP filtering is probably the most effective, but it too comes with its downside. First, they are not very widespread across the country, so it may be a long distance call for you to reach one. Second, their filtering service is permanent. If therefore an adult logs on, his or her surfing experience will likewise be filtered.

The next approach seeks to prevent children's exposure to uncensored material. This one will take some time and work but will probably reap the largest benefit. Help your child develop a list of sites that you can trust and he or she enjoys. This most certainly will involve your time in surfing with him, but once the list is established you can be confident in their online experience, provided they stay within the boundaries you establish. This is where the parenting and trust part comes in. I stated earlier that you cannot be with your child at all times of their adolescence. Your child must know your standards and rules for surfing. You must be willing to monitor and enforce those standards. You will have difficulty in stopping your child's surfing activity. Even if you forbid it in your home, what will that child do when he or she is not under your authority and confronted with the opportunity to go online? Your child must know your standards and realize that he or she could unknowingly engage in online activity that could be to their detriment.

Most children enjoy mingling with other people. One of the primary reasons that malls are so popular is because they are a type of community where people can gather, mix, and associate. Chat rooms are no different. Chat rooms have and probably always will be popular to youth, and it is therefore worthwhile to explore how to help your child mingle safely. You should investigate the chat areas your child wants to frequent. Request that the chat area provide you with their policy on objectionable language. Many of the better chat areas are "chaperoned" and have the ability to lock out uninvited and unwanted guests. Also, refer to the "My Rules for Online Safety" enclosure. Instruct your children to never disclose personal information during a chat. Stress that they never agree to an offline meeting with a stranger. A possibly safer solution would be to install a chat client on your computer. These allow chat with only invited guests. During a chat session an outsider can request to enter, but must be granted permission. There are several that are a free download. The downside is that all chatting members must use the same software.

The following is a list of guidelines for parents that should help with the online experience. All are fairly common-sense approaches. They are provided courtesy of Lawrence Magid from a brochure he developed for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The brochure is titled Child Safety on the Information Highway.

• Never give out identifying information — home address, school name, or telephone number in a public message such as chat or bulletin boards (newsgroup), and be sure you’re dealing with someone that both you and your child know and trust before giving out this information via E-mail. Think carefully before revealing any personal information such as age, marital status, or financial information. Do not post photographs of your children on web sites or newsgroups that are available to the public. Consider using an alias, avoid listing your child’s name and E-mail address in any public directories and profiles, and find out about your ISP’s privacy policies and exercise your options for how your personal information may be used.

• Get to know the Internet and any services your child uses. If you don’t know how to log on, get your child to show you. Have your child show you what he or she does online, and become familiar with all the things that you can do online.

• Never allow a child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without parental permission. If a meeting is arranged, make the first one in a public place, and be sure to accompany your child.

• Never respond to messages or bulletin board items that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening, or make you feel uncomfortable. Encourage your children to tell you if they encounter such messages. If you or your child receives a message that is harassing, of a sexual nature, or threatening, forward a copy of the message to your ISP, and ask for their assistance. Instruct your child not to click on any links that are contained in E-mail from persons they don’t know. Such links could lead to sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate web sites.

• If someone sends you or your children messages or images that are obscene, lewd, filthy, or indecent with the intent to harass, abuse, annoy, or threaten, or if you become aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography while online, immediately report this to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678. Remember that people online may not be who they seem. Because you can’t see or even hear the person it would be easy for someone to misrepresent him- or herself. Thus, someone indicating that "she" is a "12-year-old girl" could in reality be a 40-year-old man.

• Remember that everything you read online may not be true. Any offer that’s "too good to be true" probably is. Be very careful about any offers that involve you coming to a meeting, having someone visit your house, or sending money or credit card information.

• Set reasonable rules and guidelines for computer use by your children (see "My Rules for Online Safety", enclosure 1). Discuss these rules and post them near the computer as a reminder. Remember to monitor your children’s compliance with these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time your children spend on the computer. A child’s excessive use of online services or the Internet, especially late at night, may be a clue that there is a potential problem. Remember that personal computers and online services should not be used as electronic babysitters.

• Be sure to make this a family activity. Consider keeping the computer in a family room rather than the child’s bedroom. Get to know their "online friends" just as you get to know all of their other friends.

The Internet is no different than any other community. There is a mix of all sexes, races, religions, colors, and beliefs. Predominantly, the people that exist there are good, decent, and moral people who like you, have gone to it for its vast array of valuable content. There are unfortunately, rude, obnoxious, and exploitive people. Again, just like a real community, these are the one's that we must guard our children against. If you fail to educate your children that there are real people in our communities that would exploit there innocence and ignorance, then you have in fact made it even more dangerous for them. Because we cannot be there every moment of their immature lives, we must educate them to the dangers they face. Do not think that by avoiding the subject that you avoid the risk. Like our communities, the Internet is probably here to stay. Exercising these guidelines can provide for a safe and meaningful experience that will last them a lifetime. Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)