Teens on the Internet; How can You Ensure their Safety?
by Suzanne Donahue

According to a recent report by Jupiter Communications and Media Metrix, the most notable online increase by age group from 1999 to 2000 was among teen girls age 12 to 17, which increased more than 125 percent. A CyberAngels study indicates that 12% of girls ages 13-16 who surf the Internet said they have purposely sought or accepted off-line meetings with strangers after chatting with them over the Internet.

The Internet is a wonderful content, commerce, and communication tool that can benefit people of all ages. There are many family-oriented Websites out on the World Wide Web that provide useful content, as well as online support groups and interactive communities. But, where can teens visit? Have you ever typed the word "teens" or "teen" in your favorite search engine before? Hundreds of X-rated porn sites come up with a few scattered listings of decent teen sites.

Being a teen myself, I have personally searched hundreds of teen communities that are "supposed" to be moderated. You must skip over messages about sex and sexual acts, bodily functions that are better left unmentioned, drugs & alcohol, and profanity. Not to mention the fact that everyone is trying to pick up dates, when we don't know if "16 year old, blonde hair/blue eyed teen boy" is really a 42 year old sexual predator. 

So, how can you allow your teens to safely go on the Internet? 

Here's 5 tips that are sure to help you keep your tech savvy teen online without feeling untrusted:

1) Give your teen a list of Websites that you feel are safe. Anytime you run into a family-oriented, education, hobby, or entertainment site that you feel your teen might enjoy, write it down, or send him/her the URL. If your teen wants to go "surfing", send them to a search engine like Alta Vista where you can turn on the family filter and have most X-rated sites filtered.

2) You don't have to check your teen's e-mail (we all know that like a phone call, an e-mail can be a personal thing), but let your teen know that he/she shouldn't click on any links in e-mails from people they don't know. Viruses and porn sites are frequently disguised as money making opportunities and "cool sites". Also, they should never open or download any files or attachments either.

3) Teach your teens not to tell too much. Teens are bound to make some good friends online (I've made quite a few myself), but sometimes even "friends" can be suspicious. Set a limit as to how much your teen can tell, such as "no last names or addresses". 

4) Monitor the amount of time your teen is spending on the computer, and set certain hours. After school is a good time to be online for teens, because the adults prime Internet hours are around 1:00 AM. Late at night is probably not a good idea.

5) Don't let your teen meet anyone without you. Even if you think your teen is going to just be meeting another teen at a public place like a fast food restaurant, don't do it! Either you or another adult should tag along...just in case. Your teen might not like it, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Remember that 12% of teens that agreed to meet people they didn't know? I hate to think about how many of that percentage encountered a physically or mentally damaging situation, or worse...never even made it home.

So be sure that you take the time to talk with your teen about their Internet privileges and maybe set aside some time to go surfing with your teen once in a while. There's an online world out there full of helpful information just waiting to be explored. 

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