A parents' guide to the Internet

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All parents worry about what their kids are doing on the Internet. A new Ofcom study has discovered that kids as young as 8 are logging onto social networking sites and that more than a quarter of them give too much personal information on them.

Facebook, Myspace and Bebo have a minimum age limit of 13 and 14 but this isn't enforced.

There are some simple things you can do to make sure your child is as safe as possible when they're online as well as what all the different terms mean.

Teach children Internet safety, just as you teach them about stranger danger.

Top tips

Keep the computer in a room used by all the family. If it's in a bedroom, it will be harder for you to monitor its use.
Limit Internet use to a set number of hours. If possible, stay close while they use it. If you find they've logged on to an unsuitable site, talk to them reasonably and explain the dangers.
Ask them to tell you if they've received an attachment before they open it. If you don't know the sender, delete it straight away.
Encourage them to use books too, for research and pleasure.

Be Internet aware

Alison Lister, project manager for Parents Online, a Government-funded, Web-based organisation to help parents, says: 'Find out about short computer courses from your library or contact learndirect on 0800 101 901 or www.learndirect.co.uk.

- Next: find out about child blocks and chat rooms