Part of what makes this issue so difficult for parents is that children tend to learn their ways around new technologies faster than their parents. Sometimes it can seem like a mystery to parents. Our kidsprivacy Web site includes suggestions for parents in helping their children to take advantage of the positive aspects of the Web and avoiding the negative. We have to think of the Internet as one more tool for learning and for entertainment. What children get out of it will depend on how they use it.
Parents have an important role to play in that.
I am a church going upstanding trustworthy women in my 60's and I am often tempted to look at some of the risque and lewd sites just to see if what they say is there, is there. How in the world is any parent, babysitter, or guardian going to stop a child or young person from going into those sites short of sitting with the child and taking the monitor if they leave the child alone. Good luck all you young mothers. It's a good idea to have the computer in a centrally located room in the house so that it's easy to look over kids' shoulders. Again, it's important to develop good habits when they are young and to keep talking about the various issues that come up.