Parents -- Get Control of What Your Kids Do Online

You wouldn't allow your child to leave the house for hours with strangers and not know where they're going, right? If you are not monitoring the online activities of your child, that's exactly what you're doing. The Internet can be like another world - it's filled with valuable information, but also rife with danger. So, how do you know if your child is in trouble online and what can you do about it?

When your children come home from school, they tell you everything is fine. But maybe your son's day is filled with stress and anxiety because he's being harassed by classmates over e-mail and instant messaging. Your daughter may be withdrawing because she's communicating with a much older man online and he's pressuring her to meet in person. Drugs, alcohol, violence, pornography, music or software pirating, online predators, bullying and even credit card abuse are all dangers kids face when they use the Internet.

Here are some important signs parents should look for:

* The child spends an increasing amount of time online.

* Your child is withdrawing from his usual activities, starts acting or dressing very differently.

* Chronic misbehavior at home or in school and declining grades.

* Your child's behavior is becoming increasingly secretive. You notice him clicking out of Web sites when you enter the room and he talks to or texts people you've never heard him mention before.

What can you do to stem this behavior or, better yet, make sure it does not become an issue for your family?

* Make sure all computers are located in a central room of the house where all family members have access to them.

* Talk to kids regularly about the dangers of online predators and how their behavior online can have real consequences.

* Set ground rules and enforce them. Place limits on the time kids can spend online and make it clear you will not tolerate certain online behavior.

* Invest in good parental control/monitoring software to record and control your child's PC activity.

WebWatcher is a Web-based, totally invisible computer monitoring/parental control software that helps you protect your kids from Internet dangers. The software not only records e-mails and instant messages sent and received, it can also block any offensive or unwanted Web sites and applications - and your child will never know you installed it if you don't wish to tell them.

Today's Internet-savvy kids can easily get around standard blocking software and, while you may know about their MySpace or Facebook page, you likely won't know about the second social networking page they set up for their eyes only. In years past, you could look out the window and see who your kids were hanging out with, but today those online communications can be invisible. With WebWatcher, you can keep a virtual eye on your children, help protect them and better understand their issues.