This is a regrettable fact, children are most often the victims of computer and Internet users today. The good news is that there are some practical steps you can take to protect children from sexual predators, hackers, and individuals who want to cause danger.

The first step in protecting your children on this computer create a password. This will prevent them from sharing passwords with others and inadvertently breaking into your system. If you think about it, there is no reason why children aged five, seven, or even twelve years must know the password for sensitive areas on your computer unless you have given them permission! In fact, children don't need to know the password used to access the Internet. This may be a hassle to type in every time they want to get online, but it's better to know at the time online than they have to sneak online without your permission and knowledge of their activities.

The second step to protect your children online is to use the computer together. Sitting next to your child when he access the Internet, you can guide her to make safe decisions and intelligent. You can approve bookmarks together. You can monitor the conversations your kids with their friends and teach them appropriate behavior online at the same time. You can make recommendations and create a private time for quality time, too.

The third step block access to areas that are not appropriate at all. You and your children may not always agree about what is right, but as a guardian, you are in control and ultimately you are responsible for their safety. Taking the time to investigate software that helps you to block access to certain sites. If you use online services like AOL (America Online), you can use the internal Parental Control settings to block access to various chatrooms and websites. You can even block instant messaging and email from anyone who is not AOL users.

Doing all these steps will not be easy. But you can help minimize resistance to your monitoring efforts by explaining why you take these precautions. Children who are smaller will probably enjoy the time you spend together on the computer, but the kids are older and pre-teens can be disappointed. You may want to show the children some examples of older news that the danger of children without parents' supervision. Unfortunately the paper is full of examples but with your help, we can reduce its impact throughout the world.