How to Monitor Tweens Online and Maintain a Sense of Privacy

Once your kid starts going online more, have some conversations about what you expect (and maybe, what THEY expect, too!) You want your kid to stay on age-appropriate sites and avoid cyberbullying. You want them to check with you if they encounter something that they think you wouldn't approve of. You want them to ultimately develop self-control and self-regulate themselves, but that doesn't happen overnight. After you discuss the rules for appropriate online behavior, tell your kid that you will want to check in with him or her periodically to make sure their online activities are kosher.

Talk about what a great resource the Internet can be—but there are a lot of age-inappropriate things out there. (If you have tweens, use safe-search settings too.) Talk about how not to click on contests and other attention-grabbing ads because these can actually put malware on your computer. And discuss the importance of not sharing your password with your friends—that can help keep your kid safe, too.

Information provided by Caroline Knorr, Parenting Editor of Common Sense Media. For more tips about teaching your kids to be safe online, visit Common Sense Media.