Your kids probably don't see any danger in posting pictures, etc. of themselves, their friends and even people they don’t like online. Even older teens are surprisingly naive when it comes to posting and sending things to “close“ friends they've met ONLY in cyberspace. They chat about when and where they are going, their teams, where they spend money, and even about problems with their parents and friends. Information such as this helps child predators locate your children, gives cyberbullies fodder for their nastiness and could even help identity thieves tangle up your finances.
You might like to think about having a young persons and parents' online contract that your family discusses and agrees to follow.
http://www.safekids.com/contract_parent.htm for parent contract ideas
The video is further down the page...
Kids may be digitally capable but they often lack life skills.
Chatting to friends in chat rooms and on social networking sites can be great ways to keep up to date. Meeting new friends online is also pretty fun, and you can meet people online that like the same movies or sports as you.
But while there are lots of good points about keeping in touch with online friends, there are also some risks with meeting people online—especially if you don’t know them in real life.
To help stay safe while you chat, remember some simple tips: