The Internet is a great way for your teens to express themselves. Think about it. They meet with their friends and make new ones by chatting and posting information about themselves on social networking sites. They check out the latest styles and shop online. They send their friends pictures, music, and videos by IM, email, or links to local sites.

You might sleep better knowing your kids are hanging out with their friends inside the house rather than on the streets and at the mall, but there are risks on the Internet, too. Fortunately, by staying open to what your teens enjoy about the Internet, helping them explore cyberspace safely, and making sure your kids know they can come to you if they feel threatened or encounter any sort of problem online, you can greatly reduce risks to their well being. Here are a few tips to follow yourself and to share with your teens about how to stay protected online.

Be Careful What Your Teens Download and Share

Don't download unauthorized copies of copyrighted music from a file-sharing network, share copyrighted music using instant messaging (IM), email, or by handing out or uploading CDs.
If you use a file-sharing program, be sure to turn it on only to update files. Set passwords for read and write access to your shared folders to protect yourself from other computer users who might find an unprotected folder to be a convenient dumping ground for their files.

Don't Give Away the Store

Shopping online saves hours of schlepping your kids around town. Even if they drive, they can find the shoes, books, and games they want online no matter where you live. And just as your teens would take precautions in a brick and mortar store—like leaving their wallet open on the table with sale jeans and then walking away—they need to practice common sense online. Before submitting credit card numbers or other confidential information over the Internet through a connection that appears secure, instruct them to confirm the authenticity of the URL. They should also pay attention to the advised delivery date. Sites that promise delivery dates further than 20 days after your payment involve more risk.
Install a good Internet security program with parental controls that can help block inappropriate Web sites and prevent your teens from giving out personal information without your permission.

Reduce the Risk of Game Playing

Some games are played directly on the Web. They require you to turn on ActiveX or JavaScript, programming languages that developers write to help you use your Web browser. Although this code can be very helpful when it is turned on, it leaves your computer wide open, so hackers can get in. When your kids have finished playing games online, make sure they turn off ActiveX and JavaScript.
When playing an online game, it's smartest to play it at the game site. When the game is over, your kids can switch back to their user account to browse the Web.

Conclusion

Help your teens enjoy all the Internet has to offer. By taking precautions and teaching them to stop and think before downloading anything from the Internet or sharing too much information, you can protect your identity, private files, your computer, and most important, your kids, from security threats. To help guard against risk, make sure your computer has security tools like Norton Internet Security and Norton Confidential-all can really help you have fun and stay safe.