As a parent, it is our responsibility to educate our children on the dangers they face in today’s electronic media world and how to be accountable and safe in their choices and their actions. Our children are more vulnerable today INSIDE their homes, than when we were running around late into the night OUTSIDE in our back yards and neighborhoods.

You might ask how that is possible. Take a minute and think about how many ways your child has access to the World Wide Web? Almost every electronic gadget now has internet access. This includes, cell phones, Gameboys, IPods, PlayStations, Xboxes, school computers, laptops, netbooks, the family computer (just to name a few). If you think you have a secure internet access and that your children cannot access the web without your permission think again.

If anyone near you has an unsecured internet access your child’s electronic media can easily connect to them. Try it on your computer or IPod. It is scary how easy it is to access the World Wide Web outside of your own setup. If you do not monitor your child´s online activities, including how they connect to the internet or who they are talking to online or on their cell phone then you are not being a responsible parent.

Child predators are using the social networks, teen chat rooms, online gaming sites and forums to find their next victim, without ever having to leave the comfort of their own home. Yet, you would never let a stranger walk in your front door without your consent. However, if you allow your child unlimited internet access and choose to not monitor their activity, you are essentially giving a child predator permission to hurt your child.

Children are intelligent, much more intelligent than many of us give them credit, so please do not be naïve. Your children need your vigilance and your wisdom to help them learn how to deal with the very adult issues they are being faced with at a very early age in life. Be careful allowing children to have unlimited access to the internet.

After all, you would never let your child have unlimited access to the entire world by letting them walk around your city or town at any time of the day or night. Then why do parents allow a child to have unlimited access to the World Wide Web. It is called the World Wide Web for a very good reason; you can access parts of the world that no one should ever know exists.