The most critical component of children's online safety is parental involvement. The best method of protecting children online is for parents to stay involved in their online activities.

Ways To Track Your Child's E-mail Correspondence And Web Activity:

Search The "Sent Items" folder – Many e-mail programs, including Outlook, Eudora, or Web-based mail such as Yahoo! or Hotmail, will have a folder that contains a copy of each e-mail that has been sent.


Search the "Inbox" folder for copies of messages sent to your child.


Search the "Deleted Items" folder. Copies of e-mail not available in the "Sent Items" or "Inbox" may still be viewable in the e-mail trash bin.


Take a look at the Internet "Bookmarks" or "Favorites" – these are Internet sites that have been saved for easy future reference.


Check the Web surfing "History," if one is available. The surfing history will list the Web site addresses of all the sites that have been visited recently using that browser. For example, in Microsoft Internet Explorer, in the "Standard Buttons" toolbar, there is a link for "History." Click on that to view sites that have been recently viewed with that browser. (Note – the History setting can be altered to keep records dating back up to 999 days, or as little as 0 days. Click on the "Tools" menu item, then click on "Internet Options." You'll see the History settings on the "General" tab.)

One thing to note is that you might not have the password necessary to get into your child's e-mail account. This is why it is critical that you sit with your child and go through the e-mail together.

More suggestions:

Don't keep the computer locked away in a bedroom. Keep the computer in a family room and spend time surfing together with your children.

Discuss the potential dangers with your children. Advise them on what is and isn't acceptable information to share with strangers on the Internet, including chat rooms and email messages.

More Resources:

Report Internet Abuses Against Children
FamilyEducation.com Internet Safety Tips
Learn About Chat Dangers