Teens can gain Internet access whether at home, at a friend's and even in public places. More than likely, your children are not looking for trouble when they use the Internet. However, teens are increasingly using social networking sites (e.g., MySpace, Facebook, Xanga, etc.) to post their profiles online and build a social network among peers with whom they share common interests. Parents are rightfully wary of the increased use of social networking sites, because of reports of sexual predators soliciting minors by obtaining children's personal information through their postings on these sites.

The first line of defense against such threats is to provide guidelines of safe Internet communication to your children. Professionals agree that encouraging teenagers to think about what they put online and teaching them to be alert during online communication is much more effective than just levying rules. If teens are taught to think about how information may be interpreted or misused, and why certain responses can be troublesome, they can apply those precautions wherever they have access to the Internet. Furthermore, this gives teens the freedom they need to feel as though they are thinking and acting independently.