Children should never give out personal information such as their home address, name, the name of their school, or telephone number in a public forum such as chat rooms and on bulletin boards.

Your kids should be advised to never send out pictures of themselves or friends and family without permission from parents.

Messages and posts on bulletin boards that are obscene, suggestive, threatening, or makes your child feel uncomfortable should be ignored. Your child should be warned to refuse offers of cash, gifts, and invitations to meet strangers. If a child receives any messages that offers something for nothing or contains inappropriate information, a parent should be notified immediately.

Children should be taught to never arrange for an in-person meeting with an online acquaintance without prior approval from parents, and the parent should accompany the child to any meetings that are arranged.

Kids should spend time getting to know online friends just as they would friends from school or your neighborhood. Online friends can become great friends, but kids should be aware that any person they encounter online could pretend to be something they are not. It is not unheard of for sexual predators or criminals to assume the personality of a 12 year old child, when in realty they are looking for personal information about potential victims.

If you or your children become aware of any inappropriate material online such as pornography or indecent material involving children, contact your local law enforcement immediately.