Keep these tips in mind:

Teach kids what information they can share with others online and what is off limits (phone numbers, address, full name, school)
Google your children’s names on a regular basis. It can help you determine whether your childrens’ contact details or other personal information may be exposed to strangers online.

Keep your childrens’ computers out in the open — in a family room, kitchen or other open area, not in a child’s bedroom.

Know your kids’ passwords — not just to their computer, but to their accounts for sites such as Facebook, Instagram or Tumblr. Find out what email and instant messaging accounts they have and ask them for their passwords for those accounts.

Get to know their “online friends” just as you’d get to know all of their other friends.

Remember that personal computers are not the only way kids can live chat with people they do not know. Game consoles can be connected to the Internet for live chat with friends and strangers while game playing.

Private social networks can provide the needed training ground for kids to learn about safe, acceptable online behavior and are emerging in popularity as consumers seek to protect their privacy. Popular social networks — even with privacy settings in place — offer no guarantee that content shared is truly private. For example, a photo that is shared with an approved “friend” can be easily saved by this friend and then shared within and outside their network.