10 tips for parents:

1. Talk to your children about what they are doing online. Sit with them while they use the Internet or play online games, and ask them to explain if there is anything you do not understand.
2. If your children participate in social networking, like Facebook or Twitter, check what personal information they are providing, and who they have given access. Some questions to ask: 
     •  Have they kept identifying details, such as full name, age, school, etc. out of their profiles? 
     •  Have they disabled any features that reveal their location? 
     •  Are they selective about whom they add as “friends,” and have they set their privacy settings so only people they know can view what they post?
3. Use fun and interactive resources to help your children and teens learn about Internet safety. Badguypatrol.ca has fun games for children five to 10, and weron2u.ca offers true stories and tools to help teens learn how to keep themselves safe.
4. Have a family Internet contract, where guidelines and boundaries for safe Internet use are clearly defined and agreed upon by the whole family.
5. If your children use the Internet on their cell phones or gaming systems, discuss how you will make sure they are doing so safely.
6. Use filters and parental locks on family computers, to help block unsafe sites. Talk to your Internet service provider if you are not sure how to do this. While this is not a substitute for monitoring, it helps to set guidelines for your children’s activities.
7. Monitor your child or teen’s Internet use. Keep computers in busy parts of your home. If you have a webcam, have guidelines for when it is appropriate and monitor its use.
8. Learn how to spot online predators, and pass this information on to your children. Provide them with strategies to use if they think they have come across a predator. Learn more.
9. Make sure your children know they can trust you and come to you if they are scared, have questions or think they might be in trouble.
10. Talk to your kids about cyberbullying, and how to use the Internet safely with their friends. Sometimes a predator can be someone they think they know. For more information, visit bullyfreealberta.ca (for parents), teamheroes.ca (for kids) or b-free.ca (for youth).

Sample Internet family safety contracts.

Tips for kids and teens:

• For fun and interactive games and information, visit badguypatrol.ca (for kids 5-10) and weron2u.ca (for teens).
• Never give out your real name, age, address, phone number or any other information including passwords or the location of your school to a stranger online.
• Don't send a photo of yourself online and if someone asks for a photo of you or sends you a photo, tell your parents or a teacher.
• Never agree to meet someone you have met online. Tell your parents if someone has asked to meet you. If your parents agree that you can meet someone online, make sure you arrange a meeting in public with your parents there.
• Do not open email attachments from senders that you don't know.
• Never respond to spam or junk mail.
• Always be polite and kind online. Don't send emails that may hurt others or be against the law.
• Don't enter contests, buy or accept gifts without first talking to your parents.
• Never swap software, games or files, unless you're sure they don't contain viruses.
• Don't break copyright rules by taking words, pictures or sound from someone else's website without their permission.
• Talk to your parents before using chatrooms, and if they give you permission, use a gender-neutral "nickname" when entering chatrooms.