If you're a parent of school-age kids, they're likely counting down the days until school is out and summer break begins. And while the summer months provide kids a much needed break from the rigors of school and you gain a respite from your role as homework disciplinarian, another set of parenting challenges arise. Parenting in the digital age means monitoring our childrens' "screen time" – from TV and video games (consoles and handhelds) to cell phones, smart phones and the granddaddy of them all, the Internet.


The summer months present that much more opportunity for kids be online unsupervised. Web surfing, social-networking, video-sharing, "tweeting," texting ... it's a lot to stay on top of. And because kids are so tech-savvy these days (they are the true "digital natives"), parents often feel one step behind in trying to shield them from dangers lurking online. The good news is: Technology is on your side ... there are plenty of Cyber-smart tools available to help you safeguard your child's online experience. Combining these tools with a good game plan, some well thought out ground rules and a dash of common sense will go a long way in ensuring your children have a safe summer on what has become a 24X7 digital playground.

In the past, many parents took a more passive approach to keep their kids safe online, but no longer is it enough to occasionally walk by the computer screen. Parents need to take control to keep kids safe online and on cell phones. And that may mean getting your hands dirty – trying things for yourself, learning what technology can and cannot do.

Get in the Game:
Being involved with their child's online experience is a critical part of modern day parenting. Only a few years ago, this meant keeping the computer nearby (in the kitchen or the family room) and keeping an eye on the screen, but getting involved these days take a little more doing. Experience the online world the same way your kids experience it. Join Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo – whichever social-networking sites your kids are members of. Learn your way around these new online neighborhoods; familiarize yourself with each site's privacy policies and security settings. (There's even a four-part online class offered at Stanford University titled Facebook for Parents. You can follow the course remotely, online.)

Have the Internet Talk:
Know your way around the various sites you kids are using gives you the ability to have regular, informed discussions with your child about Internet and social-networking safety and the consequences of putting too much information out there. Because once it's out there, you can't take it back. Another good way to drive your point home is to share recent news stories with your children about the consequences of revealing too much information online or on social-networking sites. Parents can also get useful tips on sites like safetyclicks.com.

Don't Hesitate to Play Detective:
If you don't feel your kids are giving straight answers, you can search most social-networking sites by your child's name ... but because some children don't use their real name on the sites, you may need a few work-around strategies. Try advanced techniques like searching for them by their school name, by a nickname they use, or try locating their online profiles by searching for their friends or classmates, as well as groups they may be a part of and interests they may have listed in their profiles.

To Friend or not to Friend:
Should you "friend' your kids on social-networks? There may be no right answer to this question. You could take the stance "I pay the Internet bill in this house, you will friend me or no Internet." That may work for middle-school kids, not so much for high-schoolers, and it could possibly drive a wedge between you and your child. You may be better off asking if they will "friend" you. If they won't friend you, that doesn't mean it's game over. Stay in tune with the latest technology, ve regular offline dialogue with your kids about online safety & get them to "friend" another adult who can stealthly keep tabs for you (maybe a coach or aunt/uncle).

Don't Overplay Your Hand: The biggets complaint I hear from young people is that parents & grandparents are "making lots of loser comments" on my pages & heaven forbid on their friends pages. Apparenly, WAY uncool. So, don't overplay your hand. Just passively being able to witness what happens can be very eye opening & you don't want to lose your front-row seat. Also, resist the urge to over-react is something bad happens. That can shut down the lines of communication all-together.

musing look at what some kids really think of parents "friending" them on Facebook, check out MyParentsJoinedFacebook.com.

Related - from The New York Times: When Your Kid Won't Friend You

Empower Yourself with Technology:
Empower yourself by using parental controls to monitor and/or manage your child's online activity. This is not about invading their privacy, it's about precluding them from making mistakes. Often inadvertent mistakes.

Set Cell Phone Boundaries:
A new trend emerging has parents and educators alarmed. It's called "sexting" (texting + sex) and simply put, it makes naughty notes that may have been passed in class by previous generations, look tame. It can also include the transmission of nude and semi-nude photos via cell phone, which can be a crime. If you're worried about what your teen may be viewing in text messages or online content, some cell carriers offer free filters that you can set online, according to the child's age, that filter out things according to sexual content, violence and even language. For about $5 a month, you can also control the times of day that teens can use the phone, set limits on minutes or texts, and block specific numbers. Third party applications like My Mobile Watchdog are available if you're interested in completely monitoring your child's cell phone usage (cost: $9.95 per month).

Related: SafetyClicks.com - What is Your Perceived Parental Right

Related: CNN.com - Parents, Police monitoring kids' cell phones

Safeguard Your Child's Online Reputation:
Think of your child's online reputation as their credit score for the 21st century. Every video, blog post and picture they put out there is up for examination by anyone. Not just friends, but school teachers and administrators, potential bosses and even the college admissions office ... THAT usually gets even teenagers to listen up.:)