More sites to see:

www.netnanny.com

www.netnanny.com

The original site for helping parents make using the Internet safer. Its motto, or "vision" as it says itself, is "Peace of mind through innovative security and privacy solutions for the digital world". Net Nanny offers for sale "filtering software" which allows parents to control what their children look at on the Internet. It works by limiting access to material that parents deem inappropriate and helps prevent the misuse of personal information such as credit cards and phone numbers.

childrenspartnership.org

This is a good site for anyone who is concerned that their children are better able to use the web than they are (thus possibly making it difficult for the parent to supervise the surfing). Online safety is a big issue here, but the site also provides links to the very basics such as getting started on the Internet, helpful guides to helping children with their homework and information for families with special needs. Very US in orientation, but the web is an international language now.

READ MORE

www.pin.org.uk

The Parents Information Network is a UK-based service for parents who want to know more about the educational benefits of computers and the Internet. Their site provides information and advice for parents with children from pre-school to 18. As with Children's Partnership above, this is a useful site for parents who feel left behind by their children. For the more advanced surfers out there, it also includes a how-to guide to creating a family website. Overall, an easy to use site with quality advice.

www.safekids.com

Aimed at parents and teachers, Safekids is an in-depth guide to Internet safety for younger children. Here you will find such useful advice on rules for online safety, guidelines for parents, possible risks and privacy issues. There is also a list of search engines designed for use by children. An interesting aspect to this site, that most similar sites do not have, is a weekly "Family Technology" column. The writer, Larry Magid, picks a topic and delves into it with an enthusiasm that only Americans exude.

www.safeteens.com

As the name suggests, this site specialises in catering to teenage Internet users. It gives detailed advice on online safety, privacy protection and links to safe sites. The editor-in-chief is one Lawrence J Magid. Same guy as on the previous link, just a more editorial name. Also included here is a public awareness campaign about general safety for teenage girls, safe use of chat rooms and the dangers of spamming. You can subscribe to its e-mail newsletter directly from here too.