Protecting our children from internet stalkers/child predators has become a top priority for the United States. Child safety on the internet is a topic of conversation that all parents need to have with their teenagers. The years of harm that come from an internet discussion and subsequent "meet up" could be devastating. Young teenagers who are overcome with hormonal excitement from the "thrill" of the conversation, which seems harmless enough from the safety of sitting behind a computer screen, could create a devastating reality if the wrong information is provided to the wrong individuals (child predators).

How and when parents talk to their children and educate their kids about child safety on the internet is a tricky question. It is a similar question to how and when to have the talk about the birds and the bees. Parents do not want to insert ideas into the child's head about the internet being a place they can explore in that way; on the other hand, we need to talk about it so it does not become an issue or a horrible experience for the remainder of the child's life.

Determining when to talk to your child needs to depend on your child's computer usage. Granted, you may not know every time your child goes onto the internet, just because they are behind the computer, however; parents should be paying as close attention as possible and making mental notes when a child is on his or her computer. Your childs safety on the internet is as vitally important as your childs safety driving a car. No parent would allow their child to drive a car without supervised practice and specific education. The internet should be no different. The internet, if not used properly can cause devastating mental damage; just like a car, if not used properly, can cause devastating physical damage.

If you child has his or her own computer that no parent also uses, parents should be checking the child's computer on a somewhat regular basis. Parents should go into the internet (on all browsers, not just one browser, i.e. firefox, chrome, internet explorer, etc) and see which websites the child is visiting on a regular basis. You can do this by going to the History tab at the top of the page.

The websites the child visits should also be visited by the parents to see what the child is doing. Some people may think this is "spying" on your child. However, let's think of it this way: if your child is playing near the street, you will check on him or her periodically to ensure they are being safe, this is the same thing. You are checking on your child to make sure they are being safe. If the child is near the street, you can watch him from afar. On the internet, you need to be up close to see what he's doing.

If, and when, you start seeing possibly questionable discussions going on inside social media or questionable websites being visited, this is when the conversation needs to begin.