Step1
It can be done. Sometimes people get a little overzealous about MySpace safety and feel there is nothing they can do to protect their children. It is true that there are dangers and they are very real but you can minimize these dangers greatly.
First, do not overreact when your teen wants to look around a site like MySpace. If you feel your child is too young you can talk about an appropriate age for this type of thing and then always pay attention to how your child is spending time online.
Second, do not pretend that MySpace and other sites like it do not exist. This will not help you in the least and your child will be in even more danger. Find out all you can about MySpace and you will have the right ammunition when you need it.
Third, Let your child know that you are on top of MySpace safety issues and also that you will be checking up on her to see what is going on. You certainly have the right to take a look at any profile that is on MySpace and that includes the profile of your child.
Fourth, if you are absolutely against your child using MySpace you can purchase filters or monitoring applications that will keep your child off sites like MySpace. You do need to be aware that if your child has friends or access to other computers, she may be able to get on MySpace without your knowledge.
The best things you can do to keep your child from MySpace dangers is to have a working knowledge of the site and the dangers, be open with your child, and set limits.
Step2
There are ways to keep online dangers for your kids at a minimum. It is no secret that online dangers do exist but you have the power to keep these dangers minimal.
You need to be the parent of your child and not his friend. It may be easier to be the friend but this is not what is needed, especially when it comes to online dangers.
Explore the Internet with your child. If they want to have a site on MySpace or another site like MySpace, visit the site with your child. Read all the information you can find on the site and discuss what you have found with your child.
While you need not be a friend to your child it may not do you much good to be the dictator either. Handle online dangers and your discussions with a little finesse and let your child ask all kinds of questions. Try to open to her questions and answer them truthfully. Remember that while kids may be more computer savvy than many adults they are still kids and often are very naïve.
After you have explored the Internet together and talked about different sites and online dangers it is time to make a plan including rules for the use of the Internet. This is the part where you must remain firm. Kids will usually want to be able to spend more time online that you think is necessary and they may also want to visit sites that you do not deem safe. It is up to you to set the rules and be willing to follow through on any consequences.
As a parent it is your responsibility to keep online dangers at a minimum for your children.
Step3
You can figure out Emoticons but do you really want to? Here are a few reasons to figure out Emoticons:
You want to show your kids that you do know what these little smiley figures represent. You also want to be able to figure out what they are saying when they use them.
If you work in a place where Emoticons are used often you may want not want to be left in the dark. Emoticons are a great way to communicate with others.
Emoticons are fun! They can be used as sort of a code language that many other people will not understand. People really have a good time sending messages back and forth using Emoticons.
You are ready to join the new era of computer literate folks. Instead of staying behind in the Dark Ages you feel you are ready to come out from under that rock and accept the challenge.
Maybe there are a few people you have been wanting to correspond with but you don’t understand Emoticons. Learn the language and you can get in the game.
There may be someone you would like to surprise with your knowledge of Emoticons. There is no time like the present.
Emoticons are not difficult once they are learned. You can start with just a few basic Emoticons and add new ones as you go along. It won’t be long before you are a master as using Emoticons.
Figure out how to use Emoticons and you will be able to know what is going on, join the computer savvy, correspond with other who use them and even surprise a person or two!
Step4
Good news for those parents who are concerned about MySpace safety issues.
There is a new kind of software being developed for parents who have kids using MySpace. MySpace is a popular hangout for teens and young adults. Unfortunately it is also a popular online hangout for adult predators who see the site and those like it as places to lure kids into unsafe relationships.
The new software can be used to let parents know the user name, age and location a child lists on his or her profile. The software was also designed to give kids a little room in which to operate. This is a good thing because it is very likely that kids who are too closely monitored will just change sites. Other social networking sites such as Xanga or Facebook do not have software available for parents.
The new software will be provided free of charge to parents and should be operational by this summer. Parents should be aware that they will not be able to use the software to look at password protected profiles or communications written to others. There is software that can be purchased that will give parents more information.
Another advantage of the new software that has been designed to alleviate some problems of MySpace safety is the component that will be able to report the existence of multiple profiles. Sometimes teens have more than one profile, one is for parents to see and the other is for friends.
MySpace safety is a concern of parents, law enforcement authorities and school administrators. This new piece of software which is known at this time as “Zephyr” should help ease a few of these concerns.
Enthusiast 
Comments
CrazyAce said
on 3/21/2008 Keep them off Myspace.
There was no INTERNET when I was growing up. I'm alive and doing well.