As summer winds down and children head back to school, the return of homework and research and papers to write will also mean more time on the computer, and on the Internet.

While the Internet has become an invaluable resource for students and parents alike, it also presents a danger to children who might be left unsupervised with something they don’t fully understand.

So how do you keep your kids safe online? The Government of Canada’s Get Cyber Safe program has some tips:

·        Make sure the protection features of websites and software your children use are activated. There are tools available through your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to help you manage your children's online experience (i.e. appropriate websites, amount of time spent online, who can and cannot contact them). It might also include other security features, such as pop-up ad blockers.

·        Get to know the online environments your children use and teach them how to deal with inappropriate material.

·        Talk to them about the implications of posting inappropriate pictures, saying disparaging things about other people and anything else that could damage a reputation or ruin a friendship.

·        Remind them that the Internet is a public space. Things they do and say now on social networking sites could have implications down the road when they're looking for summer employment (employers often search personal profiles for information about candidates).

·        Stay in the know about the latest ways children are communicating and what they're up to when they're at friends’ houses.

·        Keep an eye on the sites they're visiting by keeping the computer in a common area like the kitchen.

For a complete list online safety tips, visit the Get Cyber Safe website at www.getcybersafe.gc.ca.