• Never give out identifying information-- home address, school name, or telephone number-- in a public message such as chat or bulletin boards. Never reveal any personal information such as age, marital status, or financial information. Use false information if necessary.

• Meeting face-to-face with another computer user often leads to problems.

• Remember that people online may not be who they seem. Because you can't see or even hear the person it would be easy for someone to misrepresent him- or herself. Thus, someone indicating that "she" is a "12-year-old girl" could in reality be a 25-year-old man.

• Never respond to messages or bulletin board items that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening, or make you feel uncomfortable.

• Remember that everything you read online may not be true. Any offer that's "too good to be true" probably is. Be very careful about any offers that involve your coming to a meeting or having someone visit your house.

• Make using the computer a family activity. Parents should consider keeping the computer in a family room rather than the child's bedroom. A parent should get to know their children's "online friends" just as you get to know all of their other friends.

• Parents should get to know the services their child uses. If they don't know how to log on, they should get their child to show them. They should find out what types of information it offers and whether there are ways for parents to block out objectionable material. Many internet providers can provide parents with tools to keep their children from accessing unwanted material.