(by MIssKaren Flickr)

Safe web parenting expert Tracy Mooney shares five top tips for parents who want to keep their kids safe online. Chicago Home Technology Examiner interviewed Tracy, a Chicago suburban mother of three, real estate business woman and Internet personality. She is Cyber Security Mom for software and Internet security firm, McAfee, Inc.

The five top tips for keeping your children safe online

1. It's important to start talking about online safety to kids as soon as they start using the computer - early and often! Cover passwords, time limits, appropriate sites to visit, and talking to strangers online are all great things to discuss.
2. Frequently, Google your kids' names, enclosed in quotation marks, and see what comes up. Use the results to teach them what is appropriate and not appropriate online behavior.
3. Google their cell phone number and address to make sure you child isn't posting that information online.
4. Never share passwords. Even small kids can understand that if they share passwords, their friend can steal their Club Penguin points. Teach them when they're young, and follow your own advice!
5. Keep the doors open to communication with your kids. Talk to them often, especially when a story hits the news about kids getting in trouble online. It's always better to talk to them calmly about someone else, than to try to stay calm when they make the same mistakes.

How parents might know if there's a problem

If the kids start behaving unusually or differently – their grades drop, they’re not hanging out with friends, or they are suddenly not talking about their personal life, that may be a warning sign.

Tracy says when her son started getting some threatening instant messages, she noticed he was highly agitated and walked away from the computer when it was his time to use it. Tracy and her husband had to ask multiple times what was going on before he told them, but eventually he did.

"I reminded him that he did not have to take that kind of treatment," said Tracy, "and told him to block the user from sending any more messages."

Tracy told Home Technology Examiner that McAfee has a Consumer Advisory Board to bring stakeholders together. Board Representatives include: 

• people who catch online predators
• those who write code to allow enjoyment of all the websites on the Internet
• programmers who create software for schools and students
• people who keep governments informed about what happens on the Internet and helps them create protective laws

You can find more about safe surfing for families in Chicago Home Technology Examiner's Q&A with Cyber Security Mom Tracy Mooney.