Child Internet safety is huge these days, and rightly so. But there are a lot of folks that claim the issue is being over-hyped and overblown with fear mongering. I don't understand how that can be true. The bottom line is that the 'chip' on the gambling table is your child's safety and life. Why shouldn't the topic be hyped?

In all the messaging and all the tips that float around out there, there are really two key principles that when put into practice will greatly increase the safety of our kids on the Internet and enormously reduce the worries and frustrations of parents. They are: teaching your kids how to be a Responsible CyberCitizen and monitoring Internet activity of your children.

Being a Responsible CyberCitizen has many levels but what it boils down to is living your life online as you would in the real world, where ramifications do exist for bad behavior and not everyone is your "buddy" or "friend." The two main areas that this comes into play is keeping your personal information private and not using the Internet to bully others.

If someone walked up to you on the street and asked for your credit card number, or asked you to hold a suspicious package, or wanted you to take your clothes off - would you do it? The same rules go for when you are online. Don't give out personal information like your full name, address and credit card numbers; don't click on suspicious pop-ups, ads or reply to random emails that are going to scam you; and don't post pictures of your self online, especially ones that might be considered "revealing." In other words, don't make yourself a target.

As far as electronic bullying, a.k.a. cyberbullying, goes, parents need to teach their kids that writing something on the Internet is just like saying it on TV or at an assembly. There is never no consequences or zero effect felt when you bully someone online. There is nothing more cowardly than using the internet's anonymity to viciously attack someone. But kids are doing it, in droves, and the attacks are getting more vicious and more damaging. Teaching kids how to be a Responsible CyberCitizen now, will go a long way in the future and can hopefully translate into better, more civilized behavior online.

The guys at ResponsibleCyberCitizen.com have nailed complacency as the problem. Internet predators, criminals and cyberbullies rely on the fact that the majority of people aren't doing anything. People aren't protecting themselves and they aren't watching their kids. A responsible cybercitizen is more than just professional technologies, IT support, and making sure your PC is secure; it's also an awareness of the unpleasant underbelly of the Internet and good parent through monitoring internet activity of your children. This is the best proactive step you can take to ensure Internet safety for your child.

One of the best ways to keep children safe is by using technology that is available to parents everywhere. Parental control monitoring software can be the best weapon in the parental armory in the fight against Internet predators, cyberbullying and other threats to your kids. Internet safety shouldn't be taken lightly. The only sure-fire way to know your kids are safe is to KNOW. Monitoring software like PC Pandora gives you that knowledge.

PC Pandora is parental control monitoring software that monitors and records everything on your family computer. It starts by taking sequential snapshots of everything that happens on screen. In effect, this allows you as a parent to see everything your child does online - who they are talking to (Internet predators?), what websites hey are going to, if they are a victim or instigator of cyberbullying, etc. Imagine being able to play back everything that happens on your machine with a DVR - that is what the screenshots will do for you. Then, PC Pandora gives you detailed reports in text-based files of items like emails sent and received, instant messenger chats, websites visited, programs accessed, peer-2-peer files swapped, Internet search queries, keystrokes and more. It also has the simple things that every parent needs like web filters and program blocks. Finally, PC Pandora monitoring software comes with a feature called the IRIS, which allows parents to receive email updates of those text-based files when they are not at home. This is invaluable for any working parent who doesn't want to let their guard down just because they have to go to work.

Understanding what we as a network of Responsible CyberCitizens can do, and joining together to effect change are the first steps in making the Internet a safer and better place. And the first steps towards being a Responsible CyberCitizen are teaching your children how to act as one and monitoring Internet activity with parental control monitoring software like PC Pandora. Remember, if you aren't part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. Learn how you can contribute to the solution at www.responsiblecybercitizen.com