Often parents and guardians work with their kids to create an online agreement that outlines the rights and obligations of computer use at home. It might be a list of rules that you agree to together, or it might be a more formal contract that both the parent and the child sign. It covers topics like where kids can go online and what they can do there; how much time they can spend on the Internet (and how much of that time is dedicated to school work); and what they should do if anything or anyone makes them feel uncomfortable. You can write down the rules for protecting your personal information and how to use chat rooms, newsgroups, and instant messaging services. Families often print the rules out and keep them by the family computer to remind everyone of the rules.
