Your home's wired and wireless Internet connections should be as secure as possible. All home wireless (WiFi) networks should be password protected with the strongest encryption available. Your Internet connection should be secured with OpenDNS, which is a simple, powerful, and free solution that helps parents protect all devices on their network from inappropriate web sites.

When and if a child should get a cell phone is ultimately a parental decision. Kids want cell phones for games and social communication. Parents want their kids to have a cell phone for safety. When you give your child a cell phone, you are giving them a portable computer with mobile Internet capability. Know a phone's features and capabilities before you purchase. It's important to discuss issues of privacy, inappropriate texts/photos, and safety. For parents wanting extra safety features, there are special phones designed just for kids.

Your home's wired and wireless Internet connections should be as secure as possible. All home wireless (WiFi) networks should be password protected with the strongest encryption available. Your Internet connection should be secured with OpenDNS, which is a simple, powerful, and free solution that helps parents protect all devices on their network from inappropriate web sites.

The computers in your home are your children's gateway to the world of technology and the Internet, so we recommend that you take a few easy steps to keep them safe. While new computers sold today have basic parental controls built in, many parents will want solutions with more features. Fortunately, several solutions for both Mac and Windows computers are available at a reasonable cost.

Contrary to popular belief, studies show that social media often hampers effective communication and may lead to jealousy and unhappiness.

There are four ways content will get onto a computer, gaming, or mobile device: 1) Through a service 2) From the Internet 3) created by the person 4) Sent by someone else. Parents concerned about content getting on devices in their home should understand these concepts.

Media is increasingly being consumed through online services. These services offer a wide range of content—from kids to adult. Parental controls, which allow you to filter content, are often available but need to be activated. Parental controls need to be enabled on each device or service: from TVs to tablets. If a device has access to multiple services, then parental controls for will need to be activated for each service.