Before your children start to explore the Internet, it's a good idea to make sure everyone understands what they should and shouldn't be doing online.

One idea is to sit down together and draw up a family code of conduct for all to agree on.

You can create a different contract for each child in your family with Internet usage rules set appropriately by age.

Children sign the contract to show that they understand the rules you've set, and they agree to follow them when they go online.

The following is a suggested family code-of-conduct contract that you can use for each of your kids.

Feel free to copy this contract, revise the rules as necessary for your family's needs, and print this contract for your personal use.

After the terms of your family Internet usage contract are agreed upon and signed, consider posting these contracts next to each computer in your house to remind everyone of the family Internet rules.

Online Code-of-Conduct Contract

I will:

Talk with my parents to learn the rules for using the Internet, including where I can go, what I can do, when I can go online, and how long I can be online ( ___ minutes or ___ hours).
Never give out personal information such as my home address, telephone number, my parents' work address or telephone number, credit card numbers, or the name and location of my school without my parents' permission.
Always tell my parents immediately if I see or receive anything on the Internet that makes me feel uncomfortable or threatened, including e-mail messages, Web sites, or even anything in the regular mail from Internet friends.
Never agree to meet anyone in person that I have met online, without my parent's permission.
Never send pictures of myself or other family members to other people through the Internet or regular mail without first checking with my parents.
Never give out my Internet passwords to anyone (even my best friends) other than my parents.
Not do anything online that could hurt or anger other people or that is against the law.
Never download, install, or copy anything from disks or the Internet without proper permission.
Never do anything on the Internet that costs money without first asking permission from my parents.
Let my parents know my Internet logon and chat names, listed below:

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________