Webb suggested ways he and his wife protect their children as examples for other parents to create a plan. Webb said when his daughter asked for a cellphone, he agreed after a period of time. She had to learn Bible verses in exchange for the privilege, however. She also has a Facebook account, but only he knows the password. She signs on every few weeks when he allows. He said the privileges will expand as she gets older.

Webb said parents should not allow their children to access the Internet at places besides at home. He also said parents should have good monitoring software installed on computers. Finally, he said, computers should always be in an open part of the house, never in a bedroom.

Computers aren’t the only problem facing kids, either. Webb said text messaging on cellphones allow children and teens the opportunity to communicate with people online without parents ever knowing. He said there was a case recently at a Jackson area school where a teen had communicated with someone online, then through texting, and the adult showed up on the school campus to meet the student. A coach intervened.

Besides the danger created, Webb said, texting also hurts communication skills, including learning grammar and also communicating with parents and adults.

Webb offers these tips for parents to use with teens and children:

Do

• respect others

• tell parents if something happens

• follow rules everywhere, not just at home

• limit time

• checkup on usage

Don’t

• give out personal information

• give out passwords (including to the young user up to a certain age)

• change settings