For children and teenagers, there is no doubt that the Internet can be an excellent resource for information, communication and entertainment, but more and more Australian parents are concerned about excessive time online.

Today’s youth are the early settlers in a remarkable new world. Unfortunately, parents feel as though they are shut out of this world, often not knowing, nor understanding, what happens in this online environment.

It is up to parents to monitor, not just what their children do online, but also the length of time they spend online. Many of the online games children play have parental controls. However, parents do not always choose to use them. Banning is not the answer. A better strategy is to give kids access, but be informed, set some rules, monitor and supervise. To ignore this responsibility could create significant psychological and social problems for their children in years to come.