Michelle K: My daughter is 13 years old. Despite all of my efforts to keep her from setting up pages on websites with pictures and details about herself, she continues to find more sites that I am unaware of to set up pages on. I have talked myself blue in the face, made her watch several of your programs on predators and others. Still, for some reason, she will not listen to me. How do I get her to see how serious this all is?

JW: Believe me, Michelle, many parents are fighting this battle with their teenagers. Fortunately, you have a very powerful ally. You can’t keep your kids off of the Internet, but The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) offers some great online resources with information that’s not only helpful for parents, but produced with graphics and language that will appeal to kids, too. You can access these resources at NetSmartz.org, NetSmartTeenz.org and 4NetSafety.com. The websites use videos and interactive games that help open the lines of communication, and help kids understand how dangerous the Internet can be if they’re not careful.

Reviewing your credit report may be one of the most important tools for your financial health and protecting your identity. The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows you to get a copy of your credit report from each of the 3 credit reporting agencies and review your credit history. There are many companies which claim to offer you a free report report, but the Federal Trade Commission authorizes only one: annualcreditreport.com. Beyond helping you monitor for identity theft, your credit report can also be accessed by creditors, employers, or others to find out whether you pay your bills on time, to verify your address, and to check your employment history. It’s important to review your report regularly to make sure there are no errors, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act allows you to dispute any inaccurate information that might appear in your history.

For John Walsh and the AMW Safety Center, our most important work is trying to protect children. When Roberta R. from Arizona asked John about a video she was forwarded featuring an child she thought was in danger, he knew immediately where to send her: NCMEC’s Cybertipline.

The Cybertipline, run by the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children, is a 24 hour hotline accessible by phone or online, where you can always report any and all crimes against children whether they happen online or not. John Walsh and NCMEC have a zero tolerance goal for crimes against children, but they want you to get involved too and help make a difference for exploited kids.

Just a quick note this month to let you know about two important online resources I’ve recently discovered.

The first is 4NetSafety. It’s a great website that’s full of information about staying safe online. It’s aimed at both kids and parents, and its goal is to open the lines of communications about internet safety between young people and adults. It’s also got a special section for educators. 4NetSafety was put together by our friends at Sprint in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the NEA, and it’s well worth checking out. Continue reading John Walsh: Some Great Resources For Your Kid’s Online Safety »