One of my roles here at Comcast is helping to manage all of the Internet safety resources that we make available to the public on our Constant Guard website. Not only do I share Internet safety and security tips online, but occasionally I get the opportunity to speak about this topic at community events.

Recently I participated in a forum called Protecting Kids from Dangers of the Internet. The purpose of the event was to inform and educate parents about the potential threats associated with children's Internet use. Panelists demonstrated real-life examples and shared helpful tips and practical steps to help keep families safe online and avoid becoming victims of fraud, identity theft and cybercrime.

Here are some tips:

  • Talk to your kids about online safety. Consistent parental involvement is one of the best protections kids have against online risks. Educate yourself about social networking (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) and other cyber trends and talk to your kids about proper online behavior. What exactly should you talk about? The answer is in my next tip...

  • Download and use the Cyber Safety Challenge. The Cyber Safety Challenge was developed as a conversation starter to get parents, teens and kids to start talking about Internet safety, social networking, online threats and what they can do to protect themselves and their computers. There are two versions of the challenge, one for conversations with teens and one for conversations with kids. Download the documents and discuss each of the pledges with your kids.

  • Put the family computer in a common area of the house. Instead of allowing your child to use a computer in his or her bedroom, put the computer in the living room or another common area of the house so you can monitor their online activities better.

  • Always protect your computer with security software like Norton™ Security Suite. Installing active and up-to-date security software will help protect your computer from viruses, spyware, online identity theft and other cyber threats. Xfinity Internet subscribers can get Norton Security Suite at no additional cost by downloading it from the Constant Guard Protection Suite.

Additional resources for protecting your family online can be found at http://xfinity.comcast.net/constantguard.

For more information about online safety event, please visit www.phillyburbs.com/internetsafety/.