Today I had the privilege of joining the 5th Annual National Teen Summit on Internet Safety via Ustream. In cooperation with Cox Communications, John Walsh and James Andrews held discussions with a panel of 11 teens regarding Internet Safety.

A recent survey conducted by Cox Communications shows that:

• 50% of teens allow unrestricted access to their online profiles
• 62% do not check with parents before posting photos
• 85% of teens now have mobile phones and profiles on a social network
• 30% of teens are not concerned that there will be accountability of what they post on their profiles

At the end of the summit, I looked over my notes and found the following themes to be prevalent between what the panel of teens, John, and James were saying:

• Parents must “parent up”! Privacy is earned. Know what your children are doing online. It’s our duty to parent and lead by example to our children.
• Parents must overcome the fear of learning about technology so that they can teach their children the proper use of those tools. This involves staying proactive and ahead of the curve.
• Parents must set up boundaries and guidelines up front for their children to follow as well as the consequences of breaking those rules.
• We must encourage children to speak up to the right authorities when they or someone they know are being bullied online.
• We need to encourage schools to  provide support and secondary education on Internet Safety.
• We must keep the lines of communication open with our children.

What action step do you need to take today to help ensure the safety of your children online?