"They will tell kids 'Your parents don't understand, but I'm your friend,'" Hulce said. "Kids will hide and treasure that." Predators will seem warm and caring, asking about personal problems, urging kids to confide in them, even asking to exchange pictures. These are all red flags.

Giving out personal information is dangerous.

Urge kids to use a nickname online, and to never give out a real name, address or phone number. Giving out identifying information, such as where you play soccer after school or the name of your baseball team, can put the whole family in danger.

WHAT PARENTS NEED TO DO

Know where your kids are going online.

If your child joins Club Penguin, a children's networking site, open an account so you can see what they're doing, such as chatting with people they don't know, Hernandez said. Open your own account on Facebook and MySpace and learn how to use them.

Stick with the free sites.

Some sites will offer kids a limited amount of activities, with an option to pay for more privileges such as texting other members. "Stick with the free site to limit your child's availability to the outside world," Hernandez said.

Skip the bells and whistles.

If buy your child a phone, get one without a camera or Internet capabilities. "The biggest danger is kids taking pictures of themselves and sharing them with other kids," Hernandez said.

Keep up with technology.

It's not only computers that provide Internet access. Some phones and gaming stations such as the Wii, Playstation 3 and XBOX 360 also have online capabilities. Show an interest in the games your kids play, where they chat and what sites they visit. Here's a conversation starter: Ask your child for advice on where to find blogs or chat rooms for yourself. "It's a matter of coaching and monitoring and being interactive, not just saying 'don't do this,' " Hulce said.

Listen to your child.

Make them feel comfortable enough to come to you if they are uncomfortable about any Internet communication. Look for signs of withdrawal, or if they are receiving phone calls or gifts from people you don't know.

Know your kids' usernames and passwords.

Check on their activities, to make sure there's no inappropriate contact or cyberbullying.

HELPFUL ONLINE TOOLS

Visit www.netsmartz411.org/, run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, for reviews of online products that promote safe online surfing. Here is a breakdown of what's available:

Keystroke monitoring.

Programs like Specter Pro allow parents to view the sites their kids visit and the content of emails and instant messages they send and receive. "It enables you to read every keystroke, as if it's a diary," she said.

Filtering and blocking software.