Children are exposed to the media constantly, whether it be television, magazines, movies, or the internet. And some things that are out there, we dont want our children exposed to. so here are a few simple rules to follow that will help you protect your children... and it might even bring you closer together

Protecting kids from the internet

Its very easy to protect younger children from the internet. Just take them to safe sites, and watch them play. But for older children, ones who are very internet savvy (perhaps even more than you) there are a few things you need to do to protect them.
Make sure you know where they are surfing.  It may seem like snooping, but pulling up your internet history to see where they went is a great way to keep tabs on them WITHOUT having to read their emails.
Talk to your child or young teen about internet predators. You dont need to scare them terribly, or go into great details. Simply tell them that in reality, they have no way of know WHo is on the other end of a chatroom, and to never give out personal information, such as full name, phone number, address, or school information.
Have SET rules about where they can and cannot go.  You can block internet sites you REAAALLLY dont want them to see.
Surf with them once in a while. It helps you understand what sort of searches they do, what sort of places they visit, and what interests them. Then, try typing in one of their addresses with a wrong letter in the address when they arent there. see what it comes up with. sometimes, if you try going to cartoonnetwork and type the o and the r backwards, it directs you to an adult site.  its happened to me.  Once you know, you can take precautions.  You need to set these sites into bookmarks so they can go directly there, not fumble around with the address box.
There are predators out there, everywhere. Protect your kids and promote a safe environment for fun and games on the net!

Protect your kids from television

A certain amount of television, in most houses, is allowed and sometimes even encouraged. But, sometimes what your kids are watching isnt the greatest thing for them.  I myself came home to my 6  year old son watching a grownup cartoon, and my husband in the other room...... He laughed at it and was really enjoying it, but some of the things these cute little characters were saying..... oh my......
So, the best thing you can do to protect your child is to just watch with them.  That way you can talk about what you are watching. and monitor what is on and what is not.  If you absolutely cant spare time to sit and watch a cartoon or a discovery channel special with your child at that time, make sure you have either a way to block certain channels, or just simply set it on a kids channel and take the remote with you to the laundryroom, kitchen, etc, or set it up high somewhere out of veiw, so the child wont be channelsurfing and stumble apon something violent or adult.

I have said it twice and i will say it again. The best way to protect your kids is to be there!