I'm not all up on facebook and bebo etc, so my boy being taught internet security, is it necessary?

what sort of thing can they teach? is there a way i can watch what he's doing? how does that work exactly?

is this something that should be taught within the family or at school?

maybe he'll be exposed to things he'd be better off not knowing about and by that logic what he dont know he won't engage in.

what do you think?

Why limit to 30 minutes? That's because he's a 9 year old boy who, in my opinion,is better of being physically active. I have always been like that with him. No TV for hours, I took him out on the bike or swimming or walking. I just don't want to raise a zombie 

I don't know if it's because of me or because he's like me. But he won't watch tv long or sit behind a pc or playstation long. He gets bored and rather picks up his skateboard or bike.

I think if you do have a child who is quite happy to sit indoors behind a pc,tv or whatever, you need to limit. It's not healthy for the child. 

Raunchyred, please take a look at this site:

http://www.ceop.gov.uk/

and even more especially at this one:

http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/

There are many many predators on the internet seeking Children to groom. Not just girls either. I recently attended a lecture in keeping Children safe on the internet that was organised by my Son's School. It is truly horrifying how easy it is for predators to get into your children's lives through a computer.

Do not EVER allow a Child to have a computer in their bedroom. And if you see them type in stuff like POS check what they are doing. It is probably something they don't want you to see.

If they have a facebook account, check their privacy settings that no-one can see their pictures. Do NOT allow them to show their age. Have an account yourself and make sure you are amongst their friends list. Make certain thy NEVER add anyone unless they know who they are for sure. Ad in.. they have actually MET them, be it a School friend or someone they met on holiday for example.

Unfortunately facebook have refused to put a report button on their site, (they have to lose advertising space if they do, which means they lose money )but Bebo and MSN have one.

It is an eye in a square. If your Child feels they are in danger they should click on that and report, this would include cyber bullying or anything that is upsetting them and they are too afraid to confide in a Parent. 

Keep one step ahead of your Children on the internet if you can. It makes sense to know as much about the dangers as you possibly can.

Interactive games are full of predators. That includes stuff like Club Penguin and Habbo. There is another called 2nd Life, they have set up a section aimed at teens and guess what? It's where many many predators get to chat to young kids by pretending they are one themselves.

Please read fully the information in those links, it could save your Child from abuse.  

The history is unreliable as it can be easily cleared. Router logs are more reliable unless your child has access to the router admin pages.  These are usually in IP addresses though so not useful for a quick browse through.  You can put the IP addresses into the browser address bar to see where they go..for example  209.85.135.99 instead of www.google.com.

I would say classes are a little much at a young age, keep the PC in the main living area if possible that solves most problems of suspect sites.

i think it's a good idea to broach the subject in schools, but i really think it's ultimately the responsibility of parents to educate their kids about dangers on the net.

parents need to educate themselves about the web, ignorance is no longer an excuse and kids are too vulnerable, especially on the net where danger is not necessarily readily apparent.