From an early age, the Internet can stimulate children’s imagination and add to their experiences. But a child’s natural curiosity as to online material needs to be both nurtured and closely supervised by an adult.

Ages 2 to 4: Starting Out

Children this age have a limited attention span for online activities. Always sit with your kids at this age when they're online.

Parents and older siblings can go online with pre-schoolers to visit kid-friendly Web sites and play online games. Parents can hold children in their laps while they look at family photographs, use a Web cam to communicate with relatives, or visit kid-friendly sites such as the PBS Kids site.

Encourage your kids to visit only sites that you have approved and to use kid-friendly search engines (such as MSN Kids Search) or search engines with parental controls.

At this age, adults should teach safe Internet use and closely supervise their children's reactions to online material.

Ages 5 to 6: Doing it themselves

By the time they reach age five, children will probably want to explore the Web by themselves. Kids at this age may be very capable at following commands on the computer, using the mouse, and playing computer games. They are, however, highly dependent on adults or older siblings to help them find Web sites, interpret online information, or send e-mail. Therefore, it’s important for parents to guide their children on safer Internet surfing as the children start to use the Internet themselves.

The MSN Kids page is designed especially for children under eight, and it provides child-friendly search tools.

Ages 7 to 8: Interest growing

Surfing for fun and playing interactive games are favorite online pastimes at this age. These kids are probably using e-mail and may also experiment with Web sites and chat rooms that parents have not given them permission to visit. Indeed, part of normal behavior for children in this age group is seeing what they can get away with. Thus, supervising their online activities may be increasingly tricky for parents.

Online activity reports from MSN Premium or other services can be especially helpful during this stage. Kids won't feel that their parents are looking over their shoulders, but the report still shows where they've been.

Kids this age will probably still feel comfortable at the MSN Kids site. Do not allow your children to use instant messaging (IM) at this age.

Ages 9 to 12: Online savvy

Preteens want to know everything, and they've heard what's available on the Web. Kids in this age group use the Internet to research school projects. They also download music, use e-mail, play online games, and vote for their favorite celebrities on fan sites. Their preferred way to communicate with friends is by instant messaging (IM).

For subject matters parents find objectionable (for example, sexually explicit adult content), parents can use MSN Parental Controls to help block the objectionable content.

Preteens can also go to MSN Kidz, which is designed for children ages 8 to 13 and provides child-friendly search tools.

Report Inappropriate Content or Communications

Remember there is a reporting link on every page of this website at the bottom left. If you encounter child pornography or any activity related to, inappropriate e-mailing or the sexual exploitation of children on or offline, you can report it.