I am thrilled to report that on Oct. 1, 2008 Congress passed an update to the Children’s Internet Protection Act that requires schools participating in the E-Rate program to educate students regarding appropriate behavior on social networking and chat room sites and about cyber-bullying.

With the help of The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) congress finally realized that we need to focus on education rather than restriction.

I hope this new legislation brings to light that schools need to take the time to create thoughtful programs for students that speaks to this generation and parents begin to accept them as digital natives. We MUST accept the Internet is an integral part of their academic and social lives. We MUST shed light on the positive aspects of the Internet as well as the pitfalls in order to prepare them for the 21st century world.

As parents we must do our part as well and learn about the world of our children. Conversations at the dinner table should include social networking. Parents, it’s time to learn!

In a recent study out of UCLA 3 of 4 students reported being bullied online. The study explained that children were not willing to discuss the bullying with their parents for fear that their parents would not understand and instead would take away online privileges.

Treating JUST the technology is NOT the answer! Bullying has plagued children since the dawn of time. What we need to do is get in touch with our kids. Know what they know so that you can have an intelligible conversation where you are able to show real interest.

When I was a teenager I got my very own phone line in my bedroom. My dad was nice enough to get a phone cord long enough to reach from the wall jack (which was next to the door) all the way around the room so I could sit on my bed and talk on the phone. I loved having my own phone. I would spend hours talking to friends that I had just spent the entire day with at school. We never seemed to run out of things to talk about. I would skip dinner and ignore my parents. I shut my door and had my privacy!

My father got tired of fighting with me about my phone use. So one day I came home from school to find my phone cord had been changed out to a 6 six inch cord and my door was GONE! I was forced to sit on my floor, under the empty door jam, to talk to my friends.

I tell this story because I see the same parent-child struggle today. Same story different technology! We need to find a balance between privacy and well-being. When it comes to the Internet the most important thing to remember is that it is something we should learn to live with and not something we should try and stop!

The Internet is a fabulous tool when used responsibly. I love the fact that I no longer need to wait an hour on the phone or drive to the airport to buy a plane ticket. I love the fact that I have information at my fingertips 24/7. I love that I can easily share photo albums with my family all over the world. I love that I can see my friends on the other coast daily because of my web cam. I love to see social networking sites used to promote an up-and-coming band that never would have gotten their first album off the ground if it wasn’t for MySpace. I love that because of the Internet I can take a college course in my pajamas! The Internet only becomes a scary place when those who are using it become scary. It is not the Internet we should fault for the disparaging actions of our youth. Civility is a virtue that must be taught and used in both the physical and cyber realm.