(NAPSA)—A recent survey found that 73 percent of today’s teens use the Net to chat, message, listen to music and get the news. The same survey also found that many of these teens may put themselves in danger with someof their online behavior. Sixty percent have received e-mail or instant messages from a stranger. Twenty-two percent have shared passwords and 15 percent have lied about their age to access a Website. Many teens may rebel at having their online behavior monitored and yet they maybe still vulnerable to online predators, harassment, hacking, computer viruses and sites that promote hatred and racism. One alternative that works for many families is to discuss which online behavior might get teens in trouble or expose them to unnecessary danger. To help set up some cyber-rules, a new book, Cybersafety: Surfing Safely Online (Enslow Publishers, $17.95), explains what’s safe and what’s not in language teens can relate to. Here are a few online safety tips: * Never give out personal information about yourself or your parents. Information such as what sports team you play in or what church you belong to can be used to find out where you live and what you look like. It may be easier to surf safely online with an informative new book for teens. * Never talk to anyone you meet online on the telephone or meet them without checking with your parents. * Never send anyone yourpicture without checking with your parents. * Use a gender-neutral name in a chat room. Cybersafety can be ordered through bookstores, online through BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com or by calling Enslow Publishers, Inc. at 908-771-9400.
