Best practices for online child safety

Since the beginning of the internet, it has mirrored physical life in the sense that there are safe places to visit and some not so safe locales. For children this idea is exponentiated as the online world can in many ways provide dangers not seen in real life.

I think we can all be in agreeance that it's vital that we make the internet a safer place for kids to visit. The problem is devising a solution that satisfies all parties involved. Some want a higher grade of censorship, while others see education and providing information to parents and children as the solution.

I find my self in the later category. Much like the world of video games, it's important that we provide information to parents to help keep their children safe from anything that could potentially cause harm. Education is the key to creating a safer environment for our kids.

I'm not alone in this thought as an organization by the name PointSmart, has released a set of guidelines for encouraging internet education for our children and parents. Here's a paragraph summarizing what their mission is about...

"Expanding online safety efforts to emphasize online smarts, through digital media literacy and education programs that empower parents and teachers to prepare kids to navigate the world of online and digital media. These efforts will be significantly improved with more focus on education, rather than only on crime prevention."

The PointSmart organization has a key influential member that I'd say could provide clarity to the situation; Google. They've released a statement regarding PointSmart's guidelines.

After looking at PointSmart and Google's thoughts on the topic, how do you view online safety? What steps should we take as we continue to make the internet a safer environment?