How to keep smartphone-using kids safe

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Kids can't do it alone. Parents can't do it alone.

Making sure children have safe access to technology requires the participation of hardware vendors, app developers, service providers, educators, industry leaders, and the media. But ensuring the safe use of tech products by children begins and ends with parents.

They're the ones who gauge how much technology the child can handle, who establish the parameters for the child's use of computers and phones, and who keep a close-but-not-too-close watch on how the child is using the technology.

Monitoring your children's use of the family computer is easier than keeping tabs on their phone use simply because the computer is out in the open -- or should be, according to the advice of experts. Implementing parental controls on smartphones is trickier because kids use the devices out of your sight for the most part.

But smartphones also offer tremendous safety benefits to parents. They can make it easier to know where your child is at a glance, and they let parents contact their children at almost all times. Here's how to ensure you and your children realize the benefits of smartphones and avoid the devices' many dangers.

How much phone does your child need? Is your nine-year-old mature enough to handle having his or her own phone? Twenty percent of parents say "yes," according to a study (... [Read more]