My children are starting young playing online games. My five year-old can now log in to a childrens’ website and successfully negotiate some of the games. I am already anticipating how computer savvy he will be by the time he reaches puberty. Some of the things I try to communicate to my older kids when playing online games is that they are often interacting with strangers, and we cannot see who that person is. Therefore, it’s crucial for them to be careful about remembering a form of “stranger danger” with these so-called online friends. No matter how long you’ve been playing the game with that person, or how friendly they seem to present themselves, not everyone you meet online is who they say they are. One thing we communicate as absolutely off limits is making arrangements to meet anyone online. There are plenty of opportunities to make friends at school or in our neighborhood, and they are spending way too much time on the computer if these relationships are being neglected. They are also not allowed to give out their real name, address, phone number, or are allowed to call anyone else (everyone has caller i.d. these days). If someone is acting aggressive or is pushing them for personal information, they are instructed to let me know — I will help them take steps to block that player or report them to the website that is hosting the games. Keep records if possible to identify problem people.