Mr Poh Yeang Cherng, manager of Touch Cyber Wellness and Sports, said both parents and children have a role to play in safer Internet surfing. Here are some pointers parents and children can take.

Cyber- bullying

Children should not use their real names or reveal personal information online.

Children should refrain from provoking others online.

Children should log off from online applications whenever they meet people who make them uncomfortable.

Sexual predators

Children should be made aware of the difference between public and private information.

Children should not meet their online friends without first checking with parents.

Children should not be allowed to have unsupervised access to a web camera.

Hackers

Install a firewall and anti-virus programs on all computers.

Update your operating system with the latest security updates.

Use strong passwords that are alpha-numeric.

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This article was first published in The New Paper.