Email

How can I make it safer?

Consider adding a program like Spam Arrest or Tagged Message Delivery Agent (TMDA) to adolescent's email. These programs only allow people on the adolescent’s "allow list" to send an email to her/him and force unknown email addresses to confirm themselves before sending email to her/his Inbox.
Know adolescent's login information and email addresses. What username has the adolescent given her/himself? Does it provide identifying characteristics about her/him or her/his hobbies (e.g. shygirl, bookworm, etc.)?
Know who the adolescent is communicating with online.
Limit the amount of time the adolescent spends online.
Monitor and verify any job offers made to the adolescent, and accompany her/him to interviews.

Reinforce to adolescents the public nature of the Internet.
Ensure adolescents understand that they can talk to you about anything they may come across on the Internet without fear of losing Internet privileges.
Teach adolescents not to open or reply to emails for which they do not know the sender.
Discuss with adolescents the concept of dignity and self-respect and how it can be preserved or destroyed by messages sent online and offline.
Discuss with adolescents the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships.
Explain to adolescents that they should never comply with threats, and to seek a safe adult for help.
Make sure adolescents know to stop any conversation that makes them feel uncomfortable and tell a safe adult.
Explain to adolescents how experimenting in a public place like the Internet can have irreversible, embarrassing consequences.
Suggest to adolescents that they review Respect Yourself, a website designed to teach teens about the risks they face when sending pictures or videos by email, Instant Messaging (IM) or by posting them online. This site guides teens through the risks and provides them with safety strategies to help keep them safe.