By Rick Broida
(February 9, 2006)

A few months back, a steady procession of predators showed up at a home rigged with Dateline NBC hidden cameras to meet a 12-year-old who indicated she was open to the idea of having sex. The teen was a decoy volunteer from vigilante group Perverted-Justice, but she could just as easily have been a real child.

Law-enforcement officials estimate 50,000 predators are online at any given time, according to the Dateline segment. This doesn't mean you have to rip the Ethernet cable from the wall if you have children who use the Net. These steps, combined with careful vigilance, can help you keep them safe online.