Promising to take proactive steps in strengthening the protection offered to younger users, specifically against sexual predators and inappropriate content littering the site, a commitment with 49 state Attorneys General (and the District of Columbia), was signed last week by the popular social networking site Facebook. One company wants to remind parents that this is only the first step down a long road, while many applaud and recognize the effort as a positive step forward.

James Leasure, Pandora Corp. co-founder, declares: "It's definitely a great and necessary step to take". "But for now it's just an announcement. Real measurements of success and improved safety will have to be evaluated down the road."

Stronger age and identity identification tools and restrictions, a prominent display of privacy information and safety tips, automatic warning messages when a child is in danger of giving personal information to an unknown adult, and a more immediate and aggressive response to pornographic material, inappropriate user groups and investigations of complaints are included in the announced plans.

The days when the local teens would hang out at the arcade or at the mall all day long are long gone. The Internet is the "playground" of the 21st century. And kids on summer vacation will spend much more time unsupervised and online ... and so will sexual predators. So, just like yesterday's parents told their children not to talk to strangers, so parents of today must do so with the digital playground in mind. Few give parents the tools they need to monitor computer activity and be an effective Net-generation parent, altough many stories in the media warn of threats and dangers.

That's why monitoring software PC Pandora 5.0 is made and sold by Pandora Corp. It records all content via screen capture, working like a TiVo for your PC.

PC Pandora records, in addition to the first-rate monitoring capabilities, instant messenger conversations, emails and keystrokes. It also contains a web filter and has the ability to block programs from launching.

The problem of sexual predators on social networking sites has been well documented in the media. Experts agree the websites opened doors, but did not create the threats. Internet predators, however, are not the only things in cyberspace that should concern parents.

The power of the World Wide Web and how deep it really goes is one thing young Internet users don't realize. Most teenagers cannot remember a world that wasn't connected through cyberspace. The Internet has effectively removed the small town setting of America and placed everyone who enters on a global stage, by speeding up communication and widening informational access. And on that stage, not everyone is who they say they are or has the best intentions.