According to a recent Pew Internet study, 40 percent of 8-12 year-olds own cell phones and 93 percent of all youth are online users. Even though school kids love "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer" (as do teachers), parents must, unfortunately, remain vigilant. AT&T's Cathy Lewandowski recently sent me several helpful pointers for out-of-school technology precautions and advises us to:

n Utilize parental con-

trols programs. Controls put parents in charge of what their children watch on TV, access online or how they talk and text. Parents have access to a number of programs, including those designed to address parents' safety concerns, not only with their kids' Internet surfing, but also with their cell phone, television and home phone use.

Moreover, parents can control access to online chat rooms, restrict access and purchases to the mobile Web, set sensible limits for the times of day children can talk or text on cell phones, lock specific TV channels, and even block incoming and outgoing calls to certain numbers on landline and wireless phones.

n Talk to your children about appropriate online behavior. The Internet is a public place just like the playground or grocery store, and predators and bullies flourish in each setting. Educate your children concerning the dangers of sharing private information online or communicating with people they don't know.

Smart Limits even offers "permission slips" in order to allow children to request access to unauthorized Web sites so parents get to be the judge. Viruses and bugs can also appear as simple e-mail messages disguised as something they aren't, such as a greeting card, a photo or a screen saver.

Tell youngsters why they shouldn't open messages from unknown senders and never to give out e-mail information because of spam and phishing. For more details, tips and resources on Internet safety, as well as interactive games that test children's knowledge and provide certificates of completion, visit www.att.com/safety.

n Use texting as a quick way to "KIT" (Keep in Touch). Sometimes it's difficult to keep a constant line of communication with your children at home during the summer while you're at work. Text messaging provides an instant, easy way to get messages to your children. For example, "Pls put the casserole in the oven" or "Will B home in 30 min" are a couple of great examples to show your (texting savvy) children you're pretty savvy yourself.

n Educate kids about answering home phone calls. During those days at home alone, kids may receive calls on the landline phone. Talk to them about strangers who might call and try to obtain confidential information.

Let them know the importance of never giving out any personal information over the phone and never talking to strangers and telemarketers. Parents also may want to use anonymous call blocker, privacy manager or 1-900 call blocking, among other features.

n Teach your child how to dial for help in an emergency. Does your child know how to dial 9-1-1 if something were to happen at home? Have you made a list of emergency contact numbers that is centrally located in case no one else is around?

Do you have a designated, central phone (landline or cell) that can be accessed at all times in case of emergency? Make sure to establish a "home base" with your child -- a place where the phone is always located, emergency contacts listed, and a central, physical location both inside and away from the home for everyone in the household to meet in case of emergencies and/or natural disasters.

Also, ensure your children keep emergency contacts handy when they're away from home; in fact, help program these numbers into their cell phones.

Have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July.

Ellen Phillips is a retired English teacher who has written two consumer-oriented books. Her Consumer Watch column appears on Saturdays in the Business section of the paper. An expanded version is at www.timesfreepress.com under Local Business. E-mail her at consumerwatch@timesfreepress.com