It's a task made even more complicated by evolving technology, as traditional advice suggesting parents keep computers in family rooms to keep tabs on what teens get up to online, is redundant now that children can access their social media accounts through mobile apps.
So what can you do?
"Children can use these applications anywhere and that's why it's important that there's an open dialogue with their parents and that they really understand themselves what the risks are and how they can stay in control of those," says Helen Penn from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
"One of the main concerns of young people using social networking sites is that they often share a lot of personal information with a large number of people.
"That personal information might be a photo, it might be their phone number, it might even be exactly where they are at any given time."
Watch the video above for tips and advice on talking to you child about:
Who they spend time with online.
What pictures are suitable to post online.
How to keep their personal information private and secure - especially when using a mobile.
How their behaviour online can affect others.
What constitutes cyber bullying.
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