This is what Amar Saxena posted in our guest book. It's something that worries many parents I know, and am hoping all of us can help Amar with our suggestions:

'The other day we had some guests come over for dinner.

My son, who is about ten, was getting bored since there were no children accompanying the guests. He asked my permission to play on the net. I gave the permission.

After a while I just thought of looking up to what he is doing. And to my greatest shock, I found him watching a porn site!!

He quickly closed the page, but I retrieved it and told him that what he was doing was wrong .That these are bad sites and he is a child.

I didn't get angry and tried to put some sense in him. But, by God I'm still shaken. My child? Watching such sites?

Please help and tell me if I need to do something more to save him from such things again.'

Amar, I think you handled the situation in a rather mature manner. Most parents with a computer and a net connection at home will face such a situation sooner or later and I, for one, do worry about it. What you could try and do is block access to certain sites and also see if you can block certain keyword searches. Am not sure how this can be done, but am sure someone more net savvy can guide you.

Television, I think, is a big culprit. Thanks to the indiscriminate programming, the overtly sexual music videos and item songs in films, children are unfortunately exposed to this at a much earlier age.

Do talk to your son at some point and try and find out why he went to that site. Also try and find out if some of his friends/ cousins/ your relatives recommended it to him or he saw them surfing such sites.

Try and keep yourself as updated as possible about your son's life.

Most important: don't worry too much. You seem like a very sensible parent and am sure you will handle this parenting roadbump well.

-- Mom at work