When it comes to kids and online support, parents need to be careful. Online communication is a natural for our kids, much more so than it was or ever will be for those of us who grew up before the 1990s. Before you let your child take part in online support for kids, make sure you check out the site for authenticity and safety. Once you find a few good sites and you know you can monitor them, online support can work great for kids who need to talk to others in their situation.

Chat Rooms

By now, most astute parents know that any chat room you let your child enter simply must be checked out by you first. Find out if there is a capable adult administrator, if they are backed up or supported by a known organization, if there are set topics, and how moderating the site works.

One quality spot for teens with diabetes to chat not just for support but for education is Diabetes Teen Talk (www.diabetesteentalk.com). Started by well-known youth diabetes advocate Allison Blass, the site has useful information, interesting polls, and regular chats that draw in world experts on diabetes and teens. The site even has a section that enables you to get to know the teens who run it and find out all about them.

Children with Diabetes also has a teen chat site, and since you can chat at the parents' site at the same time, you can check in on your child and “see” what he is chatting about at all times. CWD has a large group of moderators who take shifts online and who instantly kick out anyone who is chatting inappropriately.

Your child's camp may set up winter chats as well, inviting campers who were at her session to “reunite” online to catch up on life, talk camp, and lend some between-session support. If your camp is not doing this, you may want to suggest it.

Other Online Choices

Kids know all kind of online meeting spots now: Xanga, MySpace.com, Facebook. While in theory, they are all excellent ways for kids to communicate around the world, you need to keep close tabs on them. If you allow your child to have such a site and join a diabetes group in it, insist that he keeps his site “private” and even then, make a weekly check of whom he has added as “allowed friends.” Unless he can give you a connection you know is real, remove any questionable “friends” when you discover them.

Some sites have “passive interaction” with information, stories, and feedback options but no live chats. JDRF Kids online (kids.jdrf.org) is one such site. These sites are like an online magazine, giving kids insight into feelings, ideas, and even some celebrities who share their challenges.

The American Diabetes Association has a youth zone on their Web site (www.diabetes.org, click on Youth Zone) that offers kids basics in diabetes information, games, and even a kid kit they can get for free. There is also a teen message board that your child can use to post questions and receive answers.

Used well, online chats and sites can make kids feel part of a community. In a world where most kids with diabetes are the only one in their school, a place online where they are one of many can be most welcome.