KENT Police are reminding parents, who have bought their children computers, to be safety conscious.

After Christmas, children everywhere are going online to have fun and explore the virtual world of gaming and social networks.

They might be using new equipment such as webcams to speak to their friends or even to make new ones.

But Force Youth Crime Reduction Officer for Kent Police, PC Martin Carter, has said it is important to safeguard against the minority who use it for "predatory" means.

He said: "Internet use is growing by the day and the period after Christmas is a particularly busy time so it’s also a good opportunity to check you have all the necessary safety measures in place.

"This is especially important now as we find the age of children using social networking sites as low as four.

"I really do urge parents and carers indeed any adult who works with children and young people to help us to help them keep safe by learning about technology themselves and the safeguards that can be taken to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of cyberbullying or other predatory activity online."

Police have listed the following advice:

* Know what your children are doing online and who they are talking to

* Ask them to teach you to use any applications you have never used yourself

* Help your children understand that they should never give out personal details to online friends, personal information can include their messenger ID, email address, mobile phone number and any pictures of themselves, their family or friends

*If your child receives junk mail or spam and texts, remind them not to believe them, reply to them or use them;

* It’s not a good idea for your child to open files that are from people they don’t know - the files could be a virus, or something inappropriate

* Help your child to understand that some people lie online and therefore, it’s better to keep online mates online and never meet up with strangers

* Always keep communication open for a child to know that it is never too late to tell someone if something makes them feel uncomfortable

* Teach young people how to block someone online and report them if they feel uncomfortable