OK. My name is HANNAH KENNEDY, I'm 18 and a senior at Fox Chapel Area High School. I am currently senior class president and varsity cheerleading captain. I enjoy school, have great friends and a good family that I know loves me.

I know and understand that when my parents were kids they would have to create their own fun and I think a lot of the time my mother thinks the Web takes away from our creative sides. I think she's right, but a little bit of the Internet never hurt anyone! It's hard to explain to my mom why I rely so much on technology, for example, my cell phone and e-mail, can't live without either of them. The Web is something I don't think twice about it, it's a routine, a habit.

From: coopermunroe
Surely you or your friends sometimes find themselves at odds with their parents over the Internet?

From: hannah
A lot of my friends do whatever they want online. They don't have any guidelines or rules as to their restrictions on the Internet. Most of my friends have their own laptops with wireless Internet. I am the only person I know who has NetNanny or anything like that. It's an annoyance sometimes to have to log in, but I understand why my mother got it (for my brothers) so I just deal with it.

From: coopermunroe
What are you reading "offline" if anything (other than schoolwork), or do you get most of your information, news etc. online?

From: hannah
I read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette almost every morning (at least I try). Even when I read the Pittsburgh newspapers I ALWAYS go onto CNN.com or MSNBC.com. I'm a news freak, I feel like I need to know what's going on all the time.

As far as books ... I'm reading an EXCELLENT book called "Darfur Diaries." It's about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, which I'm sure you are familiar with.

From: coopermunroe
OK, with all this online interaction, do you ever worry that you are missing out on more satisfying, more natural friendships?

From: hannah
Not at all. I'm a very social person, I see my friends on a daily basis. I have a boyfriend, and I feel like I have a lot of true, meaningful relationships. The Internet is just for fun, it's not where all of my social interaction takes place.

From: coopermunroe
What advice do you give to kids, and their parents, as they enter into this world?

From: hannah
Let her explore. Be sure to explain to her the dangers of the Internet, and tell her and show her how to safely use it.

And for your daughter: I would tell her to always be aware of where she is online. The obvious, don't ever give out personal information. I would tell her there are a lot of great things to be learned about the Internet, and that as she gets older, she will get more Internet privileges. That way, she'll always have something to look forward to. I think that the best way to make sure your children are safe on the Internet is to first make sure that you have a good, solid, honest relationship with them.

Honesty, it the key to everything.