Like the TV challenge to parental influence, computer companions subtract from exercise and real experience with social skills, friends, and life's stresses. As a source of information, the computer companion can become more credible than parents or teachers! And your child's computer companion can slip in a lot of information unobserved by parents because computers are usually more isolated from family traffic than TV's and therefore less supervised.

Here's another place where parents need to set limits on how much and what kind of programs (TV or computer) their children watch and use. Put violence off limits and make it a habit to look over your son or daughter's shoulder frequently. "What are you watching?" is still a legitimate question for parents even if the screen is a monitor and not a TV.

Parents may be tempted to use VCR's, TV's, and computer companions to keep the children busy. While computer companions are not necessarily bad babysitters, their best role is as a basis for family discussions to be sure sons and daughters come away with a realistic view of the programs. Children are often disappointed that the real world doesn't measure up to the excitement of TV and computer games. Adults, on the other hand, are often disappointed that the games and the TV don't measure up to the real world where success requires work, relationships require respect, and risky behaviors produce logical consequences. So the subjects can provide a lot of opportunity for discussion of character-building values. Since the media programs also provide a potential for disagreement, parents need to keep the discussion pleasant and avoid making the conversation into a competitive sport.