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Over the past few months, various reports have surfaced in the news of teens buying drugs online. Most recently, high school students in Newtown, PA became ill after taking Snurf pills they had purchased from a website. Snurf is simply pure DXM – the medicine in most cough syrups – which reportedly produces effects similar to those of ecstasy.

The list of drugs teens can buy online with nothing more than a credit card can be confusing for parents. Some teens are experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs like Herbal Ecstasy and Salvia Divinorum and posting the results on YouTube. Other teens are using digital drugs or "Binaural Beats," music which promises to simulate the effects of drugs like cocaine and heroine. Interestingly, the buying and selling of many of these drugs isn't illegal in the United States, but legal does not mean safe. Here are some ways you can approach this tricky subject

• Check out your child's online purchases. Keep in mind that the company listed on your credit card bill may be a "safe" company you might not notice.
  
• Watch for your child using the acronyms SWIM (Someone Who Isn't Me) and SWIY (Someone Who Isn't You) in their IMs or texts. These acronyms are popular in online forums and are meant to avoid blatant admissions of drug use. A typical forum entry may be, "SWIM took salvia this weekend and freaked out. SWIY should make sure to have friends there when taking it."
  
• Talk with your child! Find out what they like to do online and what sites they visit. Also, discuss your expectations for them while they're online. Remember, no amount of snooping can replace good old fashioned communication.

The Internet is the perfect tool for revenge. Any information, from rumors to embarrassing truths can be sent at the click of a mouse; however, these reprisals can have legal ramifications, as one teen in Wisconsin learned.

In order to exact revenge on an ex-girlfriend the teen posted nude photos of the 16-year-old to his MySpace page. Although police asked him to take them down, the boy refused, and is now facing criminal charges of possession of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a child, and defamation. Each of these charges carries jail time of three, twelve, and nine months respectively along with numerous fines. He may even have to register with Wisconsin's sex offender registry.

As kids go back-to-school, and back into their adolescent drama, remind them that revenge is a dish best not served. Instead, teens should leave it to the school administration to handle. Encourage them to talk to you or a teacher about anyone who is teasing or bullying them rather than to take action on their own. Remind them that anything they say or post on the Internet can't be taken back – and that it might have a permanent affect on their lives.

Summer break? Not for the NetSmartz Outreach Team! And now that another school year is beginning, the Outreach Team is busier than ever helping to spread national awareness about the importance of Internet safety education. Read on for their monthly check-in…

We knew that Phoenix in July wasn't going to be "cool," but when we arrived the National Association of School Resource Officers conference proved just how hot it could be! Despite the 112° temperature, 100 officers crowded their way into a room built for 50 in order to get the latest information about Internet safety and ways to bring NetSmartz into their communities. We continued burning up the trail with a trip to Dallas's Crimes Against Children Conference. Next we're off to Columbus, Ohio for the Project Safe Childhood Conference.

You may not think it's normal to see a 6-foot-tall, yellow robot walking around, but don't be alarmed … it's just Clicky! The NetSmartz spokesrobot is hitting the streets with visits to local Virginia venues. On August 21^st Clicky and the rest of the NetSmartz staff spent the day at Virginia's Fair Oaks Mall helping kids get ready for back-to-school! On September 13-14^th , he'll be visiting the International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap in Vienna. Stop by to see Clicky in the Arts & Technology Pavilion! And don't forget to check back next month for more news about taking NetSmartz on the road!