In turns out the best way for parents to protect their children in the online world is the method that works in the real world: Know your kids, know who your kids are hanging around with, ensure only trusted persons get close to them.

We share these sentiments expressed by many experts in the wake of the tragic death of Megan Meier, a 13-year-old girl from the St. Louis suburbs who most anyone would agree was a victim of "cyberbullying." Megan, known to be emotionally fragile, took her own life after a fictitious 16-year-old boy on MySpace flirted with her, then dumped her saying, "The world would be a better place without you."

In a Los Angeles courtroom this week, prosecutors failed to show the bullying Megan experienced from another child's mother - she took part in creating the fictitious boy - was a felony crime under federal statutes. Instead, Lori Drew will face only a maximum of three years behind bars.

Jeff Lanza, a retired FBI agent who counsels parents on Internet safety, was quoted telling parents they should do the simple thing of making sure that the computer is kept in a public area of the home. In this way, he said, a parent need not spy on their child to observe whether he or she gets up from the computer upset, or perhaps withdrawn and depressed. Either emotion could be a sign of bullying.

Mr. Lanza also warned: ": Even the worst person, the person who bullies people, if you do it in person, you can see the person's reaction. You can see how much your words hurt someone. It tends to mitigate the behavior : On the computer, you don't get any of that feedback. You don't see how that makes them feel."

Understanding this difference is a key. Mr. Lanza advised adults and youths alike to use the same communication skills online that work in face-to-face settings: Be truthful and avoid becoming "more harsh, more judgmental, more critical" just because you are online.

In May, Missouri passed a state law prohibiting cyber-harassment - a specific statute not available to prosecutors in Megan's case. The law may prove to be a deterrent for some abhorrent online behaviors. But for all others, a parent involved in their child's life, taking practical and proactive safeguards, remains the best protection.