Because today, unlike in previous generations, a single mistake can be broadcast across the globe in minutes and the repercussions can last for decades.

Bathurst police have again issued a warning for parents to be wary of what their children are doing online – and with whom.

While few of today’s parents could ever have imagined sending a naked photo of themselves to another person while at school, it appears the baffling modern-day trend of sexting is showing no signs of abating.

Worse, police report that younger and younger kids are getting caught up in the nonsense.

Of course, a large part of the problem is that what may have seemed like an exciting but harmless thrill at the time the youngster hit the send button can become a nightmare once that image is out of their control.

So parents need to take a leading role in trying to ensure that doesn’t happen.

We cannot always protect our kids from making mistakes, but we can limit their opportunities to do something they might later regret.

Police say taking an active interest in your child’s online activity is no longer to be considered snooping but, rather, a matter of being a good parent.

We owe it to our children to ensure we know as much as we can about the online world.

It is no longer good enough – or safe enough – for parents to say they simply don’t understand the new technology.

That attitude is allowing our kids to put themselves in situations they can’t control and no parent should want to do that.

The new world means new approaches to parenting and learning about things we would probably rather ignore.

We owe our kids that much, at least.