According to the FTC, almost 5 percent of all cases of identity theft filed last year were for children under the age of 18.

A sobering thought, isn’t it?

It’s not something that most parents would think too much of, and in many cases it may not even come to light until years later when those kids are old enough to apply for credit cards.

One of the reasons this can happen is because today’s kids are so used to communicating on the internet that they often reveal too much personal information.

They may have their own website, blog or even just an account on a website like Myspace or Facebook, where they post information about themselves. Unfortunately, a lot of that information is available to anyone on the internet so you need to be sure they’re not putting information on there that could be used to steal their identity.

Information like their name, address and birthday may not seem like a big deal, but if an identity thief can piece enough information together about them, they can steal their identity.

Make sure you educate your kids about the dangers of revealing private information. With the widespread use of the internet, kids often share information that you might not have even known when you were a kid, let alone shared with anyone.