This article examines parental regulation of children and teenagers's online activities, focusing on the strategies parents use and their effectiveness in reducing online risks. A national survey of 1511 children and 906 parents found that 12-17-year-olds encounter various online risks, such as exposure to pornography, violence, privacy breaches, and contact with strangers. Parents implement a range of strategies, including active co-use, interaction restrictions, technical restrictions, and monitoring, but these strategies are not always effective in reducing risk. The study challenges researchers to identify effective strategies without impeding teenagers's freedom to interact with peers online. The findings suggest that parental mediation strategies are adapted from those used for television, with active co-use being the most common and effective strategy. However, parental mediation does not significantly reduce online risks, except for interaction restrictions, which may be due to the specific nature of online risks and the challenges of monitoring and managing them. The article concludes that while parental mediation can inhibit negative effects, peer mediation may facilitate them, and further research is needed to understand the conditions of risk and develop effective strategies to protect children and young people while supporting their online activities.This article examines parental regulation of children and teenagers's online activities, focusing on the strategies parents use and their effectiveness in reducing online risks. A national survey of 1511 children and 906 parents found that 12-17-year-olds encounter various online risks, such as exposure to pornography, violence, privacy breaches, and contact with strangers. Parents implement a range of strategies, including active co-use, interaction restrictions, technical restrictions, and monitoring, but these strategies are not always effective in reducing risk. The study challenges researchers to identify effective strategies without impeding teenagers's freedom to interact with peers online. The findings suggest that parental mediation strategies are adapted from those used for television, with active co-use being the most common and effective strategy. However, parental mediation does not significantly reduce online risks, except for interaction restrictions, which may be due to the specific nature of online risks and the challenges of monitoring and managing them. The article concludes that while parental mediation can inhibit negative effects, peer mediation may facilitate them, and further research is needed to understand the conditions of risk and develop effective strategies to protect children and young people while supporting their online activities.