Technology makes it easier than ever for parents to stay in touch with students heading off to college. It’s likely many parents and students already have established Facebook families. They can also Skype, ooVoo, text, IM (Instant Message) and e-mail.

But at what point does texting become intrusive, and when does following Facebook posts become lurking?

Successful family communications in the digital age involves striking a delicate balance, experts say. It’s about staying in touch and letting go, according to Clark University research professor of psychology Jeffrey Jensen Arnett and family issues writer Elizabeth Fishel.

Arnett and Fishel, both authors, offer their high-tech family communication tips in a recent AARP article. Their advice includes allowing young adults to set the “pattern and pace” of contact.

Parents should recognize that young adults during the early college years might need more advice than they do once they establish new friendships, according to Arnett and Fishel. The authors recommend that parents decide when longer than usual silences warrant checking in and that parents get “e-lives” of their own.

Mumsnet parenting website founder Justine Roberts nevertheless cautions parents to take social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in moderation: “Social media is something we have to keep a watch on because it can eat into your life,” Roberts was quoted in a UK Daily Mail Online article as saying.

Even with all the latest technology to satisfy instant and visual communication needs, a Cambridge University study suggests that many adults and young adults actually prefer communicating face to face. Many also want to cut back on social networking, according to the UK Daily Mail Online article.

And Dina Gerdeman in a Digital Landing website article reminds parents that there are still some things – care packages, for instances – that can only be sent through the good old-fashioned mail.