Parents
There are many tools available to help parents control and monitor where their children surf online. Some even help regulate how much time a child spends playing computer games, or prevent their accessing the Internet during certain preset times.
We've listed the type of protections and features that
are available. But, most of the popular brands now offer all features,
so you don't have to choose. Recently, given parents' concerns about strangers
communicating with their children online, monitoring software has gained
in popularity as well. (We recommend that parents tell their children
if they are using a monitoring product, though, so the child won’t
feel they are being spied on.)
The most popular parental control technologies are built into you ISP
service, such as AOL. Earthlink and MSN. (You can get help on using these
at [link].)
There are different ways the products work. Some block access to certain site, while others allow access to only approved site.
Blocking software is software that uses a "bad site" list. It blocks access to sites on that list. They may also have a "good site" list, which prevents your child from accessing any site not on that list. Some of the software companies allow you to customize the lists, by adding or removing sites from the lists. We recommend you only consider software that allows you to customize the list, and lets you know which sites are on the lists.
Filtering software uses certain keywords to block sites or sections of sites on-the-fly. Since there is no way any product can keep up with the entire site online, this can help block all the sites that haven't yet been reviewed. The software blocks sites containing these keywords, alone or in context with other keywords. Some companies allow you to select certain types of sites to block, such as those relating to sex, drugs or hate. This feature engages special lists of keywords that match that category.
As with the "bad site" lists, the lists of keywords used by the filtering software should be customizable by the parent, and every parent should be able to see which terms are filtered.
No...this doesn't mean your software had a sparkling personality :-) (that's cyberspace talk for "grin" and means you're supposed to smile at our brilliant humor, and if you want to learn more about this stuff...you need to read Miss Parry’s Guide to Netiquette). It means that your child won't be able to share certain personal information with others online. Information such as your child's name, address or telephone number can be programmed into the software, and every time they try to send it to someone online, it merely shows up as "XXXs." Even with kids who know and follow your rules, this is a terrific feature, since sometimes, even the most well intentioned kids forget the rules.
Some software allows parents to track where their children go online, how much time they spend online, how much time they spend on the computer (such as when they are playing games) and even allows parents to control what times of day their children can use the computer. This is particularly helpful when both parents are working outside of the home, or with working single parents, who want to make sure their children aren't spending all of their time on the computer.
Many parents who don't like the thought of filtering or blocking, especially with older children and teens, find monitoring and tracking satisfy their safety concerns. They can know, for sure, whether their children are following their rules.
Parents have to remember, though, that these tools are not cyber-babysitters. They are just another safety tool, like a seat belt or child safety caps. They are not a substitute for good parenting. The best tool you have is communicating with your child. You have to teach your children to be aware and careful in cyberspace. Even if you use every technology protection available, unless your children know what to expect and how to react they could get into major trouble. Teaching them from the beginning will prevent heartaches for everyone.
