Internet Safety for Your Kids
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Are you wondering how to make the Internet safe for your kids? You want them to use the Internet for research, but you don’t want them to find objectionable sites or emails.
Perhaps you’d like to buy a solution that you can use on your computer that will not allow them to look at objectionable sites, yet will allow them to freely browse.
I have to tell you that there is no solution like that. These filter programs, such as NetNanny, look for a list of objectionable words in the site your child has chosen to visit. Simple words such as “leg” can raise the alarm and cause a headache, while regular research on breast cancer might be blocked.
But programs that look for words fail completely if the site has no objectionable words–only objectionable photos. My teenage son figured this out. He used Google Images to look for objectionable sites. He found them despite the fact that our filter, NetNanny, was turned on.
In fact, the filter program could never block these sites because it searches for words. It can’t evaluate pictures.
So, how can you protect your child?
*The computer should be where you can monitor what the kidsa re doing. They should be where YOU are.
*Only the adults should know the login password. The kids will have to have permission to get on.
*Insist that your kids log off when they finish. As a result, they will need an adult to input the password the next time they want on.
*Use NetNanny or a similar filter. It can only help.
*Kids should be told what you expect from them, and the consequences of disobedience.
*If a child is just using a word processor or some other local program, disconnect the Internet cable.
*Require younger children to use your email address. This will allow you to protect them from vicious spam. As they get older, give teens their own email address, but make sure they give it out only to friends.
Your watchfulness will pay off. Your children will be protected from what they should not see, and they will also learn good habits for using the Internet as adults.
Filters are good to use, but please don’t rely ion them. Kids will find a way around them, once they are old enough and desire to. When they are young, they will be oblivious, but once they get older – they will want to have pure freedom on the net. Don’t waste time trying to restrict or block – use software like PC Pandora that actually records and monitors all user activity. It takes screen shots of what is happening so you can KNOW what your kids are doing. Wouldn’t you rather have 100% accurate knowledge, than setting up a filter and crossing your fingers? Be a parent. Take back control of the house and set rules for your kids. The Internet is still new territory – parents need to figure out how to incorporate that into growing up for their kids. You can’t teach them what you don’t know. But if you know what they are doing, who they are talking to, where they are going and how they are representing themselves in the online world – you can be a better parent. Check us out: http://www.pcpandora.com
Thanks for the tips. Good ideas. Parents really do need to be proactive with Internet safety and not reply on technology as the only means to protect their home.
Another thought: Have you ever heard of accountability software? Accountability software is specifically for adults who want to guard where they go online without any blocking or filtering. Combined with filtering, it’s a great Internet safety solution for the whole family. If you want more info about it check out my post “Is Filtering All There Is?” - http://www.covenanteyes.com/blog/2008/06/12/is-filtering-all-there-is-introducing-accountability-software/