Keeping Kids Away From Online Pronography:

It's a good question and one that thousands of parents ask everyday. Fortunately there are some solutions that you can use to help prevent your Child from accessing material that you feel is inappropriate for their young minds.

One of the easiest solutions is technology-based. It's called filtering and monitoring software.

Both filtering and monitoring software issues to either limit access to inappropriate material or to surreptitiously monitor your child's activity when air on the net.

Internet filtering software solutions give you control to limit or even block access to certain types of Internet content that you feel is inappropriate for your child.

Most Internet filtering software uses various methods of filtering include white-listing, blacklisting, monitoring activity, keyword recognition, or even blocking-specific functions such as E-mail or instant messages based upon" keyword" detection.

Most Internet filtering software comes with list of preloaded keywords and web site URLs already built into the software. When the software is active and your child tries to visit or search for inappropriate content (like X-rated web sites for example) the filtering software will automatically blocking their access to those types of web sites.

Filtering software overall works very well. The problems with it are that it does not always block inappropriate content, and often will block legitimate content by mistake.

For example, if you are child was doing a school project and using the Internet to help to research for her paper on " modern advances in breast cancer treatment," some filtering software might mistakenly block access to any web site or content source that contains the word " breast."

The other problem with filtering based software is that the software is very apparent to who is ever using that computer. The software makes no secret that the machine they are using is being restricted, as is their access.

The problem here is that many teenagers will take this as a challenge and go out of their way to circumvent the filtering software: thereby eventually gaining access to the sites you don't want them to see.

The other software-based option you have is Internet monitoring software.

The better Internet monitoring software programs secretly allow parents to monitor everything the child does by recording everything to hidden storage area on the computer hard drive.

Top of the line Internet monitoring software allows parents to record and later view all web sites, chat sessions, instant messages, and e-mails that the child may have sent or received during their own line session. Some of these programs even the allow Web site blocking and a limited degree of filtering as well.

The advantage to the Internet monitoring program is that it does work in secret. Your child will not know that their actions are being recorded. You will have direct window into the lives of your child. You'll be able to see who they talk to, who talks to them, what they see and do online.

The downside is that if your child discovers that you are covertly monitoring their activity they will be extremely upset, as they will see your actions as an invasion of the privacy.

The counterpoint to this argument is that you have to make a decision; is your child's privacy more important to their safety?

The answer to that question is one, which only you can decide. However, many parents choose Internet monitoring software over Internet filtering software. The reason for this is that many parents prefer to be proactive rather than reactive.

By knowing exactly what you are child or team is doing online and seeing the type of things that they're exposed to put to you as apparent in a better position to be able to help them deal with peer pressure and on sexually charged media that they're exposed to on a daily basis.

Regardless of whether you choose to use a Internet filtering software or Internet monitoring software, the best way to assure that your teenagers are having a positive Internet experience is to stay in touch with what they are doing online. Talk to them about what's going on in their lives and be supportive.

It's not easy being a teenager these days, and children look to their parents to answer many of the questions that they can't answer for themselves.

For more information on filtering and monitoring see http://www.pctattletale.com


President & CEO,
PCTattletale.Com