If you're a parent of school age children then you need to be
aware of the dangers that exist in the online world. There are the
obvious culprits such as adult content sites and violent videos
games and most parents are very aware of the potential pitfalls of
social media too. They however are not aware of every danger lurking
in the online world. Chat rooms can be dangerous and even email can
sometimes pose a risk. The list of potential dangers goes on and on.
Since you probably can't always be there to protect and monitor your
child's every move on the computer you need some help to keep your
children safe while still allowing them access to a computer and the
Internet. You need software for your computer that allows you to set
up Internet filtering and other controls so you can keep your kids
safe.
Although Internet filtering will not eliminate every danger lurking
out there in cyberspace it will add a strong layer of defense. Most
of the dangers will be stopped at the gate before they even reach
your child. Combined with some parental oversight and monitoring you
will have an added measure of control and most important, peace of
mind, when your child is online.
So what does Internet filtering do to help protect your child?
First, it allows you to block certain websites completely so that
your children cannot access any adult content or violent video
games. You can also block social media sites that you do not feel
your children are mature enough to handle. (Don't worry though you
can still get to Facebook by either limiting the filters to your
kids or by setting up passwords for your personal access.) You can
also prevent the display of inappropriate video content or pop ups
even if the websites themselves that your child visits are
unobjectionable. You can set up email filters and monitor chat room
activity for any inappropriate contact or discussions. You can then
review logs to make sure your children have not gotten themselves
into a dangerous situation.
The online world is a dangerous place for the naive child who often
believes everything they read or hear. Make sure to discuss the
dangers with them so they are prepared and know not to respond to
unsolicited invitations from strangers. Then make sure to secure
your computer with Internet filtering software so that your child is
completely protected even while you are not directly supervising
their online activities. Investigate using
HT Parental Controls as
it is one of the easiest to install and use parental control
software packages available.
Windows 7, Vista, 2003, XP, 2000 |
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