Parental Control Software Reviews
How Parental Control Software Helps Protect Your Children
By Paul Wilcox
By Paul Wilcox
Advanced Parental Control | Spytech SpyAgent | Optenet PC | Safe Eyes | Spector Pro | WebWatcher | IamBigBrother | PC Tattletale | Safekeeper | Sentry At Home | Internet Statistics | Learn About Parental Control Software | Articles | Learn About Spy and Monitoring Software | Catch A Cheating Spouse | Parental Control Software Top 5 |
DISCLAIMER: All monitoring products are intended for use on a computer that you own. In addition, if the person you want to monitor is 18 or older, you must tell them they are being monitored to comply with law. Please check all laws before use
The Internet puts a whole world in front of you. However, there are times when this means that children are browsing the Internet and thereby exposed to material that is inappropriate. Or they might, by accident, give out personal information that puts you at risk, such as your credit card number.
The first thing that you need to do is educate your children about how to safely use the Internet. Children have a natural interest in computers by the time they are two years of age. They can easily land on websites that are great for both education and entertainment.
As your child ages it can be more complicated to keep track of everything they do online. By the time they are teens they may be looking at porn or else talking online with people who could be predators. Many times teens will post a picture of themselves online and give out personal information that a pedophile could use to find them.
You need to be involved with what your child does online so that you can reduce some of these risks. Try putting the computer in the living room or else keep an eye on what it is they are looking at. These two things alone
The first thing that you need to do is educate your children about how to safely use the Internet. Children have a natural interest in computers by the time they are two years of age. They can easily land on websites that are great for both education and entertainment.
As your child ages it can be more complicated to keep track of everything they do online. By the time they are teens they may be looking at porn or else talking online with people who could be predators. Many times teens will post a picture of themselves online and give out personal information that a pedophile could use to find them.
You need to be involved with what your child does online so that you can reduce some of these risks. Try putting the computer in the living room or else keep an eye on what it is they are looking at. These two things alone
should let children know that you're watching and some things are forbidden. You won't, no matter what, be able to watch everything your children do online. This is a frightening thought but you simply won't be able to know everything they do when you're shopping or at work.
Or is there a way that you can know?
The answer is yes. There are many hardware tools and software that you can use to restrict the Internet access your child has or to monitor what they are doing online. Most of these programs are reasonably priced while others are free. There are even some that will give you some great tips on how to restrict your child's access.
FILTERS
You can block some websites, or keywords, by using software for filtering. You can use an already built in list or you can create your own. There are some porn sites, and other sites that are inappropriate, that are blocked according to the vendor of the filtering software. You can update these lists at any time. When your child tries to go to one of these websites an "HTTP 404 Page Not Found" error will pop up.
You can set up a filter that blocks access to some traffic on the Internet, such as email, newsgroups, instant messaging, and P2p (peer to peer) hosting. P2P is sometimes used for the exchange of some files.
Filters aren't ideal and it's sometimes impossible for databases to be up to date for the simple reason that there are always new websites on the Internet. But filters can help.
There is software that can keep track of everything your child does on the computer. This includes the email they receive and send, websites they visit, the programs they are running, and the keystrokes that they have been using.
You also have the option of installing software that will limit and restrict the computer at certain times of the day. The computer will shut off at a certain time or when so much data has been downloaded. Windows has some built in tools for managing this but it takes some expertise to be able to configure it. There is also software available that will block out the name of your child, your address, and any other personal information from being sent out over the Internet.
BROWSERS
Some Internet browsers have been created just for children to use. It incorporates some of the filters that have been mentioned above. These browsers make it easy for children to use the Internet and are simpler than Firefox or Explorer. However, you shouldn't rely only on these browsers. You can't uninstall Explorer from a Windows OS and this means that many smart kids will figure out how to access it.
Paul Wilcox writes about internet security settings and other related topics for the Internet Security Squad website. Sign up for my free newsletter and receive my special report "How To Lock Your Computer Down - Internet Security in 2006" at http://www.internetsecuritysquad.com/freereport.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Wilcox
Or is there a way that you can know?
The answer is yes. There are many hardware tools and software that you can use to restrict the Internet access your child has or to monitor what they are doing online. Most of these programs are reasonably priced while others are free. There are even some that will give you some great tips on how to restrict your child's access.
FILTERS
You can block some websites, or keywords, by using software for filtering. You can use an already built in list or you can create your own. There are some porn sites, and other sites that are inappropriate, that are blocked according to the vendor of the filtering software. You can update these lists at any time. When your child tries to go to one of these websites an "HTTP 404 Page Not Found" error will pop up.
You can set up a filter that blocks access to some traffic on the Internet, such as email, newsgroups, instant messaging, and P2p (peer to peer) hosting. P2P is sometimes used for the exchange of some files.
Filters aren't ideal and it's sometimes impossible for databases to be up to date for the simple reason that there are always new websites on the Internet. But filters can help.
There is software that can keep track of everything your child does on the computer. This includes the email they receive and send, websites they visit, the programs they are running, and the keystrokes that they have been using.
You also have the option of installing software that will limit and restrict the computer at certain times of the day. The computer will shut off at a certain time or when so much data has been downloaded. Windows has some built in tools for managing this but it takes some expertise to be able to configure it. There is also software available that will block out the name of your child, your address, and any other personal information from being sent out over the Internet.
BROWSERS
Some Internet browsers have been created just for children to use. It incorporates some of the filters that have been mentioned above. These browsers make it easy for children to use the Internet and are simpler than Firefox or Explorer. However, you shouldn't rely only on these browsers. You can't uninstall Explorer from a Windows OS and this means that many smart kids will figure out how to access it.
Paul Wilcox writes about internet security settings and other related topics for the Internet Security Squad website. Sign up for my free newsletter and receive my special report "How To Lock Your Computer Down - Internet Security in 2006" at http://www.internetsecuritysquad.com/freereport.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Wilcox