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You may be wondering how you can make the Internet safe for your kids. You'd like to protect them from the objectionable sites and emails that would be so easy for them to find. 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 like this fail when trying to filter objectionable photo sites that have no objectionable words. So, how do I know this? I am sad to say that my teenage son enlightened me. Using Google Images, he searched for objectionable sites and found them, even though the filtering program was 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? *Put the computers the kids use where YOU are in your home. Then monitor what they are doing. *Have a login password that only the adults know. The kid has to have permission, and oversight, to use the computer. *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 a filter like NetNanny. It will help when your back is turned. *Kids should be told what you expect from them, and the consequences of disobedience. *Unplug the Internet cables if the child doens't need to access the Internet for his task. *Make younger kids use your email address. Then you can be sure to delete that filth that lands in the inbox from time to time. Or, as the kids get older, give them their own but instruct them to give out their address only to trusted 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.
Article Source: http://www.rightarticle.com
Phyllis Wheeler, the Computer Lady, offers this advice for parents. She also provides homeschool computer courses via MotherboardBooks.com, which has offered do-it-yourself computer science courses for kids and teens since 2003.
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