Internet Safety for Your Kids

July 8, 2008 on 4:07 am | In Family | No Comments
by Phyllis Wheeler

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.

Maybe you are hoping to buy a program for your computer that blocks objectionable sites, but will allow them to do the research you want them to do.

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 these word-blocking solutions are no good at all at blocking objectionable photo sites that have no objectionable words attached. Ask me how I know? My teenage son figured it out. He just went to Google Images and started looking. Your son could do that too. And the objectionable sites he found weren’t blocked by NetNanny, which was turned on.

In fact, the filter program could never block these sites because it searches for words. It can’t evaluate pictures.

The next question is, “What’s a parent to do?”

* Keep your computers where you can monitor what the kids are doing. Put them in the kitchen or wherever YOU are.

*To log on, anyone who is not an adult will have to ask an adult to input the password, giving permission in this way.

*Require the child to log off when he is done. Now the password is required for the next session.

*Use filtering software. It may help.

*Make sure the kids know you will punish them if they are looking at objectionable sites. Visit their terminals at unpredictable times.

*Unplug the Internet cables if the child doens’t need to access the Internet for his task.

*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.

If you take these measures and are watchful, you will help your teenagers withstand a temptation that is everywhere on the Internet, and get them into the habit of making good choices when sitting down to use the computer.

About the Author:
Phyllis Wheeler, the Computer Lady, gives this advice for mothers and fathers.. She also provides homeschool computer courses through MotherboardBooks.com, which has offered do-it-yourself computer skills and programming courses for kids and teens since 2003.

How to Keep Your Kids Safe on the Internet

July 8, 2008 on 3:56 am | In Family | No Comments
by Phyllis Wheeler

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.

The software could not have detected the objectionable photos, since NetNanny and similar software look for objectionable words. They are not able to evaluate pictures.

The next question is, “What’s a parent to do?”

* Keep your computers where you can monitor what the kids are doing. Put them in the kitchen or wherever YOU are.

*Only the adults should know the login password. The kids will have to have permission to get on.

*Ensure that the kid logs off when the computer session is over, or turns the computer off. This makes the password required for the next session.

*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.

*If a child is just using a word processor or some other local program, disconnect the Internet cable.

*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.

Following these precautions will help you keep your kids safe, and will teach your teenagers good habits for avoiding temptations.

About the Author:
Phyllis Wheeler, the Computer Lady, offers these tips for mothers and fathers.. She also provides homeschool computer courses through MotherboardBooks.com, which has offered do-it-yourself computer skills and programming courses for kids and teens since 2003.

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