Just like a knife, the net can be dual edged too. It can educate, entertain your kids but at the same time it can titillate or trap them as well. And kids being kids they need a guardian angel to look after them while they browse the big bad online world out there. But can you, the parent, look after or guide your kids every time they surf the net? Seems nearly impossible. And that’s precisely why you need parental control software’s.
So what are parental control software’s?
Parental control or internet filter software’s like Net Nanny, CyberProtect, SafeEyes, ContentProtect and others regulate the internet and overall computer activity of your kids using different means. These software’s can prevent or restrict access to sites that you consider harmful like adult Web sites, con sites, gaming sites and even social networking sites.
Yes, internet filter’s can even block social networking sites like Facebook, You Tube and MySpace. After all, majority of the child predators usually lurk on these sites and make easy prey of innocent kids. Parental control software’s can also prevent chat access and illegal file sharing through torrents.
If you or your kids, usually the latter, consider these measures extreme, then you could even opt for moderate measures like setting the internet surfing times, enabling mobile and email alerts whenever your kid accesses any restricted feature, keeping a record of your child’s net activity and more.
Parental control software’s can even prevent access to protected files, folders and programs on the PC, for instance, you might want little Johnny or Mary to pay more attention to studies and cut back on the time spent on gaming.
Some Windows based parental control options
If you thought you only have third party software’s to fall back on to regulate your kids net activity, think again. The humble Web browser can also offer limited assistance to you in this regard. Let’s look at how to enable parental control on Internet Explorer (IE) for instance.
Navigate to the Content tab by first clicking on the Tools button on the toolbar and then Internet Options. Click on the Enable Content Advisor button in the Content pane.
For each of the ICRA3 rating level (depicted by the red rectangle), you can set the usage level by moving the slider (depicted by the blue rectangle) from left to right in the increasing level of severity. There are three levels that you can set: None, Limited and Unrestricted.
It goes without saying that if you have more than one Web browser you’ll have to set internet filters on each, but one parental control software can easily regulate all browsers and programs installed on the PC.
Parental Control on Windows Vista and 7
Microsoft has included parental controls in its Windows Vista and 7 operating systems. In Windows Vista, parental control forms part of the User Accounts and Family Safety control panel settings. In both these OS’, you can regulate your kids computer and internet usage.
You have the flexibility to set specific weekly and daily time slots within which your child can access the PC or surf the net. You can even completely block undesirable Web sites, movies, programs that you consider harmful to your kids.
What’s more, you receive a complete activity report for the week or day of your kids PC usage. You can then review or alter the parental control settings based on the activity report stats. But obviously, just don’t give the master password away or set one that your smart kids will easily discover!
To know more about parental control on Windows Vista and 7 continue to the second part of the article….
page 2
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The bottom line is that if parents REALLY want to keep their kids safe online, they need to know what said kids are doing on the computer, and what is happening in their online lives. Blocks and filters are easy to get around, and talking alone will get you nowhere… (if you think your kids are going to tell you, honestly, everything they are doing online – you are a fool). Education is a great thing, and very necessary, but how can you consider yourself educated if you don’t know the simplest information – like what your kids are really doing. If you have monitoring software, you will know everything they do and will be able to talk to them about it. If you aren’t monitoring and don’t know what they are really doing, how can you be sure they are safe? It’s not an issue of privacy (I have no idea where and when kids were granted endless privacy because they exist – in my day privacy was earned through trust and an established good behavior record), nor is it an issue of trust – it’s called being a 21st century parent. If you don’t know what your kids are doing online, you aren’t doing your job as a parent. If you aren’t monitoring what your kids do online and watch them, someone else will…
Yes the point you’re trying to make is that standalone Windows options are inadequate and parents should explore niche parental control options. That’s just what our experts are for–to offer customized advice to parents on how best to protect their kids from harm.
MLD Services will work directly with the parents with an in home consult, or via email or chat. We feel that we can offer a more all-around solution using multiple products if necessary, that are better tailored to the individual needs, rather than make a blanket assumption of one’s parental skills.
For more info on this and other services just go to our contacts page for details on getting in touch.
Matthew Davidson
Owner – MLD Services