Let’s face it, we live in the technology age; a time in which the majority of Americans are using a computer every single day. As the internet becomes more widespread throughout households, children are more at risk than ever; with each click of the mouse.
Did you know that forty two percent of Internet users between the ages of 10 to 17, recall seeing some form of online pornography within the last 12 months, without searching for, or anticipating viewing such images? The majority of the children surveyed, noticed “unsolicited pornography” that “just popped up.” Many parents who have children feel secure that their children are protected from online porn, due to the fact that they “bookmark” childrens sites and or do not allow their kid(s) to access certain sites unsupervised.
Unfortunately, many websites that appear “innocent,” can contain scripts that allow X-rated images and video, to pop-up, or appear without warning. What many parent aren’t aware of is that popular sites such as YouTube, contains extremely mature video and language. Your child can view much of the content on this site without verifying his/her age! That can create several problems for young children, as they aren’t emotionally prepared to view sexually related content; therefore possibly causing trauma throughout their young and adult lives. Luckily we have the solution for you caring parents and it’s:
Internet Content Filtering!! 
Internet content filtering is necessary in order to monitor your child’s surfing habits and websites visiting, as well as preventing access to websites, ads and pop-ups that you deem unacceptable. There are many types of internet content filtering software that you can obtain; either free or for a small fee. Here are just a few that we recommend, and some of the features. Click on the name of each product to be taken to their websites.
K9 Web Protection – FREE, protects computers only
- Schedule Internet access
- Block MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites
- Stop inappropriate chat and child predators
- Receive email and mobile alerts
- Stop illegal file sharing that you can expect in them
- Monitor where your children are going online
Net Nanny – $39.99, protects computers and mobile phones
- Schedule Internet access
- Block MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites
- Stop inappropriate chat and child predators
- Receive email and mobile alerts
- Stop illegal file sharing
- Monitor where your children are going online
- Internet Content filtering
Open DNS Basic / DNS deluxe – (Deluxe is $9.99 for homes)
- Internet content filtering
- Detailed reports and stats
- Archived stats and logs
- Time Limits – set when your child can use the computer
- Web filtering via the free Windows Live Suite included in Windows 7
- Control what games are allowed to be played, based on the ratings
These are just a few of the many solutions available to protect your child while using the internet. I currently use K9 Web Protection in my home network, and it works flawlessly! Downloading and installing the software is a cinch, and customizing it for your particular family situation is straightforward.
The good thing about this program is, the warning when a site that you have blocked, is typed in the browser. When any of my kids attempt to access a website in a category that I blacklisted, I hear a loud “RUFF RUFF”! Next thing I know, my kid comes to me saying: “This dog keeps barking at me!” I laugh and usually reply: “That’s what happens when you try to go to a blocked website!”
Do a bit of research on the recommendations above, and you’ll have an idea of what kind of Internet Content Filtering software you need for your family. If you have Windows 7, you are actually one step closer to already having it! So get busy and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing, your kids are protected online; and they can only visit the websites that you allow!
Until next time,
Happy Computing!
Jarvis Edwards – TekTime IT Consulting & Computer Repair
