Safe Luxury

What kind of things are parents doing to keep kids safe on the net?

How do you keep your kids safe on the net these days? How can you keep a computer safe for research projects and still have it safe? Can you block it from yahoo answers, my space and email while you are gone? Are there educational DVDs that are effective to train kids about internet dangers? The internet is wonderful and some kids are okay with it, but how do we keep it safe for kids and teens? I know as a kid I was a latch key kid and if I had to wait until my parents got home to do my homework it would have never gotten done.

Public Comments

1. AOL has a kids/teens setting for my son, so I've allowed him to have the teen setting and I block certain sites that might otherwise get through, such as MySpace. When a site get's blocked, he can option to email me the site and I can approve or deny it. I've found that it's pretty good at blocking stuff. I also put a spam blocker on his email. I've blocked his ability to chatrooms. He can only IM people I've given him permission to. This is all controlled through my screen name and he can't get to it.
2. this is my favorite so far: http://www.mykidsbrowser.com you should also make sure they can't download anything - including messengers. set up their own login accounts on your computer without admin rights - should do the trick.. check out safekids.com for more great info.
3. You need to educate your child. If you really don't trust them, buy parental control software. "What kind of things are parents doing to keep kids safe on the net?" Parents usually do nothing because they do not care.
4. use parental controls to block those sites you don't want your kids to view. There are programs available like net nanny that monitor and controls what you allow your kids to see. Constantly check the history on your computer and keeps tabs on what They are doing on it. Punish them if they go into areas they are not allowed to go in.
5. Go to http://www.salfeld.com/ and download a software called Child Control 2006. Using this software you can control the amount of time you child spend on the internet. You can also set the websites your child can visit, etc. It is not free, however, can only try it out for free for 30 days then decide if you want to buy it.