The internet is a source for all kinds of information. However that information can be accessed by any person, including your child. The problem is that they might gain access to inappropriate material or they might mistakenly send personal information such as credit cards to potential criminals.
To prevent the scenarios above it is important to educate a child early. From the age of two a child can be attracted to the internet, and so parents should be around to direct their attention to appropriate sites.
Older children are harder to monitor. As teenagers they could possibly be involved in dangerous activities such as chatting with predators or obtaining access to pornography. And some teenagers may post information and pictures about them selves which make it easy for predators to get to them.
To reduce these risks it would help if you are monitoring your child activities online. It would also help if you are interested in the sites your child visits. Keep the computer in a public place such as the family room.
Unfortunately, you can’t be there all the time so if you are at work or running errands you need another system that can help your out and make sure you know what your child is viewing. There are several software or hardware packages you can purchase that will monitor your child’s viewing. These tend to cost very little and there are free packets available along with tips on how to reduce their access.
Filters
Filters software prevents access to certain sites by using certain keywoods. The parents are able to select what they want restricted or they can make use of the list available. The vendor obtains a list of sites with pornographic or inappropriate material and it is continuously updated. If a child tries to get into one of these sites, the message that pops up is “HTTP 404 Page not Found” or something similar to that.
Jeff Clark is a staff writer at Technology Digest and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Games Enthusiast. |
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