Protecting Kids from Online Pornography and Other Dangers

Just Click "NO" Millions upon millions of children are surfing the World Wide Web these days. Yet studies indicate that only one in five parents use parental controls to protect their kids from inappropriate content. Parents concerned about what their children can see online have several options to filter out adult material. Sit With Children The foolproof way to filter is to supervise the children while they are online. Of course, parents cannot be around their children 24 hours a day, so a parent may want to install passwords, so the Internet cannot be accessed without the parent entering the password.

Another option is having the computer dealer install a key on the computer making it impossible to turn on the computer without a parent using the key. At the very least, place the computer in a public place, where you can see what is being accessed. Install Software Software has been written to filter the Web by blocking sites known to harbor explicit material. There is also software available that will track every key stroke that is made and every site that is visited. See the Christian Computing Magazine web site for up-to-date information.

On their web site look for their "Safe Site" section. Use the Parental Controls of Your Online Service Most of the major Internet connection services offer parental control options for no additional cost beyond standard subscription fees. Look for these controls and turn them on. Call your Internet provider, if you need help. Use a Christian ISP Another solution that really can't be defeated is to use a Christian Internet Service Provider.

These companies BLOCK porn sites at an ISP level, so you simply cannot go to inappropriate sites. It is like accessing an Internet that does NOT contain porn. The cost of these Internet Service Providers is comparable to other secular services. For some suggested Christian Internet Service Providers see the Christian Computing Magazine web site. Look for their "Safe Site" section.

We suggest that you use one of these first, and then add some filtering software to help protect in the areas of email and chat. Use one that has the ability to check in and out going text for inappropriate words. Some Sites Get Kids to Give Out Personal Information Watch for sites that lure kids with prizes and games and get them to reveal personal information about themselves and their families. The fun and games are really secondary to information gathering. These sites can extract the following information from a child: Name, age, address, city, state, school, grade, names and ages of siblings, number of family members, favorite TV shows, favorite musicians and favorite hobbies.

Once this information is divulged, so-called "cookies" can be deposited on your disk drive. Like tapping a telephone, cookies enable a marketing site to document your interests. Marketers can then microtarget advertisements to individual demographic profiles and compile a database that can be sold to direct-advertising firms. The Center for Media Education has the following recommendations: Teach your kids never to give out personal information in cyberspace, just as they shouldn't speak to strangers. Make other parents aware of the dangers of online marketing targeted at kids.

Email complaint letters to the Federal Trade Commission. Supervise your children's time online, and make sure that schools aren't allowing kids access to commercial sites. Find interesting noncommercial sites to visit. [Like our suggested Kids and Teens sites.] Other web site articles on this topic: Protecting Teens Online.

pdf Chatting With Strangers This Could Happen to You Handling Pornography from the Internet