Protecting Your Child Online

Spector PRO 5.0

Operating Systems: Windows 98/NT 4.0 or above/2000/Me/XP
Price: $99.95

Benefits:

NetNanny 5.1

Operating Systems: Windows 98/Me/2000 Professional/XP Home or Professional/NT 4.0 with SP4 or greater
Price: $39.95

Benefits:

Which program should you choose? If you listen to the critics, Cybersitter is the clear winner for sheer flexibility and effectiveness. PC Magazine has named Cybersitter its Editors' Choice as the best filtering program. In the monitoring category, the magazine picked Spector Pro in both 2002 and 2004.

Reviews are great guides, but also think about your needs when considering a program. Ask yourself what features you'd like the program to have, whether it works on your computer platform, how much it costs, and how easy it is to use.

And remember—no program, no matter how good, is 100 percent guaranteed. In 2001, Consumer Reports tested out several filters and found that nearly all of them failed to block one out of every five objectionable sites. Additionally, most programs mistakenly filtered educational or harmless content. Although most companies have updated their programs in the past three years, these problems persist.

Other Ways to Protect Your Kids Online

Even the best software program can't replace a parent's watchful eye. Just as you ask your kids where they are going when they leave the house, you need to know where they are going every time they venture online. Open communication is also essential, says Aftab. "Know that some sites will get through, so you need to talk to your kids and tell them what to do when things come through that they shouldn't see."

Here are a few tips for keeping tabs on your kids while they're using the Internet:

• Until your child is at least seven, surf with her or stay close by. Consider using one of the programs listed above to limit her access to sites that you approve of.
  
  
• When she is old enough to surf on her own, keep the computer in a common area, such as the family room, so you can keep an eye on her while she is online. If you can't always be around to watch your child surf, regularly ask her about the sites she visits and check to see whether she's had any strange or uncomfortable experiences while surfing.
  
  
• If you suspect that your child has been visiting inappropriate sites, monitor the browser History on your toolbar for a list of her past visits.
  
  
• Remind your child never to share any personal information online—that includes her name, phone number, address, birthday, or picture. Also warn her against setting up a face-to-face meeting with anyone she meets online.
  
  
• Keep a list of kid-friendly sites handy. Netwise has collected a big list of educational and appropriate content at: http://kids.getnetwise.org/kidsites//. Alternately, you can use one of the kid-friendly portals as a launching pad for your children's online activities. They include:
  • Yahooligans
  • Ask Jeeves for Kids
  • KidsClick!

  For more helpful child Internet safety resources, visit:
  
  

  • A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety
    
  • SafeKids.com
    
  • WiredKids