QuickOverview

by Jennifer Grant

The Internet was founded on the principles of free speech and global communication, and that's a great thing, in theory. But one negative result is that anyone, anywhere, has the ability to post things that can be harmful to kids.

One of the biggest problems in this area has been with adult sites. The term "obscenity" is legally vague, and when it comes to the Internet, it gets even more so. While the majority of adult site owners would be horrified at the thought of children viewing their content, there are a few vocal offenders who show little regard for the fact that kids use the Internet, too.

So what's a concerned parent to do? There is a multi-billion dollar market for online porn, so it's not going to just go away. But there is good news. You can stop the flood of smut before your kids get to it, using inexpensive software with lots of sophisticated features. If you are a parent who enjoys adult sites, you can customize the controls to keep your kids from seeing what you see. You can also protect them from online hazards such as divulging their personal information.

Before you choose a software package, talk with your children about the Internet. Learn how to use the Internet and the computer yourself. Let your kids know that you will be monitoring them, and that it's for their safety. Explain that there are rules for children online, and you intend to enforce them. It's also helpful to let kids know that if they accidentally view an adult site, the best thing to do is tell you immediately. The most important thing to remember about parental control software is that while it can be extremely helpful, it's no substitute for active parenting.

There are lots of packages available, but a few stand out above the rest. Many offer free trials. At the very least, your software should do the following.

• Prevent downloading of objectionable web content using a frequently updated filtering system.
• Contain an e-mail filtering system.
• Block access to chat and instant messaging, including the uploading and downloading of files, especially pictures.
• Limit the time your children spend online.
• Block objectionable material from search engine results.
• Contain security settings that prevent kids from overriding blocks.
• E-mail daily reports of your kids' online activity.

In addition, the controls should be easy to use, and you should be able to manually override the settings.

Some ISPs like AOL and MSN provide their own parental controls as part of your subscription, so you should take advantage of these, too.

Many anti-porn software packages also will stop things like spyware and adware. But you should still have separate software installed for general protection:

Popup blockers - Google has a good free one.
Spyware blockers - Spybot is an excellent product.
Adware blockers - Adaware removes ads and tracking cookies.

Also remember that e-mail filtering systems in parental control software do not block all spam, just objectionable material. Some work with web-based e-mail, and others work with Outlook and similar programs, so make sure you choose the one that's right for you. It's always wise to use another e-mail spam filtering program in conjunction with parental controls.

Top Parental Controls

Here are the top software packages. They are all about the same in terms of blocking inappropriate content, but each has its own unique features.

Net Nanny
www.netnanny.com
$39.95, no subscription fees, periodic free upgrades

This is one of the most popular programs. It has been around for a long time, and has a wide install base. It is highly customizable, and has the unique feature of blocking online games. It also has a good e-mail scanning system that allows you to read a message without the offensive parts.

Cybersitter
www.cybersitter.com
$39.95, no subscription fees, upgrades are extra

This program has won the coveted PC Magazine Editor's Choice award for four years in a row. A nice feature of Cybersitter is that it will scan your hard drive for inappropriate material downloaded with or without your children's knowledge. This is great for catching things that may fall through the cracks. There is also no warning screen when kids come across adult material while browsing; instead they get a blank page or a "page not found" message. This means kids won't know when they're being blocked, so the chances of them overriding security settings are reduced. (Children are often more computer literate than their parents.) Remote controls are available with a separate download.

CyberPatrol
www.cyberpatrol.com
$39.95, annual subscription, free upgrades

This program used to be a little weak on the reporting features, but a new version has been released with secure monitoring and logging. CyberPatrol also protects against accessing certain programs on your hard drive, like games or home finance software. It filters web-based e-mail, but not messages downloaded to your local drive via Outlook or a similar e-mail client. With a subscription service, you can be assured you're getting the latest filters that block new sites.

ContentWatch
www.contentwatch.com
$29.95 annual subscription, free upgrades

Content Watch is not as well known, but it is just as powerful as the leading packages. It's perfect for busy parents, due to its advanced remote capabilities. You can change settings and view your kids' online activity from any other computer that has Internet access. It even lets you know instantly, via e-mail, if your kids are attempting to override your security settings. If you work or travel frequently, Content Watch might be the software for you.

It also has dynamic filtering, which means some sites with objectionable material (like a violent news story) might be blocked at one point, but are later accessible. Another unique feature of ContentProtect is that it contains sophisticated filtering for foreign language web sites, an area in which the other top products fall short.