Internet Filters Tips
To filter or not to filter?
- Nearly 3 out of 4 parents of kids 9 and up who use the Internet at home say they know "a lot" about what their kids are doing online
- A 2005 survey of kids 12 to 17 and their parents showed that 54% were using Internet filters
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Advice and Answers
Using Internet filters, blocks, and monitoring software
Kids are curious, and just as when they were toddlers, bound to get into things you’d rather they didn’t. Without certain measures in place, your kids can access everything on the Web. And though nothing can replace your guidance and vigilance, there are some tools out there to help you make sure your kids are see¬ing the better things the Internet has to offer.What are they?
Filtering and blocking programs prevent access to Web sites based on key words or site names:
- An Internet filter is a software or hardware product that prevents kids (or anyone) from getting access to content on Web sites that may not be appropriate. It works by using keywords, and it filters out sites defined by those words. Every search engine has filter options built in, as do all Internet Service Providers.
- Blocking software blocks access to sites designated as “bad.” Some companies let users customize their lists, but most search engine blocks and filters rely on pre-screening.
Blocks and filters are not foolproof. People find ways of getting around the programs that also often deny access to perfectly acceptable material.
Monitoring and tracking programs capture and record where kids go online, how much time they spend, and what goes on in IM chats. They can also be used to manage time spent on the computer.
Why they matter
The Internet is the hardest environment when it comes to restricting access to age-appropriate information and images. In an unfiltered environment, kids can (and will) type “sex” or “drugs” or “Lindsay Lohan” into their Yahoo! or Google search boxes and come up with all sorts of sites you would rather they never visited. But even the most innocent searches can retrieve unintended results. (This is doubly true when kids search for images.) This urge for exploration is entirely age-appropriate for middle schoolers and older. For younger kids, given the explicit nature of some sites, you might want to investigate filters or programs that direct kids to safe sites.Parent tips for all kids
Parent tips for elementary school kids
Parent tips for middle and high school kids
- Don’t depend on filters alone. Savvy kids can defeat filters. Good old-fashioned parenting and Internet safety rules must be part of the picture. This means being clear about what is and isn’t acceptable.
- Check histories. By middle school, your kids will have outgrown filters. Check where they’ve been going by clicking on the arrow next to the address bar or by going into the menu and clicking on history. That will show you which sites have been visited r ecently.
- Check in. Periodically ask your kids to show you what they’ve found that they like. You want to make sure your kids feel comfortable coming to you if something on a site that bothers them. Make sure kids know to check in if they see something that’s hateful, pornographic, or violent.
- Monitoring software has plusses and minuses. If you don’t think your kids are using good judgment, monitoring software will help you figure out if your suspicions are warranted. But your kids will think you are spying on them if they find out.
Kids can get past philters like tearing thorugh a piece of paper. PHILTERS DONT WORK. WHEN WILL YOU LEARN!
I just purchased software that resticts internet use and time spent as well as track and report IMs and social netowrks activity.No sooner did I have it installed than it popped up and blocked a website. I had to explain to my 12 yr old it was for her protection and safety. There were tears and complaints but ultimately I felt we needed some restrictions. I look at it like a bike helmet, or seat belt. Protection from what is out there, not a lack of trust. The internet has amazing information out there but it seems the kids get exposed to way too much garbage. Innocent internet searches turn up porn. She accidently came accross a porn picture and was upset for days at the image. She may be mad now but deep down she knows I love her and will protect and take care of her.
I've pretty much covered all my bases even if my parents didn't trust me. Any intrusion is monitored on my computer with multiple kinds of protections and its easy enough to tell when parent's install rouge software to spy on you, even one's advertised as "hidden". Anyways, any parent putting spy software on their teen's computers is going to get what the expect, and they shouldn't be surprised at all if it includes violence stuff, language-filled videos, and sexual sites. Its what teens do, and if you punish them severely, they're just going to make it worse on you. Not all, and in fact most, teens are automatically turned into the so called "evil, murderous, and perverted" teens that parents and news media tells us. Teens enjoy these things because they are interesting subjects, they want to explore sexual activity for obvious reasons, they are beginning their sexual lives, and there is nothing wrong with that, every generation experiments, we just do it differently than the last. Teens also enjoy most videos on sites like youtube that most likely have language and violence. As long as teens can differentiate right from wrong, they aren't going to act out what they see. Unless your teen is acting wrongly in public, or they are cursing freely in front of you, or acting sexually when not in private, then you have NO RIGHT to spy on your teen. Younger children? Sure, but teens? No. I did a 2000 word research paper on how violent, sexual, and suggestive media content is not a direct form of influence for most teens for 11th grade and got a perfect mark on it. I've also experienced all these things, and I have never shown any childish acts of violence, sexual abuse, or overuse of profanity. My advice to overprotective parents: let your teens have some fun and relax! (Although knowing some types of disturbing and unrational parents I bet that some think that I am some kind of "demon" trying to trick you. What a joke.)
honestly, i've known how to delete my computer history, disable filters and blocks, and keep my search histories hidden since i was in 5th grade. there are proxy servers, redirects.
we aren't stupid.
For elementary grades 3-4 the kids have learned how to do this. If you try to put spy ware it'll be pretty obvious because 1. The program icon 2. if they play games they would see dramatic changes in game speed. The history is no big yay. Kids can easily delete history to what they want and philters can be gotten rid of extremely easily. Monitering by coming in will not help. They can close a web page in a blink of an eye. You might say " what are you looking at" and the next blink there off the internet. These tips don't rely on. Commonsense.com, some things you're right about...some things your dead off. Your kids will be exposed to all this stuff at school. It's only natural. Let what happens happen. Unless you see major behavioral issues or language dont be worried.
its easy to find, any kid who has any tech skills can do it, the nine year old across the street can find spy software, even worse, your AV can find it for them
The word budget has gotten a bum rap. It is basically just a plan. When you budget, you're spending on paper, on purpose, before the month begins. But many people view a budget as a straight jacket that keeps them constrained. Internet life has a lot of tools at the user's disposal, like faxless payday loans and a cornucopia of budgeting tools that are easy to get at. Running a budget or getting a payday loan if you need one can be such a pain, but there are faxless payday loans that you can apply for over the internet. There are also a bevy of websites that have a lot of great guidelines for budgeting, tips and tricks that will help anyone run a balanced budget, and make meeting financial goals a piece of cake. Also, a good deal of these sites are set up to especially help out younger people, so those that need the most advice can get it in terms they can understand.
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