Spying On Your Kid's Internet Time

There are many methods to control your child's Internet time. I'll reveal one easy way that is free of charge and produces immediate results.

The Problem

Parents today should be vigilant about knowing what their children are doing when they are connected to the World Wide Web. There are many options to prevent their children from visiting undesirable Internet addresses when they are online. Each of the options has its strengths and its weaknesses, but there is one method that stands out above all the other ways for maximum effectiveness.

For adults who throw up their hands and claim it is too difficult to keep track of what their children are doing online, I have a comparison that they can pay attention to Would they have a similar response argument if the topic was playing with matches on the parlor floor? Then why is the discussion of computer usage any different?

Age Warnings

Age warnings or age verification checks on Internet sites cover the webmaster from a legal standpoint for excluding those who are not old enough to view the site's content. Of course, from a teen's point of view, those filters only make the site more appealing and they no doubt check off the age box in whatever way will let them into the site.

Blocking Access

Leading search engines and a number of ISP's have "parental locks" similar to the V-Chip on TV's. The purpose of these is to block access to sites that have inappropriate material. Parents can set up search engine home pages to only provide acceptable content. There are usually levels of "safety" that you can choose.

Parents also spend money on Internetfiltering software like CyberPatrol, K9 Web Protection, ContentBarrier, and other similar products. While filtering is probably pretty effective, computer filtering software has its share of quirks too. The usual example is that the filters block viewing of medical or medical related information such as thoat belonging to various breast cancer foundations because those sites make reference to anatomy.

Going Higher Hi-Tech

For an even more-high-tech solution, there are software programs known as keyloggers. Keyloggers record what has been typed on a keyboard and can retrieve that information. Essentially, keyloggers are allowing you} to learn what has been typed on a keyboard after the fact. There are other programs that can record everything that takes place on a particularcomputer including, instant Messanging conversations, e-mail messages, e-mails, email conversations sent and received, pictures viewed, and URL's visited. Some programs even allow you to create a system to let someone know when a violation occurs such as a kid visiting a websites that a parent or guardian has instructed him or her not to visit.

Any or all of the above ideas may contribute to a parent's overall plan to protect his or her children from the threats of the modern online world, but there is still one more method that every parent should implement .

Your Best Bet

The easiest solution is absolutely the most obvious one, which means that is easily overlooked. It only takes one sentence; it fosters family unity and it's free. Ready? Put the computer directly in the middle of the main room of the house!

Would you like a minute to get over the shock of this suggestion? I warned you that the brilliance would be in the simplicity. I'm sure you can imagine the look of terror on your son's face and the screams of protest from your daughter that you are ruining her life and totally invading her privacy with this act of parental treason. You will have to deal with the arguments that your kid's friend's parents let them have their computer access in their own rooms.

Appropriate parenting skills should never be based on the neighbors and the rules they set for their teenagers unless they are exemplary role models as parents. If that describes your situation, I can practically guarantee that your their teenagers won’t be begging you to imitate their parenting methods.

Parents, stay strong and don't be afraid to get that computer front and center in the parlor right now and you will never again have to wonder what your kids post on their MySpace pages and with whom they are chatting via IM.