What Is Parental Control Software?

The Internet opened up a whole new world for many of us, and most of us have enjoyed discovering its landscapes, but our children are also curious and this can create problems for us and for them because much of what we see on the Internet isn't something we would want our children to see. Sometimes, we land on sites we didn't intend and our kids might have the same experience; which is the last thing you want to happen.

Because children are getting on the Internet at younger and younger ages these days (many children are using the computer and accessing the Internet at the age of 2), it's important that you understand the risks that exist for your kids when using the Internet.

The most important thing you can do is to be aware of what your child is doing. Just being involved is perhaps the single most important thing you can do. Most experts will recommend that you keep the computer in a public area, like the family room, so you can see what your kids are doing on the computer. But what happens when your adolescent or teenage child is home alone and you're at work or shopping? How can you be sure that he or she is safe while online?

Thankfully, there are a number of tools you can use to keep your children safe and to monitor their movements while online.

Internet Filters
Software that's designed for filtering can block specific websites or keywords contained on the websites. Parents can program the software to block specific sites, or they can choose keywords (either on their own or from a pre-set list) that should not be allowed. Sites containing those keywords will automatically be restricted. When a child tries to access one of these restricted websites, he or she will get a "HTTP 404 Page Not Found" message, or something similar.

Parents can also set up the software to restrict certain kinds of communication like email, access to newsgroups and instant messaging.
Of course, nothing is perfect. It's impossible for a database to be up-to-date since new websites are uploaded to the web every single day, but these filters can give parents a small amount of peace of mind that their children are at least safer online.

Another kind of software can restrict the use of the computer to certain times of the day, or it can be configured to shut down the computer at specific times or when a particular amount of data has been downloaded from the Internet. In fact, this can be done through Windows, but most home users don't have the computer skills to set it all up.

Web Browsers
You can increase your childs online security just by changing browsers. Some browsers are designed specifically with the restrictions we've talked about in mind, so you can simply add the browser to your computer, require that your child use it, and feel more confident that your child is safe. These browsers can be easier for kids to use than the popular choices like Internet Explorer and Firefox, but remember that Internet Explorer can't be un-installed from Windows and if your child is at all computer-savvy, he or she can figure out how to use it, so always be on guard.

Are you worried about what your kids are getting up to online when you're not around? The only way you can be sure they're not getting up to no good online is by installing parental control software on your computer. Find out what choices you have by clicking over to www.CPUSecurity.com