Beyond the Office [Internet Tips: Keep the Web Safe for All Ages - 09/06/2005]

September 6th, 2005

Internet Tips: Keep the Web Safe for All Ages

Contributing Editor Scott Spanbauer

You wouldn't allow your young children to watch "Sex in the City,"
would you? Then why give them unimpeded access to the Web, where much
more salacious content is just a Google away?

Until you're ready to let go and allow your children to use their own
common sense when it comes to the dark side of the Net, you have to
protect them--and doing so is easy, with just a little thought.

You may be tempted to buy a commercial Internet-filtering product such
as Solid Oak Software's $40 Cybersitter or SurfControl's $40
CyberPatrol:

Cybersitter
http://www.cybersitter.com/cybinfo.htm

CyberPatrol
http://www.cyberpatrol.com/Default.aspx?id=85&mnuid=2

These programs employ antivirus-like databases of known sites and
content to block objectionable Web sites, newsgroups, and other
Internet sources. They also log your child's online activities.

Parental-control software makes sense in some households, but I see
domestic surveillance as a last resort. Our "Consumer Watch"
columnist, Anne Kandra, has a slightly different opinion, however.
Read "Should Parents Become Big Brother?" to see what she has to say:
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article...,tk,box,00.asp

Regardless of where you come down on the issue, before you institute
blanket home censorship and snooping on the family PC give these less
intrusive browse-control tools and techniques a try.

Out in the Open

First, clearly express to your children--in age-appropriate
terms--your family's values with regard to sexuality and violence in
the media and online. If doing so seems like a tall order, read the Be
Web Aware coalition's tips for parents on how to shield kids from
Internet pornography:
http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/pornography.aspx

On the left side of the page are links to "Safety Tips by Age,"
including pointers on topics such as how much your child needs to know
and is likely to comprehend. The site also offers information about
violent content, hate speech, online predators, and many other
Internet dangers.

Next, examine your children's access to the Internet. If they have
their own computer with an unfiltered Internet connection that they
can use behind their closed bedroom door, you might as well set them
free to roam the local video store. I respect my children's privacy,
but it's also my job to defend them from online predators and from
violent or addictive material, such as some online games. Keeping
their computing out in the open on a shared computer makes that job
possible. Allowing them to use the PC in complete privacy makes it
impossible.

If you're unsure whether your child will be safe using the Internet
unsupervised, state explicitly when it's okay for them to surf and
when it's not. If you need help enforcing your policy, many firewall
products, as well as the parental controls offered by America Online
and MSN, allow you to specify the hours when a particular user or PC
may go online. Naturally, your child may be more knowledgeable about
configuring (or bypassing) such controls than you are, so do your
homework and become an expert.

Read my December 2003 column, "Ultimate Network Security: How to
Install a Firewall," for instructions on locking down your network
(the version numbers have changed, but the steps are the same):
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article...,tk,box,00.asp

But don't clamp down the connection without explaining your concerns
to your children and coming up with a safety plan; otherwise, you'll
just shoo them away to look elsewhere for unfettered Internet access.

Block Spam and Pop-Ups

Sexual predators sometimes use e-mail and online chat to entice their
victims. Much spam is also X-rated. If they aren't absolutely
necessary, avoid creating e-mail and chat accounts for your kids.
(Cell phones are safer because, so far, they're relatively porn-free.)
If your child needs to use e-mail (because of school, for example), be
sure to set up a good spam blocker, such as Firetrust's $37 MailWasher
Pro; click here for the free 30-day trial version:
http://www.firetrust.com/firetrustmwpro_download.html

Blocking browser pop-up windows is another way to reduce your
children's likelihood of seeing porn. To block all pop-ups in Internet
Explorer 6, click Tools, Pop-up Blocker, Turn on Pop-up Blocker. If
you use Firefox, choose Tools, Options, select Web Features, check
Block Popup Windows, and click OK.

For more tips, visit PC World's Info Center for Windows at:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/info...,tk,box,00.asp

Send questions and tips to Scott Spanbauer at:
nettips at spanbauer.com

Read Scott Spanbauer's regularly published "Internet Tips" columns:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/colu...7,tk,sr,00.asp


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"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."
-- Andrew Carnegie, 19th-century robber baron