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What Do I need to know about the Safety of Children Online?

Thanks to Microsoft - Oct/Nov 2001

The Internet can be as wild as the old West, so it's best to be mindful of where you go and what you do. If you're not cautious of where you surf on the Internet, you could find yourselves browsing sites with content that may not be appropriate for you and your family.

Filtering Tools

Parents may want to take advantage of parental control software programs. Filtering tools, in particular, are useful for helping to keep your child from be exposed to objectionable content. Filtering tools work in two primary ways:

Denying access to Web sites known to provide adult content, promote hate or graphic violence, or serve up other content considered inappropriate for children. The list of sites considered inappropriate is routinely updated and can be manually downloaded to the software on your computer or, depending on the tool you are using, checked dynamically by the browser while in use.
Prescanning a target Web site for inappropriate words -- like "sex" or "guns." Some tools block the entire page based on those words; that is, the page itself would not be visible because it contains those words. Other filtering systems provide more context sensitivity and attempt to distinguish adult sites oriented toward "breasts" from medical sites oriented toward a discussion of "breast cancer." Most of these filters allow parents to turn off or edit the keyword list.

Some filters apply to Web sites only. Others can be used in conjunction with e-mail, chat, instant message systems, and newsgroups, too. Most of the tools employing either of these approaches provide override features that enable a parent to authorize access to a blocked site on a case-by-case basis.

For more information on third-party content filtering tools, visit the following sites.

Cyberangels.org

Cyberangels.org provides privacy and security tips, and includes reviews and links to third-party content blocking and filtering tools.

GetNetWise

The GetNetWise site provides many privacy and security tips, links to kids’ sites, and reviews and links to third-party content blocking and filtering tools.

SafeKids.Com

SafeKids.Com provides tips, advice, and suggestions to make your family's online experience fun and productive. It also lists great sites for kids, parents and teachers, provides filtered search engines, and links to third-party content blocking and filtering tools.

SafeTeens.Com

The SafeTeens.Com site provides tips, advice, and suggestions to make your teen’s online experience fun and productive. It also lists great sites for teens, parents, and teachers, provides limited or filtered search engines, and links to third-party content blocking and filtering tools.