A Guide to
Internet Safety
The
Internet has much to offer you and your children, but the trouble is getting the
informative and fun stuff without the adult content. The Internet can help your
children with homework, allow your kids to meet other children on-line, let them explore
new things, and it allows them to publish their ideas on the web. All of these great
benefits can also lead to problems. On the Internet, your kids have the potential of
meeting strangers with unknown agendas. The best way to protect your children is to talk
with them about the Internet, its dangers, and most importantly - the numerous benefits
that can be discovered on-line.
There
are now many lines of defense that can make the Internet a helpful tool for all the
members of your family. They include parent filtering tools and knowing where to
surf. We cover these subjects in this week's feature.
Parent
Filtering Programs
There are several
programs available that act as a filter between your children and the Internet. Filtering
programs work by reading the Web Page requested and determining through the phrase and
words found on that page weather it is objectionable or not. Some filtering programs also
maintain list of some objectionable URLs. If you attempt to link to any of these sites you
will either be blocked (not allowed to bring up the page) or redirected to some random,
less objectionable site (i.e. Disney).
Below are four of
the most popular and highly rated Parental Filters available. CNET rated
Cyber Patrol as the number one filtering program, while ZDnet gave
the thumbs up to Cyber Snoop. We've included both of those and two other popular filtering
programs on the local server to allow your download times to be very quick (beep,
beep!!).
Login Software
Sometimes, the best
defense is right in front of you. Your computer's boot-up screen and your
Operating System allow you to have a password to gain access. Setting up your computer to
require a login is simple, and can put you in control of your computer and your child's
access to the Internet.
The computer
start-up Login (BIOS Login) is part of your computer's basic system. Even without
any operating system, your computer can have a BIOS Login. This varies from computer to
computer, but often it can be accessed when you start your computer. During the start-up
one of the first screens you'll see will prompt you to enter Setup by pressing a certain
key - usually F2 or F1. Within this Setup menu, you'll find information on how to set up
your BIOS password. It's extremely important that
you never forget this password. You may have to return your computer to the manufacture
for resetting if you do.
Another, and more
common, line of defense is the Operating System's Login. Windows 95, 98, & NT
all allow you to set-up Login passwords. Once set-up whenever someone starts your
operating system, they will be prompted for a password before they can proceed.
Setting up the Windows Login is found by going to the
Control Panel, and then select the Passwords icon:  .
Know Where To Surf
With
the vast size of the Internet finding safe places for your children to surf the Web is
half the battle. You know they're out there... but finding them through all the
junk can be time-consuming. We have collected some safe kid Web Sites that will keep your
children (and you) busy for hours. Below
is a short list - check out our complete list of kid friendly sites in our Kid Stuff section off from our Around Town area.
Berit's Best Sites for Children
A well-organized listing of some of
the better web sites for kids.
Yahooligans
Yahoo's own search engine for kids.
Seussville
Home of Dr. Seuss's Seussville.
Nickelodeon
One of the few channels kids and adults
love.
PBS Kids
The home of tons of kid shows.
Other Links of Interest
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