With the age of the Internet comes many advantages and many disadvantages. While there is a world of information just a few clicks away, there are also many dangers that lay in wait for our children. Without proper parental supervision what is to stop a child from stumbling on age inappropriate website that arent meant for their young eyes.

Teaching children from a very young age how to properly use the Internet is key. They need to understand that just as they must protect themselves and their personal information from strangers in the real world, so too must they on the Internet. Understanding that the Internet is anything but anonymous is vital, and keeping information such as age, gender, and where they live secret is of utmost importance.

However, as children get older we cant monitor their every move, and parents feel less and less in control of where their children are surfing to on the web. Luckily, there is some excellent parental control software available that can help keep your children safe when online.

Filters

Many companies use filter software, and now it is available to the at-home customer. Filtering software works by blocking website that contains certain keywords. You can choose which categories, such as pornographic, are off limits and the software will do the rest.

Furthermore, filter software can be used for much more than just website blocking. If you want to prevent your child from file sharing via peer-to-peer hosting, messaging, email, or newsgroups, you can do it all with some initial software setup.

Filters must constantly be updating their databases with current information, and with all the new websites constantly going up it is impossible to block every single one. But anyone who has used filter software can attest for the most part is does its job.

If you want to take it one step further you can purchase software which will document your childs computer and Internet usage. Not only can you see what websites have been viewed, but in some cases you can even see what has been typed.

Many parents are resorting to computer software which will automatically shut the computer off during certain times of the day. This prevents children from using the Internet unsupervised.

Another option is software which will automatically hide personal information such as name and address.

There are also some browsers which claim to be child safe, but most children will find it easy to locate and use an alternate browser.