Ever wondered about adding a web filter or parental controls to your home PC(s) to keep your children from visiting inappropriate web sites? Or have you dismissed them since “any smart kid can get around filters with a few clicks?” Here’s a recent review of 9 popular web filters, their filtering accuracy and security, including testing if they can still be bypassed by “a kid who knows his way around a computer.”
If you are considering using a web filter, or are currently doing so, you will probably find this article helpful since it just finished independently testing and rating the current version of nine commercial web filtering packages. Each is rated on a 5 star basis, plus the full review of each package is also available for those who like details. The article:
GetParentalControls.org Internet Filtering Review Roundup
I found this article on Twitter from @DailyParentTip and @ShapingYouth
Yes, the “good ole days” regarding limiting young kids on the web. Yes things have changed, eh. The kids aren’t as young anymore, they are using the web at school for research, their interests are ever-growing, and they are becoming much more computer literate. Hence the niche for these services. When my daughter reaches the minimum legal age to use Facebook (13 yrs), it sounds like I’ll have another “parental consequences” option, based upon your experience. 🙂
Wow, that is great. Things have come a long way. I remember when my kids were young (I got this idea from you Doug) I created a specialized home page and it had links to only the sites I considered safe for my kids. They didn’t know how to go anywhere else on the Internet without the links I provided so it was an easy solution. Now days, if I want to scare my kids to death with parental consequences, I just threaten to take Facebook away. They become so well behaved.