Filtering Options

The Internet Watch
Foundation's guide to safe
use of the Internet. This
will help you find the best
advice on the Net about its
dangers for young users,
and how to avoid them.

Filtering porn? Maybe,
maybe not

Shielding kids from the Web's dark
side isn't a science yet

protect your kids

So you feel that dangers lurk on the Internet and you want to protect
your kids. The obvious solution is to get an Internet filter, software
that blocks users from pornography, hate sites, chat rooms and
giving out personal information. But beware: There are at least 120
filtering options out there and no consensus on what works best.

SOFTWARE THAT WILL keep your kids off naughty Web sites
— including Cyber Patrol, Cyber Sitter, Net Nanny, McAfee's Guard
Dog and Internet Security 2000 — is readily available at a
reasonable price.

All of these programs and many others keep a database of adult
Web sites and block access to them after they are downloaded.
Each program leaves the level of censorship up to you by offering a
variety of categories to choose from such as sex, hate or violence.
Some programs allow parents to spy on which sites their child has
visited or to limit the times when the kids are able to dial out to the
Internet. Still others offer options that warn of violations or even shut
down the browser when a taboo site is reached.