Buy and install so-called filtering software
HOW IT WORKS: These programs work in conjunction with your Internet browser, springing into action when the browser is launched. From there, most filters compare the Internet address of each site your child tries to access against its own list of on- and off-limits sites, blocking access to the no-no sites.
PROS: For a first line of defense, home filters make sense, since they block 80 to 90 percent of inappropriate content.
CONS: First, none of them are fail-safe; we've tried several and found weak spots in each, and at least one Web site offers step-by-step instructions for hacking around the more popular filters. Second, even though users can download updated lists of approved and unapproved sites as often as every day, no company can keep up with even a fraction of the new sites that appear online daily. And for older students trying to legitimately access a brand-new resource or some of the more obscure yet still safe corners of cyberspace, constant denials can prove frustrating; if a site is not on your filter's "okay" list, it won't let you see it. And although all security software can be overridden by parents, okaying and enabling sites on a case-by-case basis is pretty time consuming. Lastly, some parents may chafe at allowing a third party to decide what is and isn't appropriate for their kids.
BOTTOM LINE: This might be an answer for kids in grades four through six--they're old enough to want access to a variety of sites, but not yet old enough to actively seek out trouble. If you go this route, make sure that the software you choose also does each of the following:
•Supports multiple users, so that you can customize it for each child in your family.
•Provides regularly updated blocking lists. You ought to investigate what updates will cost, because some companies charge for them, and some don't.
•Blocks access to, or filters chat.
•Blocks or filters e-mail--both incoming and outgoing--since another danger for Internet-using kids is providing personal information to strangers posing as friends.
•Blocks downloads, including pictures, text files or programs containing viruses.
All filtering software claims to be the best, but the two we prefer and that meet all the above criteria are Cyber Patrol (The Learning Company; Windows, Mac; $30) and Net Nanny 4 (Net Nanny International, Inc.; Windows; download version $35, boxed copy $50 includes free monthly updates).
