Nowadays, parents must be computer-savvy to find out what’s really going on in their child’s world.
Gone are the days when parents can find out if their child has been ‘up to no good’ lately by sneaking into their room and reading their diary that’s hidden under the mattress. The modern day scenario is sneaking into your child’s room and accessing their computer, lap top or cell phone – granted, you have access to their username and password – to find out what your child has been up to recently.
Worst case scenario
The internet ranks as one of the top resources to find out whom or what your child is involved with or interested in. By all means, I’m not suggesting that you become a virtual ‘spy’ on your kids; respecting your child’s privacy and maintaining their trust in you, as a parent, is of the utmost importance. If there is no cause for concern, there is no need to worry. But if you have a strong suspicion or reason to believe that your child is accessing suggestive, hostile or inappropriate material for their age, should you respect their privacy? You have raised a well-behaved, socially responsible child; but, let’s face it, curiosity can get the better of anyone and your son or daughter is no exception. Stumbling upon or mistakenly typing in an inappropriate website occasionally is one thing; visiting the same site repeatedly is another.
Monitoring options
If your 17-year-old is a computer mastermind, chances are they may have already figured out how to outsmart web filters (that’s an entirely different article). Generally speaking, the information provided below about computer monitoring software benefit a parent of a younger child who tends to be less net-savvy.
If there is any cause for concern, you can find out what your child is viewing online. Here’s how:
1. Check your browser’s history folder: To help you decipher if a website your child is visiting is inappropriate, first try and view the history of your browser. In Internet Explorer on the Menu Bar, click on ‘Tools’ – ‘Internet Options.’ On the ‘General Tab’ under the ‘Browser History’ section, click on ‘Settings’ - ‘View Files.’ This will display the temporary internet files folder, housing the various text files with the file names containing the website names that have been visited recently.
2. WebWatcher: Some of the WebWatcher features include email recording, Instant Message recording, keystroke logging, website monitoring and blocking, content filtering. 24/7 customer support. For more information, visit www.webwatchernow.com.
3. Spector Pro: Some of the Spector Pro features include reading every email sent and received, see everything done on MySpace and Facebook, the ability to remotely review recordings from another PC or Mac. 24/7 customer support. For more information, visit www.spectorsoft.com.
4. Kidswatch.com: Some of the KidsWatch features include blocking inappropriate internet advertisements and web-based emails, computer time limits, predator alerts. Live technical support is provided 9am to 9pm Monday through Saturday. Email support is available 24 hours a day. For more information, visit www.kidswatch.com.
Becoming mindful of what our children are doing in cyberspace can be a virtual pain in the butt, but well worth the effort.
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