The Internet is filled with wonderful things! We can learn online, play online, keep in touch with friends and do so much more all at the touch of a mouse. More and more people are spending more and more time online. Children, adults, senior citizens are enjoying the convenience of doing things on the computer that only a short time ago may have required much more effort.
As a society, we are always looking to make things easier on ourselves. But I worry about that and what it is doing to our mental and physical health. You don’t have to look far to see how we have been effected. And the internet has taken us leaps and bounds forward in our drive towards convenience. Without leaving your home you can do your grocery shopping, get a college degree, play poker with friends, plan a vacation. You almost don’t even have to get up from your chair ever. If only the Internet could provide us with a virtual toilet that we can really use!
While shopping online is a great way to find shopping bargains and playing poker online may be a lot of fun and chatting with friends is a great way to stay connected, if you find that you are spending hours every day on the internet, consider whether you may have an Internet Addiction. Many people shop too much online, develop compulsive Internet gambling problem, become addicted to watching porn on the Internet or just waste hours of their time on the Internet in place of facing real life.
Enjoy the Internet. But be careful it does not become an addiction!
It sounds awful doesn’t it? The very idea that you need to consider getting a porn filter for your computer. If you are like I was 10 years ago, you don’t even want to hear about it.
But don’t dismiss the idea because today, as unfortunate as it is, any home with an Internet connection should really have a web filter installed. Many people call it a porn filter since porn content is what most people think of when you talk about protecting children online. Read the rest of this entry »
Keystroke monitoring software have been around for many years and there is no lack of them. After reviewing several solutions, I chose and recommend McGruff SafeGuard key-stroke-monitoring software. Not only that it’s free, it’s just plain simple to operate as a parent. I basically can monitor in real time everything my kids are doing online. I really like that the software sends me automatically e mail alerts anytime there is a use of a problematic words on my kids computer.
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Optenet PC is one of the leading parental controls available today. Soon, version 9.8 is set to be released. The new version provides added, “extreme” control with a new keyword filter. In addition, the version introudces personal data protection. Existing customers will receive a free upgrade, as is usual for Optenet PC customers.
Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommends that physicians ask patients about the amount of media they “consume” on a daily basis? It’s an established fact now, based on endless studies, that our children are effected by what they watch, the multimedia games they play and the sheer amount of time they spend in front of TV and PC screens. There are even recognizable syndromes that doctors begin to see among children who are “over-exposed”.
Parents can’t be expected to supervise and control what their children see or hear via the media 24/7. But setting up some rules, communicating openly about what is and is not acceptable and using available tools to monitor and guide children can help create a safe environment. I recommend a book by Brent and Phelecia Hatch called Raising a G-Rated Family in an X-Rated World. The book is not so much about blocking kids from accessing what is out there but is about raising kids with discipline, respect and core values to help them control what comes into their lives and make the right choices. Integrating such a perspective into your family life will give you more peace of mind than feeling that you always have to run along side them to filter out what they should not see. It’s about empowering them to handle it themselves — and everyone will feel better in such an environment.
If you have already decided that you want to or need to monitor your child’s Internet activity, the next question is whether you should do it with his/her knowledge or secretly. While the decision ultimately belongs to each parent, there are many factors you will want to consider and benefits on both sides. Being up front about placement of parental controls can prove beneficial. Any child who is using the Internet on his/her own must do so under some set of guidelines that you establish for them or together with them. Everything from the amount of time spent online, to the acceptable times for surfing and other Internet related activity to what is and is not appropriate content, should be covered. Read the rest of this entry »