Blocking Websites - Keeping Your Child Safe Online

It's a fact that many parents today are blocking websites from their children's access, mainly to protect the children from adult websites and online predators. Most parents agree that blocking certain websites from their children's view is a good thing, and many tools now exist to help parents with this daunting task.

Blocking Websites - The "Why"

Why do parents feel the need to block certain websites from their child's view? It's no secret that "adult" websites are among the fastest growing of the "online industries," with literally millions of sites now available with this kind of content. And, it's all too easy to accidentally click into to one of these adult sites. We've all done this, I'm sure, at least once, and the resulting images can be shocking and horrifying - something that children should never, ever see.

But there are other reasons for blocking websites, including the potential for exploitation by online predators. We've all read about the teen that was lured into an abusive situation by an online predator, lurking in chatrooms posing perhaps as another teen, who was able to meet with and assault this child - or even worse. Law enforcement is getting smarter prosecuting online crimes - officers now regularly pose as online teens who get "lured" into meeting with a potential pedophile, who discovers too late that the "victim" was an undercover policeman. But why would you, as a parent, want to even take the chance that your child could possibly be harmed by talking in "chatrooms?" Blocking these websites is the only sure way to prevent this kind of crime.

Blocking Websites - The "How To"

Parental controls on personal computers can be a godsend for parents. Newer computers with Windows Vista operating systems usually contain some sort of parental controls. Here are a few simple steps to access parental controls on a Vista system;

* Click "Start/Control Panel/User Accounts"
* Click on the tab labeled "set up parental controls for any user"
* Under "Choose a user and set up parental controls," click "What can I do with parental controls?"
* The help screen will appear, explaining how the system works.

It's as simple as that - for Vista! You can block certain websites, or sites with a particular content. You can also limit what programs your child can access or which games they are allowed to play. Time limits for internet access can be set - and reports can be generated showing everything your child does on that computer! Many options exist for protection through Vista, and the help screen, as shown above, is a great place to start.

Commercial Third-Party Internet Blocking

Many commercial third-party internet blocking software programs and systems are on the market today. This is great news for those who do not use Vista, or would like to take blocking websites to the next level.The best of the commercial internet blocking systems offer many configuration options such as;

* Ability to block websites by keyword
* Warning signs - how to recognize a pattern of unsafe behavior
* How to avoid identity theft (yes - even stealing children's identities!)
* Block adware & spyware
* Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
* Social Networking Safety

These are just a few of the areas where parents need to offer online education and protection for their children.

Parents - Please Learn And Investigate For Your Child's Safety

In reality, safety on the internet is like most anything else a good parent will want to provide for their children. You wouldn't give your five year-old daughter the keys to the family car for a Sunday afternoon drive - would you? How about leaving your loaded handgun on your teenager's nightstand? Responsible parents would not place their children in dangerous situations like these. Why then, would you expose your child to the very real dangers that are present on the internet today - without some sort of protection?

It isn't difficult or time-consuming to become informed about internet safety for your children - do it today, and take action for your child's sake.