I enquired, “You mean to say that you do not use any security software that offers the parental control feature for your PC, even though your kids are almost always online?”

“No, I never had any notion that such a thing existed and was available in India.”

The others nodded in agreement. They had believed that anti-virus and spam filters offered sufficient protection, little knowing that although essential; they are not enough to protect children from online bullies, abusers, and predators.

Let me tell you how parental controls can aid in safeguarding children online. Some security software suites, such as McAfee Total Protection, that protects against online threats does include parental control features. However, if you’re looking for a robust complete protection for your children while they explore online then you’ll want to consider a family protection software suite.

McAfee Family Protection is an example of a family protection software program that has some interesting features such as:

• Age-Appropriate Settings – Settings are customized according to age-groups;
• Filtering for Music and Online Games –Parents can decide what rating of content children have access to. Types of filtering include:
  • Songs with explicit lyrics from iTunes
  • Access to online gaming sites
  • Viewing of objectionable videos on YouTube
• Encrypted website blocking blocks teens from accessing proxy sites so they cannot try to bypass content filters;
• Program blocking enables parents to block any program, including file sharing networks which can lead to malware infections on PCs;
• Instant messaging monitoring enables parents to monitor and record complete instant message conversations to alert them of improper dialogue with strangers;
• Time limits help families manage the amount of time their children spend online: families are able to set the day and/or time for when their child can access the Internet;
• Email blocking pre-approves email accounts that a child is able to access and blocks emails from unknown sources;
• Instant email alerts can be sent to parents when access to objectionable material is attempted;
• Social network filtering records all social network postings that contain profanity and posts that include confidential information that has been predetermined by parents–such as a home address, phone, school name, etc

Installation is also very easy. Just install the CD or download it from www.mcafee.com and follow the step by-step instructions and it is done. That simple! Remember though, do not share your administrator password with your children, and create separate login id for each child.

Moreover, the McAfee Site Advisor tool, also helps the whole family search, surf and shop more safely using the red, green, and yellow colour codes. The free tool, which can be downloaded at www.siteadvisor.com, tests websites for spyware, spam and scams so you can easily verify which sites in your search results pages are safe or not to visit. Green is the colour for a verified site, yellow means to proceed with caution, whereas red symbolizes a site that may include potentially harmful threats to your computer. Get more information on probable online threats here.

Amazing, isn’t it? No more do Moms have to keep watch over the kids when they go online. Kids resent that; I know mine do. But this way, they have access to their favourite sites and games and permission to access mails and FB at fixed times. They do not mind the monitoring, as they realize it is another Stranger-Danger phoebia of Mom.

So, go for the parental control tools to ensure your child enjoys the net safely! Happy surfing!

Anindita