Many parents and educators express well-founded concerns about allowing children unrestricted Internet access. As in many other aspects of our society--such as movies and television--there are areas of the Internet that are not suitable for children. Do we deny our young people exposure to the vast resources of the Internet because of this? Not necessarily.

The best way to guard against children visiting inappropriate Web sites is by allowing them to use the Internet only with adult supervision. However, this isn't always possible. Most teachers cannot constantly monitor where a student is going on the Internet. Furthermore, most young people, especially teenagers, will chafe at such a heavy-handed approach. They want the freedom to explore the Internet without an adult constantly looking over their shoulders. How can we give them that freedom, yet at the same time restrict where they go?

In recent years, software has been developed for individual computers that monitors and controls Internet activities. These programs are generally referred to as Parental Control software. Some of this software logs computer activity and some restricts access to specific sites based on criteria you set. These programs are useful if you cannot monitor computer usage all the time.

You may be concerned about the security of these programs. While it is true that a determined hacker can overcome the imposed controls, it should be noted that the skills required for this are almost always beyond the capabilities of the typical student.

You can find and download many Parental Control programs as freeware or shareware on the Internet. The programs described here are all either shareware or freeware. If you are concerned about these issues, you can search the Web for the program name and download it.

Logging and Time Management Programs
Access Control Programs