Parental controls
The best parental control to help keep your kids safe online is you. Talk to them about the internet, and explore it with them, so you can make them aware of the risks without worrying or scaring them.
But when you can’t be there, parental controls on your computer or games console can help you keep your family safe online and make sure your children only see what you want them to see. You can create different control settings for each person who signs in. Like any automatic settings, parental controls aren’t fool-proof, and you may have to experiment to find the level that you feel most comfortable with.
Older children and teenagers are often savvy enough to try to get around the controls. So you should make sure you’re the only ‘administrator’ for any computers in the house – that way you’re the only one who can change the settings. As with any other security measures, make your password a long and complicated one that can’t be guessed, and keep it secret.
As well as the parental controls on your computer or games console, there are other services which can offer additional protection. Some, like K9 Web Protection, are free, while others, like Net Nanny, charge an annual fee.
PC (Windows)
Look in the Control Panel-Parental controls and set them to the level you think is appropriate. Make sure you’re the only one set up as an ‘administrator.
Mac
For a Mac, the parental controls are in System Preferences.
Search engines
Search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo! have filters which are designed to protect kids from inappropriate content. Check in the preferences menu of the search engine you prefer, or use Google Safe Search.
Games consoles
PlayStation, Wii and Xbox all have their own parental controls in their settings menus.
