Content Filtering Software - Why you need it for your family.

Listed below are some of the benefits of Content Filtering Software, remember that various products have more or less features:

• Control access to web sites (permitted or blocked)
• Limit activities such as online chat, newsgroups, file sharing, and online game playing for your children.
• Establish and enforce time limits.
• Monitor and record your childrens online activity.
• Configure controls to be used with all children using the same computer.

What is content filtering?

As a parent you may have concerns about letting your child use the Web. You know the Internet is full of potential for education, but you've also heard about the dangers that children can encounter there. You might wonder if you should completely restrict your child's access to the Internet, email and other online applications to keep them safe.

Some people find some content on the internet inappropriate; for example it may contain images of sex, violence or strong language. Content Filtering Software is a way for you to let your child use the web safely and you can control what websites they can access and what websites they can't. You can also control the amount of time they spend online making things easier for you as a parent to control. These programs use different techniques to filter the internet: looking for keywords, checking against lists of known sites or relying on voluntary self-censorship by website creators. For parents, this means you can reliably manage what Web sites your child see's. Kids need to be able to access much of the Web for its informational, educational and entertainment content.

Enabling Content Filtering

If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can make a start with Content Filtering by using its Content Advisor to restrict access to websites that are 1) on a list of acceptable sites that you create or 2) have rated themselves using a rating standard and which meet content criteria that are set by the user.

• To switch on Content Advisor, open Internet Explorer, select Tools, then Internet Options, click on the Content tab and then click on Enable.

If you are serious about your child being safe online, and you want to be able to control what sites they are allowed to visit, and want to limit the time they spend online we recommend that you purchase a Content Filtering Software package now. Check the links above for the best software, or click here.

Remember that there are limitations with this software, especialy as there are more and more websites appearing everyday but the software will still do a good job. When searching online for something as simple as a place like Sussex it could be blocked by contect filtering software that could think it is adult orientated. We still think that if your unsure about how often you can guide your child or be there to watch everything they do online then Content Filtering Software should be used.