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Self-Regulating the Family Computer

    When your children have access to the Internet, they have the world at their fingertips. Online, children don’t have to wade through the Dewy Decimal System or deal with the limitations of a home encyclopedia set. The timeless question “but why?” can now be answered in a few minutes from your family computer.

    Satisfying your child’s curiosity with the tools of the Internet can present difficult challenges to parents. Parents are ecstatic when their children monitor a shuttle mission to learn more about science and space, but horrified at the thought of them learning about the birds and the bees in full-motion computer video.

    A survey conducted last month by Chilton Research Services, a research component of ABC News, reported that 80 percent of respondents to a random telephone poll answered “yes” when asked: “Do you think the government should take steps to control access to pornographic or sexually explicit material on the Internet to protect children and teens under 18 years of age?”   

    Constitutional arguments against regulating questionable online content such as sexually explicit material, violence, explosives, drugs, and illegal activity have left monitoring efforts up to parents in most cases.

    The Better Business Bureau’s BBB OnLine program and the national Children’s Advertising Review Unit have been aggressively promoting self-regulation among businesses on the Internet, but these programs do not address the types of web sites kids find enticing.

     There are a variety of filtering software programs available to parents who want to electronically screen what their children view, but these vary in features and effectiveness.

    The first category utilizes a timer to control when children use the Internet. For example, the program can be set to block access during the period after school before a parent arrives home from work. The major drawback to this type of software is its sweeping approach. The child is restricted from the positive content and left reaching for the remote control or Nintendo.

     The second type of filtering software restricts access to Internet sites deemed suitable for children. This allows for access when a parent is absent, but with thousands of new web sites coming online each day, it is difficult to imagine how a company could have the resources to effectively update their lists. Web sites can be modified instantly, so an approved site could quickly add unsuitable material.

    The third major category searches for inappropriate content and blocks access using a dictionary format. This is the most popular type of filtering device, but it can be beaten by creative kids who possess a diverse vocabulary.

     Most filtering software packages offer updates to their lists and provide reports for parents which allow them to see if a child has been actively trying to bypass the filters.

     A new Houston-based company has plans to release a software package this month that takes a different approach. WatchSoft’s Disk Tracy product scans a hard drive and generates a list of suspect files. This program also uses a dictionary format to detect content relating to drugs, sex, computer hacking, explosives, and other illegal activities. It can even detect photos that may be disguised as text files.

     This software does not attempt to filter what children can view but it does discourage the storage of inappropriate files on the family computer.

    None of these products are fool-proof to computer savvy kids, but they are useful tools for concerned parents. In an online world where a child only has to click on a link that says: “I certify that I am 18 years old,” before entering an adult site, these software programs can be an effective way to self-regulate your home computer.

    Parent Soup, a web site addressing parenting issues, suggests that the family computer be placed in a common area of your home to deter misuse. The site also suggests family interaction and exploration of the vast resources available online.