The Internet is a boon to children in that they could use it to expand their learning horizons. There is so much valuable information out there that they would not normally find in their academic books. Not only can they benefit through text-based websites, but also through multimedia sources like videos and animations for a wholesome learning experience.

Behind this boon also lies the danger of being exposed to inappropriate content. It just takes one keyword in a search engine for them to be taken to thousands of links to content unsuitable for children. Also , there is the risk of them making contact with people who may take advantage of their innocence and ignorance. As such, a good parental control software is a must in a household where children actively surf the Internet. It should have features like:

• restricting what children can view over the Internet.
• controlling the manner in which they use such popular applications like instant messaging tools.
• restricting the type of personal details they could divulge over the Internet.
• setting preferences through user accounts for children of different ages. For example, teenagers could have access to certain content which their younger siblings could not.

Additionally, the program should run stealthily in the background and have the option of alerting the user when he does something inappropriate.

It should also give access to a record of the user’s surfing activity so that parents could identify inappropriate sites visited and exercise the necessary controls. There should also be the option of blocking specific sites and unblock them when necessary.

One software which covers the above features is CyberPatrol . It has the flexibility every parent require in a parental control program.

It has the ability to block entire websites, ranging from sexually explicit, gambling . drug-related and chat sites. You can choose settings that range from child, young teen, mature teen or adult. It could also restrict certain types of content within the sites or even certain keywords within the content. What’s more, you can compile your own list of no-no keywords.

Another notable feature is its ability to restrict the user from accessing certain programs or files or folders in a computer’s hard drive.

Worried that your children may spend excessive time over the Net while you’re away? CyberPatrol has a time-limit feature you could put to good use. If you’ll be away for a while, you can schedule when your children can have access to the Net. There is an option for a weekly-schedule where you can set the time when Internet access is allowed. Also, you could set a cap on the number of hours per week or day.

CyberPatrol’s major drawback, like many others of its type, is the recurring cost. Subscription has to be renewed annually. The license, however, entitles you to use the program on three different computers.

Still, it’s a small price to pay compared to the peace of mind you will enjoy when it comes to your children’s Internet activities.