Monitoring A Teen's PC Usage Article

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Monitoring A Teen's PC Usage

There are many ways to control computer usage. Find out one easy option that's free of charge and is instantly useful.

Author: Matthew W. Grant

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There are many ways to spy on your children's computer time. Here you'll discover a simple method that is free of charge and is immediately useful.

The Issue

Today's parents should be vigilant about knowing what their children are doing on the computer. There are many ways to prevent their children from surfing inappropriate sites when they are online. Each of the ways has its strengths and weaknesses, but one option stands out above all the others for maximum effectiveness.

For adults who throw up their hands and say it is impossible to keep track of what their children are doing on the computer, I have an analogy that they should take to heart. Would they have the same response argument if the topic was playing with matches on the parlor rug? Then why is the topic of PC usage any different?

Age Verification Pages

Age warnings or minimum age verification checks on Internet sites reasonably cover the site owner from a legal standpoint for blocking from visiting those who are not old enough to view the the site. Of course, from a teenager's point of view, those safeguards only make the site more interesting and they no doubt check off the age box in whatever way will give them access to the site.

Parental Locks

Major search engines and many Internet service providers have "parental locks" similar to the V-Chip on televisions. The purpose of these is to block access to sites that have non-parent approved material. You can modify search engine home pages to only provide acceptable results. There are usually levels of "safety" that parents can determine.

Parents also spend money on Internet filtering programs like CyberPatrol, NetNanny, ContentBarrier, and other similar products. While they are probably pretty effective, Internet filtering programs has its share of quirks too. An often-cited example is that the filters block access to medical or medical related research such as thoat belonging to various breast cancer foundations because those sites refer to .

Undercover Sleuthing

For an even more-high-tech solution, there are computer programs called keyloggers. Keyloggers keep track of what has been input on a keyboard and can retrieve that information. In effect, keyloggers are allowing you} to spy on what has been typed on a keyboard after the fact. I should also mention programs that can record everything that has been done on a particularcomputer including, chat discussions, e-mail messages, e-mails, email conversations sent and received, pictures saved, and Internet addresses visited. Some programs even allow parents to create a system to let someone know when a violation has occurred such as a teen visiting a site that a parent or guardian has instructed is off limits.

Any or all of the above ideas may contribute to a parent's overall strategy to protect his or her children from the threats of the modern online world, but there is still one more method that every parent should implement.

Creatively Solving The Problem

The most efficient solution is also the most obvious one, which means that is easily overlooked. It only takes one sentence; it promotes family unity and it's free. Ready? Put the laptops right in the middle of the main room of the house!

Do you need some time to get over the shock of this idea? I warned you that the brilliance would be in the simplicity. I'm sure you can imagine the look of horror on your son's face and the screams of protest from your daughter that you are ruining her life and totally invading her privacy with this act of parental treason. You will have to deal with the arguments that your children's friend's parents let them have their net access in their own bedrooms.

Appropriate parenting techniques should never be based on the neighbors and their parenting style unless they happen to be exemplary role models as parents. In that case, I can practically guarantee that your their teenagers won't beg you to imitate their parenting skills.

Parents stay strong and don't be afraid to get that computer front and center in the living room right now and you will never again have to wonder what your kids post on their AOL profiles and with whom they are chatting through IM.

About Author

Get more free parenting tips by visiting Matthew W. Grant's parenting site at (http://www.SomeoneElsesKids.com).

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