It's a very good question and it deserves some discussing these days with the internet being an integral part of a child's life. Let's face it. The internet is great! It informs, entertains, and all around makes life a little easier all at the speed of light. With that can come dangers, especially to kids. Although some companies try hard to regulate and monitor their traffic it is literally impossible to watch everyone at all times and, frankly, it's not very cost-effective. So, at the end of the day it really is the responsibility of the parent to protect what your child sees and to whom he/she talks to while online.

Let's mention real quickly that the latest popular operating systems have some form of filtering and online management to help out parents, but operating systems are not quite as robust as any third party software that is available out there today. Having said that, those features that are available with Windows or Mac are better than nothing at all. Let's just say that the ultimate way to prevent your child from seeing something unwanted or chatting with an online predator or bully is to yank the power cord from the wall, but that's just not realistic anymore. Mind you it's also the best anti-virus!

Another question that should be raised is one of privacy. Is it an invasion of your child's privacy when parents use any online monitoring software? The answer is it simply depends on who your child is talking to. I can just about guarantee you that 99% of the kids will throw up their arms and claim injustice, request removal, and go up to their room after dinner and sulk the rest of the evening. The next day they'll complain to their friends about how unfair their parents are and how they don't trust them all the while not completely understanding the motives of their parents. It's kind of like driving. It's not you you're worried about, it's all the other idiots out there on the road for whom you've got to watch out.

For the parent, parental control software provides two solutions; it protects the kids from unwanted pictures or literature for safe online surfing and it provides a way for the parent to be informed enough so that they can make any important decisions that they otherwise might not be able to make. After seeing the data then the parent can decide if action needs to be taken. In short, parental control software can provide peace of mind for the parent and enough information to stop a predator, a cyber bully, or to discover if your child is tampering with drugs or anything else that is illegal.

Here are some shocking statistics regarding what happens to children using online services as provided by the Crimes Against Children Research Center.


at any given moment there are an estimated 55,000 predators online
20% say that they have received unwanted sexual solicitation - request for sex acts, talk, or information
75% are willing to share information about themselves or family in exchange for goods or services
25% who were solicited actually told their parents
77% of the targets were age 14 or older
22% were ages 10-13
68% of the time police are dispatched involving cases involving reports of a child who is or may be missing
25% have been exposed to unwanted pornographic material
33% of households with internet access are actively protecting their children with monitoring software

Although most kids out there online are good it's the small percentage out there from whom kids need protection . Should parents "spy" on their kids like this? Well, look at it like this. What do you do when you get into your car? You put your seat belt on and make your children do it, too. When your kid goes out of the house what do you do? You ask where they are going, what time they're coming back (or you tell them what time you want them to be back home), and you ask them to make sure to answer their cell phone when you call. When you take your kid for a ride on your motorcycle what's the first thing you do. Yep, you put your helmet on and you require your kid to wear one, too. Football and baseball players wear helmets for protection. You get the picture. It's all about safety. Just do a search for internet predators on Google or YouTube and you'll see real stories of real kids who have fallen victim to bad guys. Some situations end great but some situations end tragically. Parental control software is the seat belt or helmet for your kids while they surf online. These days everyone needs protection. So should parents use Parental Control Software? Only you can decide.

Decide from a position of knowledge rather than from a position of ignorance or hopefulness! Take charge of protecting your children and let them use the Internet safely.

Good question. If you have a younger child, it is smart to use protection technologies - just like making sure your yard is fenced. But with teens it is impossible to keep them in electronically fenced play yards - and not developmentally appropriate either. It was suggested you do a search about online predators. Start first by doing a search on "bypass Internet filter." At the same time everyone was adopting filtering software and schools and libraries were required to install this, technologies were being developed to bypass the filters - for the dissidents in Middle East and Asia. Better technologies are being developed to avoid monitoring also. These are the same technologies teens use to get around protection technologies their parents foolishly rely on.

So what is the answer. Research has revealed that teens whose parents are actively and positively involved in their lives, including their online lives, make good choices online, do not engage in risk taking behavior. So remain actively and positively involved. Make sure that every time you interact with your child about the Internet you say positive things. If you child ever reports a problem - probably one they have solved or one they might need your help resolving - make sure you complement them on their effectiveness and independence - but remind them you are always there to assist if you need.

Some of the statistics provided did some from the Crimes Against Children Research Center, which does excellent work, but you are being told half-truths.

at any given moment there are an estimated 55,000 predators online - this figure was invented by Dateline and then spread by the US AG.
20% say that they have received unwanted sexual solicitation - request for sex acts, talk, or information - the vast majority of these interactions was basically sexual harassment between teens or teens and young adults.
75% are willing to share information about themselves or family in exchange for goods or services - like I had to provide information about myself to sign up to make this post.
25% who were solicited actually told their parents - the others did not tell because they had effectively handled the situation and a significant majority said it was "no big deal."
77% of the targets were age 14 or older - yes, they are targeting teens - who meet willingly knowing these are adults with the intention to engage in sex.
22% were ages 10-13
68% of the time police are dispatched involving cases involving reports of a child who is or may be missing - have no idea where this data comes from
25% have been exposed to unwanted pornographic material - primarily because we are relying on filtering, which does not work, and failing to teach young people how to avoid the crap - which is very easy to do.
33% of households with internet access are actively protecting their children with monitoring software - this is not active protection.

There is a report on my site [Remove link] about the disinformation that is currently being spread about online sexual predators. In 2006, arrests for online sexual predation were just over 600 - 1% of all arrests for the sexual abuse of a child. Young people are still far more in danger at home.

I Have a Good Kid So Why Should I Buy Parental Control Software?

I can hardly agree..it is neccesary to take some parental control measure. Letting things slide or drift is not a wise way for parents