Wi-Fi and kids: Parental controls beyond the PC

When we talk about online safety for kids and teens, the conversation often starts and ends with web browsers and social networks. But as more handheld devices and gaming consoles provide Wi-Fi opportunities for kids to surf the web away from the home PC, here are some tips for keeping inappropriate content for popping up on small screens before kids’ eyes.

YouTube: The best way to guard against an unexpected and inappropriate video from appearing on YouTube on your computer is to set up an account and then set up a favorites list. Of course, that means you’ll have to spend time going through videos to make sure they are all appropriate for your kids to see, then you can direct them to those videos.

The iPhone is so popular and still such a novelty that if someone’s got one nearby, a kid will want to give it a spin and, undoubtedly, check out the limited selection of YouTube videos available. Now, you can’t access your YouTube account on your iPhone, but you can set up a similar favorites list of videos.

You can let your kids watch those videos, but not go searching for others on their own. Easier said than done, I know. And this may not work well with older kids, but it will at least keep young ones entertained without seeing something you don’t want them to see.

PSP and PS3: Friends of mine bought their 5^th grade daughter a PSP this year, then were surprised when she showed them she could surf the web on it for homework information. The PSP and the Playstation 3 have similar tools for setting controls, so the menu options are alike.

You need a pin number to start the Internet browser function on both. Once you’re in, there are no controls to filter the browsers’ content, so it’s either on or off. Chatting with friends and gamers over the Internet is either on or off, too. There is no way to limit chat to a few people.

For DVD movies, there is a rating system from 1 to 8, with 1 being a G rating and 8 being anything goes. The rating system for video games runs from 1 to 11, with young kid to teen games ranging from about 1 to 5. You’ll have to test which ratings work for your family. Here’s a good step-by-step guide from Crave, and some more info from the Sony Playstation Network.

Nintendo DS Lite: Yes, kids can browse the Internet with this handheld gaming device, too. The good news is, Nintendo offers content filtering via Astaro—just follow these instructions. But note that even though Nintendo says the service blocks more than 60 million web sites with inappropriate content, it cannot promise to block all web sites that you wouldn’t want your kids to see.

Wii: Again, parental controls are available on the Wii menu to block access to an Internet browser, which allows you to surf the web but not download content because the Wii has no hard drive. And again, the browser is either on or off. No filters for using it as there are on a computer. Parents can set controls on games based on ESRB age-appropriate ratings, and kids who want to play an M-rated game need a pin number to do so. WhatTheyPlay.com has a good rundown in this 10 Things Parents Need to Know about Nintendo Wi-Fi on the Wii.

Xbox: Microsoft added a video game timer to the Xbox 360 to go with other parental controls already available. Check them out on this Xbox Family Settings page.

Even if you choose to put some of these controls in place, remember to check in with your kids to see what they are doing and where they are going on all of these fun devices, which double as powerful tools and portals to the web in young hands.