Parental Control Options: Part 2

As I wrote in my previous post on parental controls, there are other options besides software applications for helping your kids avoid inappropriate web sites and to search the Internet safely. Here are a few ideas worth trying before loading software on your computer.

Start with using existing browser and search filters. You'll find at least some limited filters in some browsers and search functions.

• Vista, as I wrote in this post, will have a full complement of parental controls that appear to do everything software packages do now. It's one benefit to making the switch to Vista, though Vista's benefits have been heavily debated on these pages and throughout the press.

• Mozilla Firefox—While this browser (my favorite) does not have parental controls, there is an add-on called the "Pro-Con Extension," which will block accidental trips to objectionable sites, but not purposeful visits. Still, it provides some protection for kids who are not trying to go to inappropriate sites.

• Safari—Apple's web browser contains parental controls that allow parents and kids to delineate which web sites kids can access in Safari Bookmarks. When kids try to go to a site not in the bookmarks, they get an error message telling them to request permission from their parents to go to the site.

For searching the web, you can put some limited filters in place, too. On the Yahoo! Search bar, click on the web search box and then on "search preferences." If you put the SafeSearch feature on, it will filter adult video and image search results, but that's all. Similarly, on Google, go to the home page, click on "Preferences" to the right of the search box. Go to "SafeSearch Filtering" and click on one of three dials, strict filtering to avoid explicit text and images, moderate filtering to filter explicit images only, or no filtering. MSN's SafeSearch does the same with three settings—strict, moderate, and off. Click on "Options" at the top of the search results page, and choose your preferred setting.

Hardware solutions. Some wireless routers also offer parental controls often through subscription services. I wrote about a few hardware options in this post, but have since learned Linksys has discontinued parental controls support on the WRT54GS; I'm following up to find out why.

Other hardware options stand separate from routers. One is D-Link's SecureSpot Internet Security Device, which costs about $100 plus $80 for a year of service. Kind of pricey. You hook up the SecureSpot box with Ethernet cables to your computer and wireless router. Via the web, you can set up time restrictions for individual family members and block specific kinds of content and web sites, limit email and IM lists, and get reports on family members' computer and Internet usage.

That's a quick look at some of the options available. Let us know which you choose, reader Annie, and how it works out. And if anyone has a software or hardware parental control solution they are happy (or unhappy) with, post away.

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