DIY: Parents' guide to online safety

Your children will surf the Web, chat, and download files. With some help from these software tools, you can protect them while they do what kids do.

While the Internet provides kids with access to all sorts of great resources, it also can show them a lot of stuff you'd rather they didn't see. What's worse, it makes your kids available to anyone who wants contact with them. The good news is you don't have to hover over your children every minute to protect them from the dark corners of the Web; there are a number of applications to help keep your kids safe while they're online.

As is the case when fighting other online threats, such as spyware, the best method of defense is a comprehensive approach. A good Web-filtering application in conjunction with a solid firewall and a monitoring application are more effective than any of those three on their own. And remember, talking to your kids about what's appropriate and what's not will provide the greatest benefit of all.

Filters
Filtering applications do just what their name implies: they filter out the stuff you don't want your kids to see. Cybersitter manages this by maintaining a database of inappropriate sites, as well as by performing word analysis for each new site it comes across. When Cybersitter identifies a site as being unsuitable for kids, it blocks access to that site.

But Cybersitter doesn't just block access to Web sites; it analyses all Internet activity -- from message boards to e-mail -- and can actually blank out words and phrases it deems inappropriate.

What exactly is "inappropriate"? By default, Cybersitter blocks access to all content involving sex, drugs, and violence, but parents can tailor Cybersitter to filter out user-defined language and sites as well. And if that isn't enough, you can tell Cybersitter to only allow your kids to visit specific sites you deem safe.

Like most filtering software, Cybersitter is designed to run in stealth mode, so your kids won't even know it's there. Cybersitter also keeps track of any sites your kids might attempt to visit and stores that information in a log for future viewing.

Download Cybersitter 2003 now.

Monitors
As important as it is to protect your children from inappropriate online content, it's just as important to protect your kids from themselves. This means keeping track of what they're doing on the Web and the kind of people they're talking to, and for that you need monitoring software. There are two basic types of monitoring applications: general ones that monitor all computer activity and specific ones that only monitor chat conversations.

System monitors
If you want to know everything your child is doing online, then you need an application like Guardian Monitor Classic. Guardian Monitor keeps track of every Web site visited, every file downloaded, every word of every e-mail, and every line of every IM conversation sent or received. In fact, not only does Guardian Monitor log all this information, it actually creates a time-lapse video of everything that occurs on the computer screen while your child is online so you can watch it all at a later time.

Guardian Monitor can run in stealth mode, which makes it almost impossible to detect. You can store all the information it records on that particular computer or on a networked computer, or have it e-mailed to you. Guardian Monitor does not have the ability to block access to specific Web sites; for that you'll need a filtering application.

Download Guardian Monitor Classic 9.75 now.

Chat monitors
If it's only instant-messaging activity you want to keep an eye on, then you want a chat monitor. One of the more popular programs in this category is Chat Watch.

Chat Watch records both sides of every conversation on all major chat clients (Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and ICQ). As with Guardian Monitor, the records of these conversations can be sent to you via e-mail or stored locally for later viewing. In addition, you can set Chat Watch to block access to instant-messaging software completely or after a certain period of time has elapsed. You also can configure it to block only certain accounts from logging in (so 17-year-old Emily can chat whenever she wants, while 8-year-old Chris has to ask for your permission first).

The program even contains a "chat acronym translator" to teach you, for example, what IYKWIM stands for ("if you know what I mean"). Chat Watch can run in stealth mode, or you can leave it running in the open so your kids will know you've got your eye on them.

Download Chat Watch 4.2.5 now.

Security
So you've installed filtering software and a monitoring application. That's a great start, but while you're keeping your kids away from offensive content, you'll also want to keep hackers and spyware away from your kids. For that you're going to need an antispyware application and firewall protection.

Antispyware
Spyware can be a nuisance, or it can be downright offensive, like when it serves adult-themed pop-up ads on your children's PC. When that happens, it's time to get serious about security with an application such as Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware.

AntiSpyware protects your PC in two ways. First, the application actively monitors a number of areas on your computer where changes occur when new software is installed. When the program detects a change, AntiSpyware gives you the option of either blocking it or accepting it. Second, AntiSpyware scans your system for any spyware that might be hiding on your PC and removes it for you. You can trigger a system scan manually or schedule them to run during a time when you won't be using your computer. AntiSpyware is fairly easy to set up, and it's free to use.

Download Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware now.

Firewall
A computer firewall such as ZoneAlarm acts as a barrier between your PC and the Internet. ZoneAlarm keeps hackers from getting into your PC and prevents spyware and other unwanted programs from communicating with the Internet.

ZoneAlarm is one of the easiest firewalls to configure, with a step-by-step installation that walks you through its various settings. If you don't already have an antivirus program like the famous Norton AntiVirus or the free AVG Anti-Virus, ZoneAlarm can double your protection with its affordable antivirus edition.

Download ZoneAlarm 6.0.667.000 now.