New Technology Gives Parents More Control In Keeping Children Safe Online (NAPSA)—Internet usage con- tinues to increase among kids, but many parents are not sure how to keep pace with what their children are doing online and what simple steps they should take to help ensure their child’s Internet safety. According to Pew Internet & American Life Project surveys, 60 percent of America’s children, more than 48 million under age 18, use the Internet. However, 97 percent of households with children aren’t using parental controls, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance. Since kids now go online for everything from schoolwork to socializing, today’s parents can utilize a few easy tools to ensure Internet safety at home. Thefollowing security tips can help: Seek an Internet Service Provider with Parental Controls—Several providers include safety features that allow parents to create boundaries that protect kids from wandering into inappropriate online territory. For example, SBC Yahoo! DSL and Dial (http://sbe.yahoo.com) offer industry leading parental controls that allow parents to block unsuitable Web content and the ability to control which individuals are able to send their children e-mail and instant messaging. For added convenience and flexibility, parents can use any Web-connected computer to man- age control settings, review their children’s Internet usage and act upon their kids’ requests to gain access to specific sites. For instance, if a child wants to visit MTV.com from the home computer but the site is blocked, he or she can e-mail a parent at With the right service provider, parents can help keep kids safe at the computer. work to ask permission. The parent can then either grant or deny access. Personalize Safety Settings for Each Child—Someparental controls now allow for personalized safety settings for each child, from youngsters to teens, so that families can use the Internet with maximum flexibility and security. Review Internet Safety Tips with Kids—Go over the basics with children to reinforce good habits such as not opening an e-mail from an unknown source, avoiding giving personal information to strangersandtelling a parent when unwanted content comes their way. Parents teach their kids not to accept candy from strangers and to look both ways before crossing the street—the Internet safety and security tools available today can help parents make sure their children are also safe when they go online.
