Internet Protection for Children

Filtering Software

"Filtering" software blocks sites containing keywords, alone or in context with other keywords. For example, if parents wanted to restrict their child's access to sites related to drug use, the software would be configured to deny access to sites containing such words as "marijuana," "cocaine," "heroin," etc. Filtering software is available both directly and through some Internet Service Providers ("ISPs") such as Lycos or FamilyNet.

Filtering software can also be used to restrict access to inappropriate websites, but, like blocking software, they can be both under-inclusive and over-inclusive. They can, for example, filter sites that are either harmless or even desirable. With the example above, sites that promote drug rehabilitation, seeking help for a drug problem, or drug prevention would be blocked simply because they use the key words. Another example of how filtering is over-inclusive is denying access to the work "sex." While this filter would block certain sites with inappropriate sexual content, it would also block harmless sites that contained the words "sextuplets," "sexton," "Mars Exploration," among many others. In addition, some websites operators have learned to bypass the filtering mechanism by misspelling the typical keywords.

Filtering software may also be used to block sites that have a particular label or rating. The content provider or a labelling service classifies the site in a particular category (i.e., "romance no sex" or "explicit sexual activity") and the filtering software is programmed to deny access to sites with particular ratings. As with "bad sites" parents must rely on the judgement of unknown third parties to determine what is appropriate for their children. In this case, the content provider must self-label the site accurately or a labelling service must assign the appropriate label to the site. Another major drawback is that very few sites are labelled. Parents must decide whether to block or allow access to unrated sites. Blocking all unrated sites would deny access to harmless and educational material, while allowing access to all unrated sites would undoubtedly allow inappropriate material to get through.

Other Software

Other types of software enable parents to monitor and control their children's use of the computer. For example, "monitoring and tracking" software allows parents to track how much time their children spend online, where their children go online, and how much time their children spend on the computer offline. "Outgoing filtering" software prevents children from sharing certain information with others over the Internet, such as their name, telephone number, and address. Every time the child tries to send the prohibited information to someone online, it shows up as "XXX."

Blocking Software

What Parents Can Do

Websites That Help Parents

Keeping Kids Safe Online