The advent of the Internet has brought a world of possibilities to children, who now can access a virtually endless world of information and resources instantaneously. At the same time, the Web can feel like a dangerous place--especially when it's your child doing the surfing--packed with various sorts of predators along with content inappropriate for young eyes.
Fortunately, there are plenty of easy ways to track your child's computer use.
Step 1
Download parental control software to block your children from having access to pornographic and otherwise harmful materials. There are various products on the market, including a free and extensive toolbar from WRAAC--the Website Rating and Advisory Council.
The WRAAC toolbar and similar software uses built-in website labeling to determine the nature of websites and their content, and allows or disallows your child access to such sites based upon the preferences you enter.
Step 2
Familiarize yourself with the computer and the Web browser. Generally speaking, you'll be able to click on the "History" tab at the top, left corner of the monitor. From there, you can view lists of all of the websites visited on that computer, usually by date and going back at least a few weeks.
This isn't a foolproof plan, as teenagers with decent computer knowledge can get around it by deleting the history file at any time. But for you, there are ways to get around that as well.
Step 3
Download a "keylogger" if you believe your kid is deleting his browsing history or otherwise blocking you from tracking Internet activity. Such programs record virtually every single activity the computer is used for and every word typed, and the good ones do so without the person being tracked having any clue.
Key-logging programs can cost more than $100, but there are plenty of more affordable ones on the market.
Step 4
Talk to your kids. Although the above options work well, they should basically serve as your goalie; your first line of defense should be an honest and open discourse about what sorts of Internet sites are acceptable to view, which ones are off-limits and why.
