Kids these days are sometimes more technologically savvy than their parents. That can make it hard to keep up with what they're consuming online, on TV and in video games. You may find your kids circumventing the parental controls on your media devices. In addition to laying down the law with your children, you can find solutions to this problem. Start with smarter filtering software, and find appropriate content that interests your children.
Internet Controls
Step 1
Install filtering software that is password-protected. The software should block any site you don't wish your child to use, as well as scan for downloaded items, searches and viewed pages. It should work on multiple Internet browsers. That's a safeguard because your child may try to download a different browser, thinking the controls will only apply to the one your family normally uses.
Step 2
Set a password for the software that will be tough for kids to break. It should be different from any password you use as a family, such as a security passcode or voicemail PIN. Avoid using the digits of your birthday and other known characteristics that your child could use to break the code. Write down the password, and store it in a place your kids can't access, such as at your workplace.
Step 3
Log into the software periodically and check up on what your kids are surfing and searching for. Look for inappropriate content, as well as searches on how to circumvent the software. If you find this material, discuss it with your child, and tell him what the consequences are if he tries to break the rules again.
Other Controls
Step 1
Ask your cable company how to use its filtering software for your TV. It should have similar protections as those for Internet controls: password protection, the ability to block certain channels and filtering out programs with certain ratings.
Step 2
Follow the directions in the Entertainment Software Rating Board's "A Parent's Guide
to Video Games, Parental Controls and Online Safety" to establish parental controls on the most popular video-gaming systems. Pay attention to the content ratings on games your child is playing, and disable Internet access on these devices, if necessary.
Step 3
Realize that you can't control everything to which your child is exposed. No filtering software is perfect, and he may be viewing content you deem inappropriate at a friend's house or even at school. Research appropriate websites, TV shows and video games in which he's interested in, and let him consume that content. Tt should help him forget about the inappropriate material.
Member Comments