TMCnet News
Tools to protect your kids online [Computing] [Times of India](Times of India Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) There's no denying that the internet is a wonderful source of information and entertainment. On the other hand, we also cannot ignore the dangers that lurk on the World Wide Web in the form of stalkers, pornographic content, questionable advertising, and cyber bullying. Well, there are some superb web-based tools that will help you protect your child, and even alert you to any problems whenever they're using your home PC... - Qustodio: It is a tool that helps you keep tabs on your children's activities on the internet. You can also use it to block access to nearly 30 types of websites, spanning categories such as alcohol and drugs, chat, file sharing, gambling, violence, weapons, profanity and pornography; set time limits for PC use, and even block access to video games. When you download the software from qustodio.com, you are prompted to create an account by signing in with an e-mail address. Then, you are provided with access to its online "Family Protection Portal" where you can custom configure protection settings to monitor your child's internet usage. For Qustodio to work, you will first need to create separate user profiles for your kids on your home PC. You can then go to "Settings", and under "Children's Accounts" add these individual Windows accounts. Whenever your child signs into his user profile on your PC, Qustodio automatically blocks dangerous and inappropriate internet content. It is also configured to send you a daily e-mail report to inform you of your kid's activities. Sign in on the Qustodio website and you are presented with a well-designed dashboard that gives you a graphical overview of your child's browsing history as well as their activities on social networks, chat and search engines. Alternatively, you might also want to try out Norton Family at family.norton.com that functions almost identically to Qustodio, letting you keep an eye on your ward's online activities.Both tools offer you enough of flexibility and control, letting you set up different rules for each of your children, based on their age. Qustudio and Norton Family are available for Windows, iOS and Android. The former also available for the Mac and Kindle. - DNS Angel: It is a simple software that automatically stops your child from accessing adult content on the internet. To do this, it utilizes third-party services like Norton, MetaCert, OpenDNS, Yandex, which have their own blacklisted websites. Once you have it installed, simply select one of the services. Each of these uses its own set of rules to block content on the web.You might want to give it a try before fixing on the right one to protect your child. www.sordum.org8127dns-angel-v1-3 - Cold Turkey: It lets you block access to specific websites and applications, but when combined with DNS Angel, it makes for a great firewall. Using this tool, you can also assign a time frame through the week for when you want web restrictions to be enforced. getcoldturkey.com (c) 2014 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited |