What Just Happened?


Pamela's outrage is clearly evident in the letter to her ISP, and she is not alone. In fact, according to research conducted for Consumer Reports WebWatch in 2005, nearly all adult Internet users feel that the ease with which you can stumble across sexually explicit material is a problem; 82 percent feel that it is a major problem. Further, 86 percent of all adults online believe there should be a Web site rating system similar to those used for movies and video games. What might surprise you more is that this attitude is also shared by teens and younger children.

About 25 percent of young people who use the Internet are exposed to unsolicited sexual material in a year, although that number might be deceptively low because most don't tell. Their silence reflects not only their shock and embarrassment but also a concern that they might be blamed for doing something wrong if they come forward (Finkelhor et al., 2000).

Matt is an exception in that he talked to his parents about what happened. Only 39 percent of teens tell their parents when they encounter pornography online, and in 44 percent of incidents, the teens tell no one at all (Finkelhor et al., 2000).

Find Out More

See Chapter 17, "Talking About Safety," for advice about creating an environment where it is safe for your child to tell you when a problem occurs.


Although Pamela was frustrated with her service provider, most reputable companies work hard to improve protections and provide settings that enable users to manage their online experience in accordance with their own lifestyles and values. Still, people make many assumptions about the default protections that software companies or Internet service providers have put in place, as Pamela and her family found out the hard way.

In reality, many companies do not test their software for safety at all. They develop cool features and then make them available without providing adequate instructions for their safe use. Sometimes a software company's rush to beat a competitor to market with new features takes precedence over providing products that have been tested for safety.

What Are Parental Controls?

Parental controls is a term for software tools that help parents manage their children's online experiences. Parental control services often include the following features:

  • Content filters enable you to block access to Web sites that have certain kinds of content.

  • Communication filters manage which communication tools (such as e-mail or instant messaging) your children are permitted to use and with whom they can communicate.

  • Computer security settings block some or all applications or file types from being downloaded onto a computer.

  • Access settings set limits to the amount of time your child can spend online.

  • Reporting tools provide periodic reports to you about your children's activities online.

Some products contain additional tools that enable you to further monitor someone's activities by detailing every keystroke they make, showing snapshots of what they see on the screen, or even allowing you to read every e-mail or instant message they send or receive.

Pet Peeve

Frankly, parental controls is a term I don't care for. According to global research conducted by Information Solutions Group on behalf of Microsoft, at least 60 percent of parents worldwide don't appreciate this phrase either. Most of you don't want to "control" your children; you want to provide a safer environment so you and your family can enjoy a rich, positive experience on the Internet that matches your family's values and preferences. The term not only offends and potentially deters these people from adopting the technology, it also creates the misperception that the only people who want or need a safer experience are children. Unfortunately, the term parental controls is still the main industry catch-all phrase for these kinds of safety settings and protections in general.


Consumers of all ages naïvely believe that software and online services are safe because they assume software companies spend a great deal of time anticipating how people might abuse their products. Just as you can't assume that your school is spending significant time instructing your children on how to use the Internet safely, it is unrealistic to assume that software manufacturers could possibly account for every vagary of human behavior when producing software features. You are still the best first line of defense when using technology products and services.



Look Both Ways. Help Protect Your Family on the Internet
Look Both Ways: Help Protect Your Family on the Internet
ISBN: 0735623473
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 157
Authors: Linda Criddle

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