How can I protect my children from all the sex that pervades the net?

Thursday, 18 August 2011 00:00

Dear Larry,

How can I protect my children from sexual content in e-mail and on the Internet?

—D.D.

Dear D.D.,

It’s not surprising that pornography has permeated the Internet. The open-ended freedom of the Web makes it an excellent delivery vehicle for this type of content. The irony is that these Web sites have in part been responsible for many of the Internet’s technological breakthroughs. Pornographic Web sites, in an effort to distinguish themselves, have led the way in advances such as Internet advertising, video, online conferencing, user customization and other leading edge technologies.

So much for redeeming qualities. Tens of millions of people (mostly men) log onto adult Web sites every day. As you might expect, teenage boys make up a part of that audience, but the companies who specialize in this sort of entertainment are more interested in people with credit cards. That begs the bigger problem: Half of adult material on the Internet is free and far too accessible. These Web sites earn their dollars through intensive advertising for other “pay sites.”

A key difference between adult sites and other sites is how their advertising pays off. Yahoo.com, for example, earns income for Internet surfers who merely see one of their advertising banners. But in the world of Internet pornography, advertisers only pay when users actually link to their Web sites. Thus, free sites employ every possible technique (legitimate and otherwise) to draw users away from their sites and direct them to pay sites. Their arsenal includes visual images, video animation (undeniably pornographic in nature), promising links (such as “click here for more pictures”) and other questionable lures.

Direct adult supervision and monitoring of your children’s time online is your best defensive weapon. If your children are 10 or older and want some independence on the Web, make them aware that along with privilege comes responsibility — that you trust they’ll use their best judgment when surfing.

Next in line is your Internet browser’s “history.” Every browser maintains a record of the pages that it has visited. Access your browser’s history on a regular basis to find out what sites your children have been viewing online. After you’ve scrutinized the browser history list, clear it in anticipation of your next inspection.

If you believe your children are smart enough to sidestep your efforts to monitor their usage, you may feel that a stronger remedy is in order. There are several good software packages on the market that limit or prevent access to dubious Web sites. Best and cheapest among them in my opinion is AVG Family Safety (avg.com/us-en/avg-family-safety). They’re currently offering a one-year, three-PC subscription for $0.99, which they’ll donate in turn to the Red Cross.

Becoming an informed and educated parent in the modern world of information at your fingertips is a challenging job, to say the least. If you feel a little overwhelmed by all of this, I suggest you pay a visit to getnetwise.comfor more comprehensive and detailed advice regarding Internet safety.

This is Larry Schneider, logging off.

Larry Schneider is the owner of Accent on Computers, a Greenwich-based consulting firm catering to individuals, businesses and professional offices. Call 203-625-7575, visit Accentoncomputers.com, or send e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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