Do you know what your kids are doing online? Do you really know? If you feel you need to know what your children or teens are doing online, you will need a computer monitoring program, also referred to as computer filtering programs.
Maybe you want to help keep your kids safe from sexual predators online due to advances in technology for children, or perhaps you want to know what your spouse or employees are doing online when they are on the computer. Whatever the case may be, computer and Internet Monitoring Programs run invisibly in the background of your computer while your kids, spouse or employees are using the computer.
With computer monitoring software, you can know what your kids are doing online, on MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites, as well as instant messaging and email conversations that may be causing you concern. The Online Safety Site has a chat example of what your kids may be doing online without your knowledge, and parents need to know what their kids are doing online in order to protect their children.
The computer monitor and filter programs listed below offers a variety of features, so be sure to carefully review the information to help you in deciding which internet monitor program is right for your situation with your kids, spouse or employees.
Spector Pro 6.0
is the best spy software that money can buy. Spector PRO was awarded the coveted Editor’s Choice by PC Magazine, also offering Spector for Mac OS 3.0. Records emails, chats, IM, web sites visited, keystrokes typed and ALL MYSPACE. PLUS includes Internet time Blocking and danger alerts! Web Site Recording tool monitors every page accessed and saves a record of the URLs chronologically - Last Visit, Duration on Site, Active Time on Site, Total Number of Visits and more. Record every program (or application) and program window run on the computer being monitored.
eBlaster 5.0 is the ONLY software in the world that will capture their incoming and outgoing email and then immediately forward that email to you. eBlaster also captures BOTH sides of chat, instant messages, all keystrokes, websites and screenshots. Dependable, full-featured remote surveillance software; Records Internet and PC activity; comprehensive email reports sent right to your inbox. Easy for computer novices to install and use effectively.
Net Nanny 5.5 will allow you to manage your family’s Internet policy and from anywhere you have access to an Internet connection-even from work or on vacation! Review detailed interactive charts and graphs that provide information about where, how long and how often your family members are spending on certain web site. Manage access to Instant Messaging applications and see the full text of all Instant Message conversations.
Kidswatch Internet Security Parental Control V5 is a 2008 Award Winning Internet Safety and Parental Control software package that can meet the challenges facing parents on how to protect children from the negative aspects of computer use. Help your kids stay away from trouble and take the next step in parental supervision and computer supervision! Limit Internet surfing, chatting & game play. Receive email notifications when suspect words or phrases are encountered in chat conversations. Monitor chat, websites visited, programs used and computer use.
Telling It Like It Is fully endorses WiredSafety.org as a leader in Internet safety and help group on issues including social networking, cyber bullying and protecting kids from online predators of all kinds.
Related Posts:
The Dangers of Webcams
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Why Don’t Kids Tell? Talking to Your Children About Sexual Abuse
Child Sexual Abuse: Facts VS. Myths
Signs and Symptoms of Child Sexual Abuse
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10 responses so far ↓
1 display booths (57 comments.) // Jul 21, 2008 at 8:31 am
Hi Lin, Welcome back from staycation! This post on computer monitoring software is quite timely. My family was at a friend’s bbq yesterday and one of our friends (a pilot) was saying that he let his 6 and 4 year old sons watch a youtube video showing a condensed 6-minute version of the construction of the Boeing 777. He needed to do some work, and when he came back, they were watching other flying video of WWII era dogfights and planes blowing up (they said the computer did it on its own, they didn’t touch any buttons…) His wife is a pilot too and was flying that day, and he didn’t want to talk about planes blowing up, but luckily the kids didn’t make the connection. Anyway, the logical question was what else is on youtube, and does it have a parental filter (I did tell everyone that would listen that my website about trade show display booths is strictly “G-rated” and kid safe!)
Anyway, can’t believe we talked about that yesterday and now I read your article on computer monitoring software this morning. Small world. Keep up the good posts! ~ Steve (aka Mr Display Booths)
2 Lin (904 comments.) // Jul 21, 2008 at 8:43 am
Hi Steve, I won’t be too surprised if I get some condemnatory comments about using computer monitoring programs, since parents will likely feel such software is completely unnecessary and is more like spying software and they “wouldn’t dream of doing that”.
I have an upcoming article discussing the dangers of webcams that many children and teenagers are currently using, and parents are completely unaware of what their kids are doing online.
It’s amazing to me the number of children and teens that have computers in their bedrooms (or are in open family areas but are unsupervised much of the time), so when I ask the question “Do You Know What Your Kids Are Doing Online?, most parents think they know and have full trust and belief that their kids are not doing anything unsavory nor are participating in any “kid friendly” social networking sites. Boy have I got news for them.
3 display booths (57 comments.) // Jul 21, 2008 at 9:48 am
hi Lin, I know a few parents that I think would view what you are suggesting as “spying”. The nicest thing I can say about that is that they are “misguided”. I believe in trust, privacy, and responsibility, but it must be balanced against being a parent, doing your job, and protecting your children. Spying is when you are trying to find out something that is none of your business. If it is your business (and part of your job as a parent), it isn’t spying. I’m not sure if what I just wrote makes sense, but Job #1 is to be The Parent (whether your kids like it or not (they usually won’t, and won’t understand until later in life when they have kids). ~ Steve
PS. I thought you might be #1 on google for Lin is on Staycation by now, but you’re still #3. Perhaps soon?
4 Lin (904 comments.) // Jul 21, 2008 at 10:00 am
Yeah, I’m fully prepared to respond to anyone who is against using internet monitoring programs and I welcome the discussion.
Just yesterday I was visiting my best friend while she was sitting for her grandson (8 yrs old), and he was on the computer in the same room as we were but sitting behind us out of our direct line of sight.
He was on a “child friendly” social networking site and suddenly he started giggling. I was discussing with her this very post and about the upcoming post on the dangers of webcams that he’s now asking for.
My friend and I turned and looked at him asking what was so funny. He had gotten a Rated XXX pop up! and couldn’t get the pop up to click out. Needless to say, my friend learned a quick and hard lesson on the fact that being in the same room with a child on the computer isn’t enough.
When his mother got home she got an ear full, and now understands how dangerous it can be for children being on the internet. Her reasoning was that her son is only “allowed” to visit kid sites; well obviously that isn’t quite so.
5 display booths (57 comments.) // Jul 21, 2008 at 10:21 am
hi Lin, Our kids don’t and likely never will have a computer (or TV) in their rooms, but for another reason. I’ve seen too many kids these days that seem to spend all their free time online playing games with their other online friends. I want my kids outside breathing fresh air and soaking up sunshine, or if they are in their rooms, they should be reading a book or doing a jigsaw puzzle. There will be plenty of time for surfing the internet and reading blogs
when they’re adults. ~ Steve (aka Mr Display Booths)
6 April (3 comments.) // Jul 21, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Why do I feel old reading this? I’m only 26 yet none of this applied when I was a kid. The internet was still in a relative infancy and was very expensive for most people to access. Now it seems that every child on the planet has access to the internet.
7 Lin (904 comments.) // Jul 21, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Hi April, and what’s really scary is how many kids have unsupervised time on the internet and the parents have no idea what their kids are doing online and what sites they’re actually going to. And worse yet, who really is talking to their kid? On kid sites grown men and women are pretending to be in the child’s age group, and are working hard to use a variety of “grooming methods” to gain the child’s trust in order to harm the kid.
8 Elliott - 21st Century Dad (6 comments.) // Jul 24, 2008 at 10:10 am
In our house, we instituted a policy where our son is also responsible for the sites his friends visit. It puts additional responsibility on him to monitor how his computer is being used. This also heads off any, “but it was so-and-so who went to that site.”
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