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April 11, 2007
Dear CNET members, When I was young, being at home with my parents was probably the safest place I could be. Around the house, the only means of communicating outside the home was the telephone, which was easy to monitor uncomplicated to guard against misuse. Today, it's a completely different landscape because of the Internet. Like it or not, our children are growing up in a cyberworld and the threats to them are growing at a high rate. You can't help but hear or read about crimes against children through cyberspace. And though my children are still young, you can believe I'm already starting to prepare as a parent to not only educate myself about these cyberthreats, but also ingrain in my 4-year-old not only the awareness of drugs and alcohol but also the dangers of being online. With all this said, CNET recently launched a special Living with Technology feature: Keep your kids safe online. CNET's guide explores the threats and explains how to help your children safely surf. It also brings front and center the awareness that parents, parents-to-be, and grandparents need to protect the innocence of youth youth from the online threats. This guide is extremely helpful, but nevertheless I'd like take it to the community level where parents, grandparents, or parents-to-be can discuss and share the methods and strategies in place (through software monitoring and controls or parental guidance and supervision) to keep our kids safe online and ensure that they do not fall victim to Net predators, online bullies, and so forth. If you've ever had a frightening experience or a close call regarding your kids being online victims, please share those with us, so that we all can get a glimpse of how real this problem is. The more knowledge that parents can share among one another, the better we will all be at protecting our children online. Thanks!
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This week's hot topic:
Keeping your kids safe onlineCNET recently launched a special Living with Technology feature: Keep your kids safe online. When I asked what methods and strategies (through software monitoring and controls or parental guidance and supervision) our members used to keep their kids safe online, many members shared with us their experience and tips for what worked for them. "Mark 1 eyeball" "Technology (hardware and software) is great. But nothing beats the Mark 1 eyeball of a concerned parent. My two children are older now, but when they were young, the PC was in the living room where I could see what they were doing online. I knew the IDs of their online friends and, if I didn't recognize a..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member Professor Curt
"I like the iBoss filter" "I have an older teenager, with a PC now in his room. I keep close tabs. I check his history and downloads frequently, and I use a filter I'm very satisfied with, a hardware filter device called the iBoss from a company called iPhantom, for about six months. It costs $80, with a $5/month subscription. It sits between the..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member InsertCleverUserNameHere
"I used two things when my kids were younger..." "First, I used a HOSTS file to block inappropriate sites from being accessible on any browser. I also "hid" the folder where the HOSTS file resides and setup "limited" accounts for each user. For those interested, see the How To Use A HOSTS File link below. Second, I had the computer set up in a room..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member Grif Thomas
"Most important topic!" "This is such a relevant topic and one that I'm sure will continue to grow in importance. My kids are grown now, but my grandchildren are all heavily into computers and the Net. My eldest son has five children, and he expressed to me his concerns about them accessing inappropriate sites. He was also concerned..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member Grimbles
Speak up!Now it's your turn to tell us: What methods do you have in place (through software monitoring and controls or parental guidance and supervision) to keep your kids safe online and ensure that they do not fall victim to Net predators, online bullies, and so forth? Have they been successful? We want to know. • Top 5 Internet dangers for kids: A resource guide From CNET.com • Monitoring software downloads From CNET Download.com • Latest news on kids' online safety From CNET News.com • Viruses and security alerts forum From CNET forums  Here are some interesting comments you've recently submitted
on CNET. Read up on it and talk about it.
• Chicks dig the DS, hate the PSP? Suspect marketing may have hurt Sony in the mobile-gaming wars, but there's something a bit more subtle going on that it must contend with: Nintendo's DS is female-friendly. Does the DS' chick-magnet quality hurt the PSP's appeal? • Is text messaging cool or just a waste of time? After a slow start in the United States, text messaging has exploded in popularity, and we're now almost on par with cell phone users in Asia and Europe. And though it's very popular with kids and teens, less tech-savvy adults have taken up text messaging as well. Yet even as text-messaging use grows, some cell phone users consider it invasive, tedious, and frustrating. So what do you think? Is text messaging cool or just a waste of time? • Your worst electronics ripoff? When it comes to electronics, nearly everyone has been ripped off. Sometimes it's misleading advertising, other times the gear breaks right after the warranty expires, or maybe it just plain sucks. Misery loves company, so give us your worst. | Weigh in on this week's poll:
 Yes, I have parental-control utilities. (Whatare they?) Yes, I am physically present when they usethe Internet. (What about when you're not around?) Yes, I monitor them both physically andelectronically. (Please explain.) Occasionally. (Do you think it's enough?)
No, I trust my kids. (Please tell us yoursecret to success.) No, because I see no threat. (Please explain.) They're too young now, but eventuallyI will. (At what age?) They're adults now, but I think I still should. Who need kids...I can't even keep myself outof trouble!
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How do you keep your kids safe online? 
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