How To Find The Right Parental Control Software For Your Family

Today's parental control software ranges from easy to very advanced, with highly targeted options. Some applications require an significant investment of your time monitoring your child's online usage, and some have more of a "set it and forget it" type of operating style.

Which is the best software for you, and the needs of your family? Let's start with the most popular types of features related with some of these applications.

Limit Kids Computer Time. This feature allows you to establish daily and weekly time limits your kids can use the use your computer. This is the perfect application for obsessive computer use, sneaking on to the computer late at night, or when using the computer for recreation has surpassed homework.

Blocking Internet Websites. This feature allows you block online websites that have inappropriate content, such as adult, gambling, and firearm websites. Most applications come with a preset list of sites, and give you the option of adding your own.

Web Filtering. This feature is very similar to URL Blocking, but some approved websites can have inappropriate content in the form of text and video.

Monitoring Chat Conversations. If your kids have Facebook accounts, they have the ability to correspond through the computer, on any subject without your knowledge. Monitoring chat conversations isn't spying as much as it is looking for exact tags that you would want to know your children are using.

Parent Reports. Parents have the option to create or have sent to them lists of your kids Internet usage, such as URLs they visited over a period of time.

Alerts by Email. Suppose your four year old daughter is on the computer and happens to type your credit card number and phone number. With email alerts, you can be automatically notified of this activity.

Remote Access. Imagine your daughter is home sick from school, but her computer time is not scheduled to start until later in the day. Accessing the computer remotely allows you make changes from work.

Block File Downloads. This feature lets you manage what your kids are permitted to download to their computer. Examples could be illegally copyrighted movies, files, and programs.

Predator Alerts. The industry refers to "predators" as registered sexual offenders. This feature will tell you how many registered sexual offenders live in your neighborhood now, and you can be notified by email when a new predator moves in.

Keystroke Logging. This option basically remembers every letter of every word that is typed on the keyboard.

Prices will vary by vendor, but there are some exceptional values if you do a little homework. Nothing is more important than installing all the right parental control features for you to setup and maintain, your family's safe Internet experience.

While all of these applications are better than nothing, they do not replace the need of educating our kids the value of the Internet, how to be safe online, and most importantly, that nothing on the Internet is ever private.