How to monitor your children’s usage
September 3, 2008 at 1:59 pm
The school holidays, combined with the rotten weather this summer, mean that children will be on the internet more than usual. Surprisingly, according to research carried out by BroadbandChoices.co.uk, parents are pretty lax in monitoring their offspring’s online activity. Most seem to rely on their children’s word and, with most parents being outclassed by their kids in the technical wizardry department, it is easy for them to be duped.
It is not only children’s safety which should be of concern, with almost half of 11 to 16-year olds using chat rooms to make new friends, but also the family budget. 48% of 11 to 16 year olds download music from the internet and, with the recent announcement that parents are responsible for any illegal downloads by their children, alarm bells should be ringing. Parents run the risk of having their internet access removed if illegal activity is discovered and even if this is not the case, they can be left facing a hefty bill if their broadband limit is exceeded.
BroadbandChoices.co.uk suggest that keeping the family computer in the living room is a good way of being able to keep an eye on what your children are up to. They are far less likely to download illegal files or set up meetings with strangers if they know they are being watched. A Download Monitor is also a useful weapon against exceeding fair usage limits. It will alert you when the limit is about to be exceeded.
If parents want to ensure that their children are kept safe online it is well worth clueing up about parental control software, which may be offered by your ISP or as part of your security and anti-virus packages. Finally it is always a good idea to make sure that your children understand why you are concerned and why they should never give out personal information over the internet.
