Protecting Kids from inappropriate content

[NJBeliever]

I updated my blog with an article about a great resource for Parents on keeping their kids away from the filth and sin on the internet. It's called Internet Safety 101. All comments are welcome.

Internet Safety 101 — Protecting Kids From inappropriate content « Spirit and Truth

 

[Digifriend]

Thanks for your post.inappropriate content addiction can be really bad and to be honest i am afraid for my son. He is 12 and spends too much time on the computer.

 

[starry_night]

Thanks. inappropriate content is really evil. I really believe that. It encourages men to see women as objects and not as human beings.

 

[mstrohm]

inappropriate contentography is a real threat to young men and some young women as well. One frustration I have with the well sponsored secular efforts to help stop inappropriate contentography, they are reluctant to endorse internet filtering. It just does not make sense to me!

I teach parents about internet safety through my Cyber Safety Seminar that I offer free on the web. I highly endorse the use of internet filters to help protect and keep kids accountable.

If you are interested in participating in a free seminar you can sign up at http://CyberSafetySeminar.com.

 

[Johnnz]

Te biggest preventative against inappropriate content,and any bad sex, is a good, robust, healthy set of attitudes and values. Filters etc aren't going to deal with te heart of issues surrounding sexual maturity if you can't talk openly and relevantly about sex with your son. Friends, media. internet cafes are all available to any young person wanting sexual material, let alone peer group conversations. You can't plug all the holes.

John
NZ

 

[Wedjat]

^^ THIS

I wasn't really planning on commenting in this section (I'm not a parent, so who's to listen) but this really needs to be said.

These are some facts of life:
Your children will inevitably be better at using computers than you are
If your children want to find something, they will find it
Internet filters do not work when someone finds out how to work around them.

What is important is to be able to have open and earnest dialogue with your kids and their developing sexuality. In this day and age inappropriate content can be and often is a part of that and needs to be addressed. Whether you want to admit it or not, kids will have questions about sex and it's up to you whether you will be the one to answer them or the internet. You cannot "protect" your kids from inappropriate content, only inform them. inappropriate content will teach your children to "see women as objects and not as human beings" unless you talk to them first. When they are prepared for what they see, then it won't have as bad an effect.

[edit] and don't make the mistake of thinking this only applies to boys. This sort of stuff can have just as much an effect on girls. Girls mature faster than boys and this includes their sexuality. You need to be able to talk to them as well.

 

[homeofmew]

shurg. I can't stand using censors myself. I remember AOL on anything BUT Adult couldn't let you even access POKEMON.COM >.>

 

[seeking.IAM]

. I highly endorse the use of internet filters to help protect and keep kids accountable.

I discourage reliance on internet filters alone. When my sons were younger, I invested in a popular filter. One of my sons got around it in four days. There is no substitute for effective parental supervision.

 

[Spiritmace]

These are some facts of life:
Your children will inevitably be better at using computers than you are
If your children want to find something, they will find it
Internet filters do not work when someone finds out how to work around them.

I agree. Blocking software is often designed by people who have a limited knowledge of the kind of sites out there. One of my cousins got around the blocking software at his school by running a proxy server site to get around the software. When he was found out, the school blocked the site. A day later he found another one. When an exhaustive list was found and blocked by the school, he bought a wireless internet server in and installed it, thereby giving him and his friends an unrestricted network. The internet is a vast expanse of knowledge, so it is inevitable that there are numerous ways around everything you do.

 

[homeofmew]

I discourage reliance on internet filters alone. When my sons were younger, I invested in a popular filter. One of my sons got around it in four days. There is no substitute for effective parental supervision.

Also trusting your kids is also a good idea heck after a while you won't need to supervise them. I remember one I mistyped an address and it was inappropriate content and IM like O_O *CLOSE* and told my mom about it. they were fine about it.

 

[pgp_protector]

Problem with Software Filters on the computer.
One Linux Live CD, and you've bypassed Every Bit of security software on the computer, and left no trace of the activities on that computer.

 

[MckDawg04]

I wasn't really planning on commenting in this section (I'm not a parent, so who's to listen) but this really needs to be said.

These are some facts of life:
Your children will inevitably be better at using computers than you are
If your children want to find something, they will find it
Internet filters do not work when someone finds out how to work around them.

What is important is to be able to have open and earnest dialogue with your kids and their developing sexuality. In this day and age inappropriate content can be and often is a part of that and needs to be addressed. Whether you want to admit it or not, kids will have questions about sex and it's up to you whether you will be the one to answer them or the internet. You cannot "protect" your kids from inappropriate content, only inform them. inappropriate content will teach your children to "see women as objects and not as human beings" unless you talk to them first. When they are prepared for what they see, then it won't have as bad an effect.

[edit] and don't make the mistake of thinking this only applies to boys. This sort of stuff can have just as much an effect on girls. Girls mature faster than boys and this includes their sexuality. You need to be able to talk to them as well.

This sums it all up. The best thing to do is to encourage teens to have open dialouge about sexuality with someone they trust. It could be a parent, relative, youth pastor, or other trusted adult.

The bottom line is to not drop the ball and stay quiet about it. That is what leads to most young people searching the internet for answers and finding inappropriate content.