A number of recent T.V. shows, most notably "Catch a Predator" have focused on the dangers of the internet as a perfect placefor predators to hide out. Dr. Phil, on his popular show, has stated that "one out of five children are approached for sex while chatting online." Twenty per cent! That is a troubling number that shows that our children are not safe on the internet. Is there something we can be doing about it?



Luckily, there are a number of internet monitoring and filtering programs that can give you some security about internet activity. But you have to find the one that will best suit your purposes. Make sure the program you are thinking of installing meets the following requirements.

First of all, it should be easy to install. Once you have it installed, it should be easy to use. If you buy a program and then can't figure out how to put it to work on your system, it will just sit there. And if you get it installed only to find out that it is difficult to operate, it will still not be doing the job because you will not use it consistently.

The main thing you want your internet monitoring and filtering software to do is to disallow porn. There is a great deal of porn on the internet, and it is so easy to find that you frequenly may be routed to a porn site even though you were looking for something else.

Another important feature of the internet monitoring and filtering software you want is the ability to filter discussions on chatrooms. Many young people go on these chatrooms to talk to friends or relatives, but internet predators are aware the young people are on them and try to contact them and proposition them for sex.

Make sure the internet monitoring and filtering software you buy can filter P2P sharing. You do not want your child to be able to download media and videos that are inappropriate for him.

The most reliable internet monitoring and filtering software will offer a free trail before you buy. They should have enough confidence in their product that they are sure you will like it and buy it. If you don't have the option of trying it out, don't buy it.

And the last important feature you should make sure your internet monitoring and filtering software has is free updates. Things change constantly on the internet, so your software should be updated frequently to keep up with these changes and keep the security at the highest level.

The internet is a valuable resource for us and our children. It can really help with research for homework and thus help our children in school. But as a responsible parent, you have to make sure that you are aware of the hazards and can protect your children from them. Investing in a good internet monitoring and filtering software package that meets all of these criteria: ease of installation and use, ability to block porn, ability to filter chatrooms, ability to block media

downloads, a trial period to test it and free updates. In this way, you can be sure your child is able to get the most out of the internet without any danger.