Computer and Internet technology provides parents with numerous options to block or restrict Internet access, from not letting them get online at all to restricting access to certain web sites to literally tracking every single keystroke.
However, as parents have discovered through the ages, the more you try to restrict and control a child, particularly an older one, the more likely they are to sneak around behind your back to get to the “forbidden fruit”.
As a result, establishing rules for the Internet should incorporate common sense, sound reasoning, and communication.
The first step is for you, as parents, to determine what you are trying to control with your rules. For example, if you are trying to protect your kids from online predators, then educating your children as to the dangers and giving them the skills to know how to recognize potential problems has been proven to be far more effective than simply forbidding them to go online.
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