With the Holiday shopping season in full swing, parents are finding themselves under pressure to purchase all kinds of hi-tech toys that they could have never imagined would exist back when they were children  - and a talking Barbie was maybe the most advanced toy you could find. We make this assumption that advancements in technology are always a good thing — making our lives more interesting, fun, educational; allowing us to “save” time on tasks that used to require more effort . . . There is a techno culture that pushes us to think that our kids need more and better gadgets to be happy, successful and smart. But take note - Buyer Beware! Do not buy blindly. Read the rest of this entry »

Internet betting and gambling sites are a multi-billion dollar industry that will not be going away anytime soon. But why all the concern? Well, researchers believe that Internet gambling is even more addictive than traditional casino gambling. Read the rest of this entry »

With all of the wonderful opportunities the Internet has brought to us, we need to take a step back and make sure we know how it is being used - or abused - in our homes. With each day, the Internet becomes a more integral part of how we do things. We shop online, research purchases online, pay our bills online, do homework online, play online . . . I could go on and on. It’s an incredibly useful and convenient tool that has contributed to many people’s lives in a positive way.

But — and that is a really big BUT, there are many potential hazards that we face as we integrate the Internet more and more into our lives. One area that has become particularly worrisome is the increase in porn addiction. Read the rest of this entry »

We are trying to understand AOL’s recent announcement about providing free security software. On the face of things, it sounds great - - to get something from AOL, a company you feel you can trust, and for free. One suite to protect your Internet connection, your PC and most importantly, your family. We wanted to check out what AOL is providing customers. Some may think it sounds too good to be true and others may feel that “you get what you pay for”. But with open minds, we set out to find out what AOL Parental Control software is all about. After all, AOL is serious company. Read the rest of this entry »

Most people are unaware that pornography can actually be addicting. That’s not a joke or a moral judgement. People get addicted to porn and it disrupts their lives and those around them. The Internet has contributed greatly to the porn addiction phenomena because access to pornography has become easy starting from a very young age. Further, people who would normally not have access to porn, suddenly have free, easy, 24/7 availability at their fingertips AND it is even discreet and easy to hide. So how does it effect lives and how can you prevent it? Read the rest of this entry »

Parents: 5 easy tips for maintaining better control over your children’s Internet usage:

1. Be sure your children know to never give out personal information online. Don’t respond to messages from people they do not know.
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A lot of people talk about the need to brief children about proper Internet use. This has become more and more relevant over the years as the dangers become more prevelant and no one who has an Internet connection in their home is safe anymore unless they proactively protect themselves. But is it enough to set up guidelines? Read the rest of this entry »

Optenet is the only web filter that includes an online unblocking service. This service makes it possible for users to ask the Optenet team to revise a website in order to see if it was properly categorized.

In the case of an error, the revision team will unblock access to the site in 15 minutes so that the user can view the website. Read the rest of this entry »

Many kids are getting around filter systems. Roughly one-third of homes with teenagers and Internet connectivity say they use parental controls to protect the computer they use most often.

The majority of these come from ISPs like AOL, Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSK) or EarthLink (Nasdaq: ELNK), which provide parental controls as part of a security service. Read the rest of this entry »

If you have already decided that you want to or need to monitor your child’s Internet activity, the next question is whether you should do it with his/her knowledge or secretly.

While the decision ultimately belongs to each parent, there are many factors you will want to consider and benefits on both sides. Being upfront about placement of parental controls can prove beneficial. Read the rest of this entry »

Two large studies last year — by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Pew Internet & American Life Project — document how much time kids spend online and plugged in to electronics.

More than 85 percent of 8- to 18-year-olds in the survey had computers at home, up from 73 percent in 1999. Two thirds had TVs in their rooms and about half had video game players there. Almost three quarters had Internet access at home. According to the Pew study, about half of teen Internet users went online daily, about the same percentage that said the Internet helped their social lives. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Inform yourself: In order to talk to your children about how to use their mobile phone responsibly, you must first learn more about such devices and get to know the extent of possibilities they provide youngsters.

 A basic interest in technology always helps of course but information can always be gathered from your operator (stores) and non-profit organizations. This is the best way to go! Read the rest of this entry »