Childproof computing

Kids love using PCs but their inexperience can put them ­ or the computer ­ in danger. We explain how adults can take charge

There’s no doubt that the internet is a great resource.

It’s especially useful if you have children, allowing them instant access to a range of information that’s far beyond what previous generations could have at home.

On the other hand, there are also potential dangers out there: things you’d rather they didn’t see, and people you’d rather they didn’t talk to.

These dangers need to be put in proportion: for all the press reports of online predators or unsavoury websites, the bad apples are still a tiny minority and the advantages of using the web vastly outweigh the drawbacks. Nevertheless, as a parent, you’ll rightly be concerned about what your kids do online.

In this feature we’ll look at how parental-control software can help you make sure you know what your kids are doing with the computer and keep them out of harm’s way.

Safety net
Few people would disagree that the internet can be a great tool for kids and their parents. Children can look up information, work with other people online or even chat to friends far away, increasing their understanding of the world and helping with their studies. But there are also drawbacks, such as sites full of hate speech or sexual imagery, and people who may try to chat to your children with less than pure motives.

So what can you do to help make sure your children can use the internet in safety without being exposed to things you’d rather they didn’t see? One of the most common pieces of advice is that you shouldn’t let children have a computer in their room. Instead, put the PC in a common area of the home and supervise them while they use it.

That will certainly give you a good idea of what they’re doing, and it’s especially good advice with younger children, but as children grow older it might not remain practical. We all know teenagers love to complain about their parents, and they’ll hardly feel free to chat to their friends about you if you’re sitting next to them. There’s plenty of other general advice available.

In particular, the Government’s own Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, or CEOP, runs an advice website that contains information for children, parents and guardians.

Controlling interest
Advice is all very well, but what about practical steps? Those of us who have children will have to let them use a computer alone at some point, so it’s vital to take some practical measures to ensure they’re protected.

One good solution is to use software that keeps an eye on what kids are doing on the computer, blocks certain actions and reports back to you on what’s been going on. This kind of program is generally called parental-control software.

There’s a wide range of programs available, ­ ranging from simple monitoring, which lets you know what kids were doing and which websites they’ve been visiting, to more intrusive ones that can actively block them from doing certain things with the computer.

Ultimately, which approach is best is a matter of personal preference: some adults might like to see what’s going and will sit children down and explain why certain sites are bad; others may prefer it if children never visit certain types of sites in the first place. Remember that the internet isn’t just the web; there are chat and email too, and some parental control systems can restrict access to those.

There are programs that keep a database of key information, such as your address and phone number, then block any attempt to send it out via email or instant message. Other systems, ideal for computers located in children’s bedrooms, can limit whether the computer can access the internet ­ or even whether the computer can do anything at all ­ between certain hours.

And whether it’s viruses, games or file sharing you’re worried about, parental controls can stop that too; many of the packages available can be set up so that children can only run certain programs on the computer. This has a second, extremely handy, advantage: by limiting access to certain programs you can prevent children from accidentally damaging your work in an accounts program, for example.

Accounting for users
Before we look at installing parental control software, it’s also worth remembering that there are other vital ways to protect a computer against threats from the internet. For one, it’s crucial to have up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software in place.

Parental control systems tend to concentrate on inappropriate language and privacy, and won’t stop things such as spyware or Trojans that can pop up as links in instant messages. Although savvy adults might spot and avoid dubious-looking downloads, children are more likely to keep clicking while dangerous software installs itself on the computer.

You should also take advantage of the user-accounts facility that’s included on every modern Windows and Apple computer. This allows each person using a computer to log in with their own name and password, and ensures that they can only access the files and folders that they need. User accounts are always useful, but they’re also required in order to make use of many parental-control programs.

To create or manage user accounts in Windows XP, select Control Panel from the Start menu, then select User Accounts. In Windows Vista, click on Start, then Control Panel, select User Accounts and Family Safety, then select the link labelled ‘Add or remove user accounts’. It’s not enough to simply set up a user account for every member of the family, though.

Each account needs to have a password, and the password for your account needs to be a secret one known only to you – ­ not one that kids can guess. It’s also vital to log out of the computer using the Start menu whenever you finish using it, ­ otherwise kids can use your account, bypassing parental controls.

Finally, Windows is usually set up with a powerful account called Administrator already created. ­ Give this account a password, too, to prevent children from using it. To do this, restart the computer and, as it restarts, press the F8 key repeatedly. The computer should display a menu. Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode, then press enter.

When the Windows login screen appears, there should be an option called Administrator. Click on this to log in, then go to the Start, Control Panel and User Accounts to change its password to something memorable but hard to guess.

A new Vista
Among the many new features that Microsoft added to the latest version of Windows, Vista, is a parental control system. This is great news, as it means that Vista users can protect their kids and their computer without forking out for extra software. You’ll find the settings in the ‘User Accounts and Family Safety’, which is found by clicking on the Start button and selecting Control Panel.

The parental controls require each user to have their own user account, so before going any further make sure you have created an account and password for every user, as described earlier. Once you’ve set up the user accounts, you can turn on Parental Controls for each user, and also ask Windows to create reports of what the users have been doing with the PC.

There are four main areas to the controls built into Vista ­ – web, games, time and programs. The web controls let you restrict which websites can be accessed by a user. It’s possible to choose from broad categories or by specifically listing allowed sites, so there’s a plenty of scope for altering the settings to suit individual children. It’s also possible to block downloads.

The games controls allow adults to block by name or PEGI rating and the program controls can be used to restrict children so they can only run certain applications – ­ perhaps Word but not the Sage accounting software. Finally Vista allows you to restrict the times at which children can use the computer, so it’s easy to prevent all-night gaming sessions.

XP alternatives
Windows Vista’s parental controls are handy but there’s no need for those still using Windows XP to worry, as there are many alternatives. In fact, even those who do have Vista might prefer to use an alternative system that gives a greater level of control. Rather than the broad settings in Vista’s parental controls, some programs can be set more accurately.

For example sex education websites can be accessed while still blocking pornography. Some programs can even send you an email at work if your child looks at something they shouldn’t do on the computer at home, or separately control time spent online and time spent using the computer ­ so homework can be written up even though internet access may be blocked.

Dozens of parental control programs are available, but the most well known are dedicated parental control systems such as Cyberpatrol (£22), Netnanny (£24) and Cybersitter (£18). All these products will filter and, if necessary, block online chatting and control email as well as websites.

Each has a free trial that can be downloaded, too, but it’s worth noting that at the moment only Netnanny is compatible with Windows Vista. Some online security suites include parental controls alongside anti-virus and anti-spyware tools, so there may even be parental controls already installed on your computer. Another good option, and one that’s free, is K9 Web Protection.

This software can be downloaded here and, although it isn’t a complete set of parental controls, it is a good way to limit what children can view on the internet. K9 has a wide range of categories, so it’s possible to adjust many aspects of what websites are filtered and it is easy to install.

Like most parental control software, when K9 blocks a site it gives the option to enter a password to view it, so it’s vital to ensure that the password used to secure the system is hard to guess. If it isn’t, children could end up with more access than you had planned to give them.

Problem prodigies
This last point is vital to remember, whichever parental control software you choose. Children can end up knowing more about computers than their parents and, while younger kids can easily be protected using software on the computer, the task becomes harder as they grow older.

It’s hard to stop children from running the computer by starting from a CD or memory key, and both methods can completely bypass any controls placed on the main operating system. Although it is possible to block websites by changing the settings in some internet routers, thus blocking them from every computer regardless of the user or software, the options are usually limited and impractical.

It’s best to view parental controls as a tool that can make life easier when it comes to children using the computer, rather than a complete solution. Everyone has their own opinions on how best to raise children, but one common piece of advice from experts is to encourage them to talk to you about anything they do online, especially if it scares or worries them.

Whatever methods of parental control you choose, remember that no software can be perfect: new websites appear all the time, as do new ways for people to communicate information that might not be appropriate for kids. However, web-filtering software and other parental controls can be useful tools in keeping kids away from most unsuitable material.

Technology alone can’t solve all the problems, but combined with common sense it can go a long way.