Trend Micro inc. has just released an online parental control service for monitoring children’s online activity. This software is another in their range of products aimed at home use.

By installing this program on their home PC (a one year license costs $49.95) parents can observe remotely ( from work, for example) what their children are doing on the computer. The following additional functions have been announced:

• link filtering and prevention of access to potentially dangerous websites,
• monitoring of messages and activity on social networks,
• personal data protection,
• monitoring of video files and images viewed on the computer (including on Youtube and Flickr),
• gradually improving system for preventing program shutdown,
• ability to look at reports on a mobile phone.

It seems that Trend Micro is trying to create an average program which contains the most necessary set of protection functions.

As you may have noticed, we have a slightly different philosophy. We try and spread different tasks between different applications.

Therefore activity monitoring is done by our program Refog Personal Monitor and other restrictions (for example, by time) are carried out by Refog Time Sheriff.

By the way, a new version of Time Sheriff will soon be released with improved protection from deliberate program closing and a system for blocking dangerous websites.

ChildWise, a British research agency, has published a report based on surveys completed by two thousand kids aged 5-16 from 92 different schools.

The report clearly states that various Internet-enabled devices are gradually becoming a sort of “virtual nanny” and Internet is becoming the children’s playground.

The Internet is steadily replacing television that has been playing this role for years.

The following figures from the report appear to be quite interesting:

• School-aged children spend less time every week on doing their homework than on using their computers.
• Around 97% of schoolchildren aged 11-16 have a personal cell phone (89% for adults and 30% for 8-year-olds).
• Most of them use their phones for going online.
• Around 60% of children aged 11-16 have a computer and a TV set and 50% of them have permanent Internet access.
• These kids spend their free time in social and torrent networks and on video portals.
• Over 30% of kids aged 7-10 use social networks, although it’s only legal for children aged 13 and above.
• 30% of the respondents have a personal blog and 62% have a profile in a social network.
• Children with Internet access spend an average of 1.7 hours online every day, slightly more on watching TV and just as much time on playing computer games.

Doctor Emma Bond, a child development expert, believes that it’s high time for many parents to re-evaluate the situation, restrict access to television and websites and start educating their children on their own. She also added that “school-aged children also use cell phones for sexual development by using them as a means of establishing intimate contacts with each other”, which is an important element of the personality formation process.

According to the recent statistical researches 75% of Internet users under the age of 14 go online without supervision of their parents, and 50% are faced with various dangers on the Internet.

The Internet is a great tool for child enlightenment but for obvious reasons it’s usage requires a mandatory supervision by the parents.

Most often children are facing the following dangers on the Internet:

• Viruses (and other types of malware).
• Visiting inappropriate sites (pornography, gambling, violence, etc.).
• Contacts with the fraudsters, extortioners or pedophiles (in forums, chat rooms or social networks, IM, e-mail).
• Disclosure of personal information (home address, time and place of walking, working hours of parents).

What can be done to reduce the possibility of such problems?

Create for a child a separate account (the user) in your operating system. This will simplify your further control and setting the limits. Do not forget to set a secure password for other computer accounts.

Explore software solutions for parental control.

• If you are using Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7 make sure to explore the possibilities of built-in Parental Control software.
• If you are using Kaspersky Internet Security antivirus, then use its «Parental Control» module.
• You can also use our Refog Time Sheriff program specially designed for this purpose.

You can find detailed instructions for setting up these programs in their reference materials or on the Internet.
And finally, the most important: since the very first day spent by your child on the Internet try to be near him/her and explain how to use this tool properly.

Be sure to explain the following:

• Under no circumstances a child should disclose anyone on the Internet its personal data (home address, school and class, time of walking and working hours of parents, etc.)
• On the Internet a child should follow the same rules and standards of morality as in real life.
• On the Internet people can easily impersonate other people, so it’s strongly forbidden to meet with someone from the Internet.
• Not everything that is written on the Internet is true. It’s necessary to learn how to carefully verify all information found.

Remember, education and safety of your children are closely linked and are in your hands. Observe, guide, teach, defend — and you will not doubt the safety of your children.