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From smart phones to tablet computers, to the hundreds of channels and thousands of on-demand video offerings on TV, consumers have never had more options for how to spend their time.\u00a0For parents, however, the amount of content that is out there can often lead to anxiety \u2013 about what their children watch on TV, what Web sites they are visiting and who they are talking to from behind all those electronic screens.\u00a0So what\u2019s a concerned parent to do?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n To address this issue, many communications carriers have created technology that gives parents control over their kids\u2019 use of their devices and services. \u201cParental control technology\u201d describes a wide variety of software and hardware solutions that parents and caregivers can use to restrict the content their children can access and the people they can communicate with.<\/p>\n The challenge is that, depending on the technology, medium, and service provider, parental control options vary quite a bit, so finding the most effective way to protect your children from adult content you\u2019d rather not let them access can be tough.<\/p>\n To address this, NCL has created a new series of articles\u00a0to help consumers navigate the landscape of parental control technology and find the options that are best for their families.<\/p>\n Best practices<\/strong><\/p>\n Parents often worry that, compared to their tech-savvy teens and pre-teens, they have little hope of keeping up with their use of technology. The truth is you don\u2019t have to be a computer or technical expert to prevent your young ones from accessing content that you deem inappropriate. Here are some basic rules of the road to keep your kids safe online.<\/p>\n Every family is unique. We all have our own set of criteria for what we are comfortable with. Not all of these suggestions will apply to your family situation, and they are not intended to be a complete list of all available options. Hopefully, this can at least serve as a starting point to begin a conversation about safe practices for going online, watching TV, and connecting with others.<\/p>\n Parental controls and wireless phones<\/strong><\/p>\n Many parents have come to the decision that their kids need access to wireless phones – for safety and peace of mind.\u00a0Luckily, most carriers offer a variety of helpful features that give parents and caregivers a say in what their children see and do with their souped-up phones. <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The use and accessibility of smartphones has skyrocketed in recent years, as more and more Americans now turn their wireless device to access the Internet. The ability to immediately access the Internet while on the go marks an important shift in the way we log on, and parents often worry that smartphones are just another way for their young ones to access inappropriate content, connect with strangers, and make unauthorized purchases\u2014all while outside of the home. Luckily, most carriers offer a variety of helpful features that give parents and caregivers a say in what their children see and do with their souped-up phones.<\/p>\n Purchase blocker: <\/strong>prevents users from making purchases that are direct-billed to the account holder, such as ringtones, downloads, applications and games.<\/p>\n Content filters<\/strong>: Similar to blocking sites and services on your home computer, many wireless carriers offer content filtering features that help block access to mobile sites with mature content as well as filter out inappropriate sites from search results. Some carriers, such as Verizon, have created their own rating system of mobile content. Verizon offers three content settings: appropriate for ages seven and up, 13 and up, and 17 and up. These three setting are all easy to change and reset as your child grows and matures.<\/p>\n Usage restrictions<\/strong>: allow parents to set caps on the number of text messages or downloads allowed over a set period, as well as restrict when the phone can be used, who can be called or texted, and what kinds of content can be accessed online. Other restriction features include the ability to set a dollar limit on monthly downloadable purchases, selecting the amount of web browsing\/data usage allowed per billing cycle, and creating lists of pre-approved \u201cfavorites\u201d and blocked numbers for you child\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n When your child begins to approach the monthly text, download, or talking limits, companies like AT&T will send an advance warning. Once a limit is reached, there will be a notification that the action is restricted and that the service will be stopped until the start of the next usage period. Depending on your wireless carrier, some of these features may cost a small monthly fee.<\/p>\n Family location services:<\/strong> Worried about where your kids are? Almost all major wireless carriers provide a tracking service that lets you know where your family members are. Using your phone or home computer to log on, you can set up certain boundaries for where you expect your child will be. When they move outside the arranged area with their phone, you can receive text or email alerts. You can also receive daily notifications at set times, assuring you that your child arrived home safely after school or other activities. All carries charge an extra monthly fee for this tracking service.<\/p>\n To find more about what options are available on your plan and carrier, contact your wireless service provider directly. For more general information on wireless parental controls, visit the Online Mom<\/a>.<\/p>\n From phones to TV and computers, make sure your young ones understand that parental controls are not about punishment\u2014they’re about safety. Talk to them about the importance of using the web responsibly instead of simply implementing tough restrictions. Teaching your kids about online safety can be a great opportunity to discuss good decision-making and time management skills. The Internet is an incredible tool that offers an amazing wealth of information and ideas. Go explore!<\/p>\n Many shows on television, whether on broadcast or cable networks, are for adult eyes only. Like with their use of the Internet, there are a variety of different ways you can keep your children from stumbling across explicit or violent content.<\/p>\n Many shows on television, whether on broadcast or cable networks, are for adult eyes only. Like with their use of the Internet, there are a variety of different ways you can keep your children from stumbling across explicit or violent content.<\/p>\n Television <\/strong><\/p>\n As parents are well aware, the Internet isn\u2019t the only place where kids can be exposed to inappropriate content. Many shows on television, whether on broadcast or cable networks, are for adult eyes only. Like the Internet, there are a variety of different ways you can keep your children from stumbling across explicit or violent content.<\/p>\n Since 2000, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has required that all televisions larger than 13 inches be equipped with what\u2019s called a V-chip. A V-chip lets parents and caregivers block programming that they don\u2019t want children to watch. All television programs are assigned a rating according to a system established by the television industry, which appears onscreen during the first 15 seconds of the program. The rating is encoded with the program before it airs. Parents can use their television set\u2019s remote control to program the V-chip to block programs that carry certain ratings. The current rating system deems what\u2019s appropriate as follows:<\/p>\n For more information on the V-chip, including specific instructions on how to program your V-chip at home, visit the FCC guide by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n Cable and satellite TV programming<\/strong><\/p>\n If your family has cable television, you have even more options on how to block access to programs you deem too mature for young eyes. Almost all cable and satellite providers give you an option of creating a PIN you can use to block programs in three different ways:<\/p>\n Depending on your service provider, you may also have the option of blocking specific programs (by date, time, and channel), adult titles in programming guides, and movies that receive certain MPAA ratings on premium movie channels.<\/p>\n For example, Verizon FIOS TV<\/a> and AT&T U-verse<\/a> allow users to<\/p>\n For more detailed information, visit the National Cable & Telecommunications Association\u2019s site<\/a> on getting started with parental controls.<\/p>\n The Internet is a powerful learning tool. It provides a world of information that is instantly available 24\/7. However, the wide-ranging and anonymous nature of the Internet brings with it risks\u2014from explicit or inappropriate content to predators lurking in chat rooms and using instant messaging services. Due to the Web\u2019s potential dangers, many service providers offer free tools and software to help restrict certain types of content and features to keep young Web users safe.<\/p>\n Internet service providers (ISPs)<\/strong><\/p>\n Web providers like Verizon<\/a>, AT&T<\/a>,\u00a0and Comcast<\/a> offer such free parental control features as the ability to:<\/p>\n To get more detailed information about exactly what controls are available to you, and what the system requirements are, the best bet is to contact your service provider directly. To lean more about the different Internet provider options, visit the Safe Families site here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Internet browsers and search engines<\/strong><\/p>\n While Internet service providers offer a variety of great parental control options, you can also set up similar controls on the Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, etc.) level. Most browsers let you restrict access to certain sites or pre-approve a list of sites your child has the ability to access. For example:<\/p>\n This is not an exhaustive list of the available browser and search options, but is intended to give you an idea of the types of useful features that are available. At the very least, almost all browsers will give you the option of blocking access to restricted sites, whether it\u2019s a feature that\u2019s available out of the box, or if it\u2019s an extension you have to download.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From smart phones to tablet computers, to the hundreds of channels and thousands of on-demand video offerings on TV, consumers have never had more options for how to spend their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1990"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1990"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21053,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1990\/revisions\/21053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
What are your kids watching?<\/h3>\n
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Managing where they are surfing<\/h3>\n
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