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StumbleUponA New Service Eases the Challenge of Keeping Kids Safe Online
August 18, 2009
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Summary
The Web offers a world of wonder for your kids -- and a world of danger. Help them take full advantage of the Internet without exposure to threats and inappropriate content. An innovative service called OnlineFamily.Norton can lead the way.
Standing over a child's shoulder every moment to understand their online habits is impractical and literally impossible. "What kids do when they're online can often be a mystery to parents," says Kirsten Higgins, a product marketing manager at Symantec™, the publisher of Norton™ software
And what really makes this service unique is that it is designed to facilitate conversation between you and your child so you can work together to avoid harmful situations.
"We want to give parents guidance, and loop them into their kids' online lives," says Higgins. "OnlineFamily.Norton brings parents into the loop and really educates and empowers them."
If you want to protect your kids from inadvertently interacting with inappropriate content, OnlineFamily.Norton makes that possible. The service blocks sites with mature material, and other questionable content. And since flexibility is so important to families, adjustments can be made for each user on your family computer, allowing for a customized set of rules to match each child’s age, interests and needs.
In some cases, you may want to review a site before your child gains access. So, for example, say your daughter is doing a report for school and needs to research weapon and battleships from WWII. OnlineFamily.Norton makes it easy for her to send you a quick request for an exception to the rules that have been established for her. Exceptions can be made in minutes from anywhere with an Internet connection.
"We really want to make kids part of the process of learning and growing. It's kind of like teaching a kid to ride a bike. You don't just put them on the bike and shove them off," Higgins says. "OnlineFamily.Norton allows parents to give them the guidance and support to navigate the new online world."
For more information about OnlineFamily.Norton, click here. system can help you keep track of your passwords.
In This Article
It's Tough to Keep Close Watch
Like every good parent, you encourage your kids to enjoy the experiences of childhood, yet you want to keep a watchful eye and protect them. And these days, keeping kids safe means warding off online threats -- including blocking content that’s just not appropriate.Standing over a child's shoulder every moment to understand their online habits is impractical and literally impossible. "What kids do when they're online can often be a mystery to parents," says Kirsten Higgins, a product marketing manager at Symantec™, the publisher of Norton™ software
So What Can You Do?
That's where OnlineFamily.Norton comes in. This recently launched new service offers a full range of capabilities to help keep your kids safe -- everything from tracking online activities, to full Web site and content blocking and much more.And what really makes this service unique is that it is designed to facilitate conversation between you and your child so you can work together to avoid harmful situations.
"We want to give parents guidance, and loop them into their kids' online lives," says Higgins. "OnlineFamily.Norton brings parents into the loop and really educates and empowers them."
What Does OnlineFamily.Norton Offer?
Some of the features available in this service include an always-available Web dashboard that provides a quick overview of your child's most visited Web sites, recent searches and even the most frequent instant messenger contacts.If you want to protect your kids from inadvertently interacting with inappropriate content, OnlineFamily.Norton makes that possible. The service blocks sites with mature material, and other questionable content. And since flexibility is so important to families, adjustments can be made for each user on your family computer, allowing for a customized set of rules to match each child’s age, interests and needs.
In some cases, you may want to review a site before your child gains access. So, for example, say your daughter is doing a report for school and needs to research weapon and battleships from WWII. OnlineFamily.Norton makes it easy for her to send you a quick request for an exception to the rules that have been established for her. Exceptions can be made in minutes from anywhere with an Internet connection.
Even searching the Internet, a common online activity for kids of all ages, can be made safer by using OnlineFamily.Norton. You can set up a search engine so it prevents explicit adult-oriented content from displaying in your child's search results.
For many parents, the hours your kids spend in front of the computer is a major issue. After setting up some specific rules, computer time can be limited and constrained to agreed-upon hours, too.
For many parents, the hours your kids spend in front of the computer is a major issue. After setting up some specific rules, computer time can be limited and constrained to agreed-upon hours, too.
For social networking sites, where so many children spend time today, OnlineFamily.Norton offers even finer levels of control. You can see which social networks your child visits, and you can verify that your child’s personal details -- such as age -- are set correctly. Just as important, the service can prevent the transmittal of sensitive details, such as personal information, including email addresses, names and birthdays which can lead to identity theft and/or threats to their safety.
For more complex problems, such as cyber bullying, OnlineFamily.Norton can offer yet more tools to help you start an important conversation with your child. With instant message logging and the ability to manage IM contact lists, you can work together to identify bullies and block them when necessary.
For more complex problems, such as cyber bullying, OnlineFamily.Norton can offer yet more tools to help you start an important conversation with your child. With instant message logging and the ability to manage IM contact lists, you can work together to identify bullies and block them when necessary.
Guide Your Kids
No matter your course, OnlineFamily.Norton strives to provide you with the information you need to map out a clear set of rules for your children's online lives."We really want to make kids part of the process of learning and growing. It's kind of like teaching a kid to ride a bike. You don't just put them on the bike and shove them off," Higgins says. "OnlineFamily.Norton allows parents to give them the guidance and support to navigate the new online world."
For more information about OnlineFamily.Norton, click here. system can help you keep track of your passwords.
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