From The Editor
Protecting Your Children
I was in the living room; my wife, Melynda, was in our home office. All of a sudden I heard her yelling, “Oh no, oh no, OH NO!”
I ran into the office, and to my surprise, the computer monitor was at a porn site, and several pop-ups were on the screen. After Melynda managed to shut it all down, she asked, “What...just...happened?”
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I said, of course, “Shame on you, Melynda! I’m going to tell
your parents!” After she socked me, she realized that she had accidentally
typed in a wrong url in the address bar. While I have been able to tease
her over the years about her retrieving porn that day, it brought up a major
concern to us. Our children, who are on the Internet much of the time, can
easily stumble into dangerous sites as they surf the web.
To protect our kids, we installed an Internet filtering system on all of our computers called HedgeBuilders (www.hedgebuilders.com). The cost is $6 a month for up to three computers, and it is one of the best investments we’ve made. The system blocks all sexually explicit sites, and the only way to uninstall the system is to contact their tech support.
This summer, your kids will spend hours and hours on the Internet. They will have the world at their fingertips. Not only do they run the risk of explicit material, there are also chat rooms and sites that ask for personal information. Make sure your children are safe.
NetSmartz has created Internet safety pledges for children of all ages that explain online safety. These downloadable pledges have a place for both the child and the parent/guardian to sign. Have your children sign the pledge and then post it near the computer to remind them about online safety rules. These age-appropriate pledges (there’s a pledge for K-2, grades 3 – 6, middle school and high school) can be located at netsmartz.org/resources/pledge.htm.
It’s a new world and the Internet is an integral and daily part of our kids’ lives. Keep it safe!
Editor,
Good News Tucson Magazine
© 2008 Good News Tucson™
