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One of the most important parental control software features, in my opinion, is remote notification.
The main reason that we buy these programs is because we cannot always be in the same room with our kids.
The companies that manufacturer them, as well as child psychologists, suggest that we discuss the
rules with our kids, talk about what websites they are allowed to visit and decide how much time
they are allowed to spend online.
The remote notification is not about not trusting our kids. It is really about being sure that they
follow the rules. If they are aware that you will receive a notification, should they deviate from
the agreed upon rules, then they will likely follow the rules. Otherwise, temptation may overcome them.
When it comes to time restraints, we all know how easy it is to lose track of time. It’s even easier
for an unmonitored teen or pre-teen to lose track. Most of the programs available today allow parents
to set time caps. The programs monitor the daily and weekly usage; the amount of time that the child
spends on the web.
Some programs are able to add up time spent on different PCs throughout the house, in order to
provide the parent with a running total. That’s another of the important features of parental
control software for homes that have multiple computers.
But, in each of these programs, the kids are allowed to request a time extension. In some cases,
the parent is notified by phone when an extension has been requested. In others, the parent is
notified by e-mail that the child has requested and received an extension.
Usually, the parent is able to adjust the settings so that the kids can receive a certain
number of extensions, on certain days of the week. Being able to customize the settings for
different days of the week is another of the important features of parental control software.
Another feature, which should be included for parents with multiple kids, is the ability to
create different settings for different user names. The appropriate websites for a teenager
are quite different from those appropriate for a younger child.
Always look for a program that will notify the kids when they are about to enter a non-trusted
site. Only a few of the programs on the market have the ability to do that. It’s called
real-time monitoring.
There are other important parental control software features, such as filtering instant
messages at social network sites. Evaluate the programs on the market and choose the one
that provides the largest amount of protection. That’s the best advice.
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