Protecting your children from threats on the Internet is a serious subject.

The threats are real.  The web is awash in pornography that’s instantly accessible through one or two mouse clicks.  Chat rooms and bulletin boards are rife with language and ideas which frequently cross the line from obnoxious and inappropriate to flat-out dangerous.  And worst of all, the web is increasingly the hunting ground of sexual predators posing as children.

But trying to keep kids completely away from the Internet is no longer a viable option. As with adults, kids are increasingly using the internet; whether for homework research or to communicate with their friends.

You can’t just stick your head in the sand and hope that the kids will be safe online.  Parents must be pro-active. 

And experts agree, the best way to get control is to make sure you have monitoring software installed on all the computers in your household that your children might use.

One of the best of these monitoring software products is called BeAware.  Once you download BeAware, it monitors everything that’s done on that PC 24/7 and records it permanently.  The program runs completely in the background, so unless you inform users of the PC that its there, they will not know about it.

Then you, as the administrator, you can log on – from any computer connected to the internet anywhere – and view all of your child’s Internet activity.

The program allows you to:

• See who your child has been talking to in chat rooms and what they’re saying
• Find out exactly which Web sites your child has been visiting
• View what they’re emailing and to whom
• Review screenshots taken from your child’s monitor

You can also set up the BeAware program to send you an email alert right away if your child is discussing sex, drugs, violence, or suicide online.  It’s a really powerful product that will instantly alert you to any threats or inappropriate materials you child might be exposed to.

Many parents wonder if they should inform their kids that they are using monitoring software.  Experts say there is no right or wrong answer to this question.  Every family is different and often parents make the choice based on their children’s age.

While monitoring software does not mean that you don’t have to make sure your kids understand what you consider appropriate material for them to viewing online, it is the best practical step you can take to eliminate this very real threat from your home.

To learn how to download the BeAware program quickly and easily, click here