Parenting is one human activity that opens up lots of debates. There are so many different ways of raising a child that each option ends up being hotly debated at some point. Should you or should you not breastfeed a baby? Is public or private school better for kids? The list goes on and on.
One particular issue that is both consistently debated and unique to the 21st century is whether to install parental control software on family computers or on a child’s computer.
On one hand, parental control software (also known as keylogger software) is readily available and is quite affordable. In some cases, it can even be availed of free of charge. However, the best thing about a keylogger is that it gives parents both an effective and discreet method of monitoring their children’s Internet activity. With the right keylogger software in place, parents can be alerted to the presence of potential predators or pedophiles via transcripts of their child’s suspicious chat conversations with strangers. A well-known keylogger is Spytector, you can download a free trial version from http://www.keylogger.net
The software also allows parents to check the websites that their children might have visited via a website log. This feature keeps track of any and all websites that are accessed on the family computer regardless of whether the child is smart enough to delete the browser history or not. This way, the parent can have a complete picture of their child’s Internet activity (and not just what their child would have them see) and take the appropriate action, if needed.
Another benefit that parental control software presents is that it can give parents a heads-up if their child ends up sharing highly private information (i.e. addresses, birthdays etc.) on social media websites. Since this sort of information can be an invitation for burglars or thieves, parents will be able to immediately tell their children to delete or remove the said post for the whole family’s safety. In addition to this, some kinds of parental control software also allow parents to block their kid’s access altogether to controversial social media websites.
On the other hand, parental control software can be a bit tricky to set up and configure. If you do not pay close attention to the installation procedure manual, you could end up restricting everyone’s Internet access, including yours.
Also, one inherent consequence of installing a keylogger is that it tends to make parents complacent about monitoring their children’s online activities. While a keylogger does take away a lot of the grunt work in monitoring or flagging any suspicious activities, it is still no substitute for proper parental guidance and supervision. The software cannot explain why certain actions such as badmouthing another person online or viewing explicit pornographic content are harmful to one’s self and to others.
However, the advantages of installing a keylogger still outnumber the disadvantages, most of which can be dealt with fairly easily. A software specialist, for instance, can be hired to install the software to ensure that the parent will have control over the controls and can thus override them, if necessary. The bottom line is, when it comes to your child’s safety, a few inconveniences should be more than well worth the effort.
