It may be hard to imagine, but predators have set up shop right under your roof--in your home. Believe it. They don't make a sound and you never see them, but they're there, hidden away just beyond your reach.

These predators reside inside your computer via the internet. For you, as a parent, it matters not how well you've raised your child because today's "predator" takes many shapes and forms beyond that which you may have warned.

From pornography to suicide instruction, from terrorist training manuals to violent and mature gaming, predator sites are everywhere and easily accessed by your child.

You may think, "Not me, not my child," but you would be wrong. The online strategies employed by the owners and operators of morally questionable sites are, well, underhanded and sketchy. Your child may very well be researching an essay for his grade 8 social studies class, but a few simple clicks in the wrong direction and your she is looking at naked people dressed in period costumes. Stranger things have happened, and every ounce of content on the internet is linked.

How do you prevent your child from stumbling onto images and content meant for adult eyes only? The answer is simple: Online Parental Controls.

Online Parental Controls, sometimes referred to as OPC software, provides parent-like protection for your child's online time. Gone will be the days of you having to hover over your child's shoulder while she surfs the web. You will be worry-free and confident your child's mind will not be passively or aggressively attacked.

There are many options available for parents looking for OPC software. For example,
SafeEyes [http://www.kidsafesource.com/safeeyes.html?t202id=8579&t202kw=] is a solution for parents wishing not only to limit the sites their child has access to, but also limit the amount of time, and time of day, their child may access the internet. Furthermore, this product, and others, will provide the parent with historical information detailing which sites their child browsed. This latter feature has the added benefit of not only knowing your child is browsing safely, but also gives you insight into what interests your child (a feature many parents of teenagers find invaluable).

There are other solutions, such as
SpyAgent [http://www.kidsafesource.com/spyagent.html?t202id=1396&t202kw=] that delve even deeper into monitoring online activities. Beyond just filtering content, SpyAgent will also record things such as passwords, chat-room conversations, downloaded and uploaded files, files opened, items printed, and more. These detailed recordings may be beyond the average parent's need, but living by the motto 'it's better to have and not need, than need and not have' may give you reasons to consider.

A piece of advice for parents considering an OPC software solution: buy only from legitimate authorized licensed sellers (whether online or in-store).

We all know there are copious amounts of "free" software available on the internet. And, most people are guilty of downloading something for free that perhaps should have been purchased. However, when it comes to protecting your computer and your children, authorized and licensed software is your only choice. The reason being, without a licensed copy, the value and usefulness of your OPC software diminishes the instant you've loaded it onto your computer.

Why? Because licensed copies have the most important feature of all: updating. New websites, designed to circumnavigate OPC software, pop up all over the internet daily if not hourly. Without constant updating, your software will be rendered virtually useless in as little as week. Thankfully, with a licensed copy, updating your OPC software will occur automatically--you need not worry about it.

As a parent, it is as important to protect your child's online browsing as it important to put training wheels on her first bicycle--there really is no other way, and it is very, very important.

This article has been provided as a service of Kidsafe Source [http://www.KidSafeSource.com?t202id=2159&t202kw=].