Online security for kids - free, for the moment!

Peter Dinham
Tuesday, 28 April 2009 16:13

Business IT - Technology

To help ensure parents have the tools to keep their kids safe online, Chaffin says Symantec is also partnering with PTO Today (Parent Teacher Organisation) in the United States to educate families about online safety.

Chaffin claims that OnlineFamily.Norton is not like traditional parental control products that focus on just blocking and monitoring kids’ online activities, and she maintains that that the service goes a step further to help parents manage the grey areas of the Internet.
 
“While parents still need tools in place to help them protect their kids online, education and communication with their kids are now just as important. The Norton Online Living Family Survey also reveals that parents and kids, even teens, do want to talk to each other more frequently about their day-to-day lives, but they’re not talking to each other.
 
Nearly half of all kids surveyed (47 percent) admit to looking up or reading about “touchy” subjects online, but far fewer (35 percent) have spoken with their parents about these subjects.” 

Chaffin says that as a Web-based service, setting up OnlineFamily.Norton is simple.
 
“Parents can create an account online in minutes.  There are no complicated settings required because it automatically creates age appropriate settings for each child, which parents can also easily customise."