One of the biggest concerns today for parents with kids who spend time on the Internet is the threat of online predators. And there’s a reason for this concern. According to a 2006 survey by Crimes Against Children Research Center, 1 in 7 children between the ages of 10 and 17 are solicited or approached for sex on the internet and 34% where exposed to unwanted sexual material and online harassment increased by 9%.
Now parents can rest a bit easier with PredatorWatch, a new program from software company, LiTera. Parents place the software on computers in their home and the program will monitor all e-mail and instant messages. Parents will receive a report on the subject, who sent it, who received it, the message content and the time and date the conversation occurred. What’s great is the program also reports any document created even if it was deleted.
Unlike some programs that monitor Internet activity or block some sites, PredatorWatch does both. It records keystrokes, takes screenshots of your child’s activities and blocks certain websites. To block sites you don‘t even have to know the name of the site. The program provides you with the most common words used on adult websites and all you have to do is click the word and the program will watch for these words. The program is great because it not only protects your kids from predators but it provides you with evidence you need to catch these sick, sick people.
Another great feature is that you can monitor what your child is doing on the designated computer from any other computer in the house. If you are interested in finding out more or want to order (the cost is $49.99) click here.
To read more about online predators check out these blogs:
Online National Sex Offender Public Registry
Teaching Teenagers About the Dangers of Internet Predators
Reporting Online Child Predators