There is also an ongoing debate about the role of parents, the government, the service providers, and others involved in this new technology in protecting children from the negative aspects of such online services. As a result, the television industry, online service providers, software developers, and citizens groups are offering solutions, suggestions, and educational materials to parents. For now, parents can buy television sets or use satellite receivers with blocking devices to control the channels that children watch. All of the major online services currently offer built-in parental controls for chat rooms, newsgroups, and downloads .
Rooms are simply areas designated by the service to cater to specific topics.
Yet, as any savvy user knows, they are not all that private. Newsgroups are similar to message boards. Many are not monitored and could contain information inappropriate for children. Parents have several options. Downloading is similar to copying a floppy disk onto a hard drive.