When it comes to the Internet, many parents know far less about this new medium than their children do. However, parents need to be familiar with the risks and benefits of on-line activities and work with their children to ensure that time spent on the Internet is safe and productive. The risks to children in the virtual world are quite real. For families who use America Online, there are parental controls available that enable parents to make choices about the content their children will see and the people with whom they will communicate.
Parents can then configure the parental controls for each username.
Any changes to the parental controls require a parent to log on using the master account. Of course, if a child knows the password for the master account, he too can change the filtering options. Please visit America Online s parental controls section to learn more about this service. If America Online s parental controls fit your family s philosophy, spend some time with your child setting up the controls together. Discuss the filtering options and why they should be used to keep the family safe and personal information private.