2 great child-protection updates

A mom and New York Times writer recently got herself up to speed on online child protection and wrote a meaty but refreshing account. "I found out, for example, that most of the Internet search engines, like Google, AOL and Yahoo, have a simple process allowing you to set strict, moderate or no filter on your search engine to weed out explicit sexual content," she writes, pointing to a free, very basic and easy safeguard any parent can employ (here are simple instructions at GetNetWise). She found some other great sources of advice, including about helping our kids develop the filter between their ears, but she also looks at all the control some parents want to have over their kids' online experience and how their kids feel about it. The Christian Science Monitor recently did a thorough update too, linking to some of the best software tools now available but also finding that "the best parental control is still a parent." CNET also recently ran a huge multi-piece update on kids' Net safety.