Tools for Parents

The Internet is an ever-changing source of information. Inevitably, some of the links below will stop working. We will do our best to keep links current and remove broken links.

Source	Link Info
Hardware control of Internet	PG Key - a lock & key method for PC owners to control their child's internet access and filtering.
Plug-ins	Firefox is one of the very best, most secure web browsers and has hundreds of plug-ins that increase functionality. Here are several plug-ins relating to content filtering and privacy for Firefox: Parental Controls for Firefox FoxFilter is a personal content filter that helps prevent stumbling onto inappropriate content and block access to specific content and Web sites. ProCon Latte: Filter web pages containing explicit content based on text on websites. Leech Block is a simple productivity tool designed to block any web site. You can specify up to six sets of sites to block, with different times and days for each set. You can block sites within fixed time periods (e.g., between 9am and 5pm), after a time limit (e.g., 10 minutes in every hour), or with a combination of time periods and time limit (e.g., 10 minutes in every hour between 9am and 5pm). You can also set a password for access to the extension options, just to slow you down in moments of weakness.
Monitoring	Monitor and Protect Your Kids on the Internet - formerly known as Chat Checker. This is now a more comprehensive tool for PCs. It does not work on Windows 98, Windows ME or Apple computers.
Resource	Parental Controls for the iPad/iPhone/iPod
Resource	How to set up Parental Controls on the iPhone or iPod Touch from Google Knowledge-base
Resource	Review of Parental Control Software from David Burt formerly called GetParentalControls.org
Resource	Give Your Teens 'Self Control'
Resource	Software to Help Kids Focus While Using Comp
Resource	Setting Limits on Your Kids' Screen Time - Parenting tips from MGH Physicians
Resource	Parental Controls Summary [pdf]
Resource	OnGuardOnline.gov - U.S. Government website with many resources including educational games for children.
Resource	GetNetWise.com's many resources for parents Searchable database of tools to keep children safe online - from GetNetWise.com
AOL Software	About AOL Parental Controls Install AOL Parental Controls - for PCs only (System Requirements) Set AOL Parental Controls
Apple Software	Built-in Tools for Parents with Apple Computers: How to set the Mac OS to restrict web site access [OS 10.4] Using parental controls to set safe limits on an account [OS 10.4] Mac OS X 10.5: About the Parental Controls Internet content filter [OS 10.5] Mac OS X 10.5: Customizing the Internet content filter [OS 10.5] Mac OS X 10.5: Protecting a user from inappropriate Internet content [OS 10.5]
Software	Social Guard Cyberbully and Social Network Protection - includes parental controls for Facebook
Software	GoGoStat Parental Guidance - Monitor unsafe activity on Facebook
Windows Software	Windows 7 Parental Controls Windows 7: How to Configure Parental Controls Windows XP Parental Controls Windows Vista Parental Controls Parental supervision and age-based guidance from MIcrosoft
Tutorial	Tutorial on setting up time-limiting parental controls for Apple's OS X Leopard operating system
Software & Review	MacMinder: A time-limiting tool for Mac computers - though no longer supported, it is still available for download from Macupdate.com. Article by Chris Howard about MacMinder