Norton’s Free Safety Tool For Parents
Think you know what your kids are doing online?
I am not a parent. So you don’t need to write to me and tell me cruel and totalitarian and Neanderthal I am for recommending this…
Because I already know that. I’m heartless. And mean. Grrrrrrrr. See?
As a security-aware techie, I advise parents (when asked) to talk with their children about online dangers – yes. And monitor and limit their childrens’ Internet access. I am not “knocking” the importance of communication nor education, but I do believe in “trust, but verify”.
The Internet is not Rated G. Ha!
Norton Online Family is a free service that has won recognition for excellence, and ease of use. (To see more awards, click here: Reviews & Awards.)
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“PCMag featured Norton Online Family in their roundup of Free Security Software Tools and celebrated it as one of the Best Tech Products of 2009.” -Neil Rubenking
(Click here to read Neil’s full review.) |
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“Unlike many parental control products, Norton Online Family aims to create dialog between parents and kids, not assert draconian control. There’s no surreptitious spying here – it warns the child during the login process that his or her activity may be monitored.” |
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“OnlineFamily.Norton.com Block sites, set a time allowance or make hours off-limits with this free service. Monitor Web searches and IMs from your computer. For an older teen who wants privacy, you can set it to alert you only if he engages in questionable activity, like checking out porn sites.” |
From author:
“See your kids’ online activities at a glance –
Easy-to-read activity reports give you the inside scoop on what your kids do online. In just minutes, you can find out what sites your kids visit, what they search for, who they chat with*, and what social networking sites they spend time at. You’ll get to know your kids better and gain a deeper understanding of their online interests, so you can protect and guide them.”
The benefits of using Norton™ Online Family include
- Simple, one-time set up
Create your Norton™ Online Family account, add and customize your family member accounts, and then easily install the Norton Safety Minder onto all the computers used in your household. - Easy to use and access
Check your child’s activity or modify your child’s profile and preferences anytime and anywhere using any computer. - Always stay informed about those you care most about
Know where your children visit, who they talk to, and what they’re doing while they’re online. Parents can also set and manage time limits, permitted sites, online chat* and social networking preferences for each family member. - Engage and communicate with each other
Take advantage of built-in notification and messaging, providing open discussion with your child about their online activities and better understanding about their intent with visiting specific sites or wanting to spend more time online. - Never miss a thing
Send alerts via email or text message to help you address urgent events. You’ll immediately know if your child has reached their time limits, visited a blocked site, or tried to add an unknown stranger as a chat buddy* wherever you are.
I would say that a few more know how than admitted it in that survey…
Did I mention this was free? The folks at Symantec get a big tip of my geek hat for this one!
* (chat monitoring) Not available in all regions and for Mac OS.
Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. 
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4 Comments »
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• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
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Have you used this?
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Susan B,
As I mentioned right at the top, I am not a parent and so – no – I have not used it like a parent would. However, I am rather familiar with the various flavors of parental controls and have configured them for folks in my day job.
I have “played with” this tool; have high regard for both Symantec and Neil J. Rubenking; and would like to see this be made available for cell phones. I hope that answers your question..
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Paul,
Good article and software find. I’m for protecting our youngsters’ browsing in any way possible. That includes using this or any other tool to monitor usage.
Best,
Paul
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Paul Lubic, Jr.,
I thank you for that. I know this is a subject that you have given considerable thought.
I do not think this product (or any other of its ilk) are a “magic solution”, but I know of no magic solution for keeping children safe online… I wish I did.
Folks, Paul has many years of IT experience, and knows more about InfoSec than I do for sure. He also writes a terrific blog. Please visit, Paul’s Home Computing Blog, and see for yourself.
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