For younger kids with technical know-how, a healthy curiosity, and a readily available computer, some kind of parental control software is a must. Fortunately the range and quality of products to choose from has improved dramatically in the last couple of years as parents, educators -- and the media -- have focused on some of the problems that can arise from unfettered Internet access.

Parental control software can allow parents to do several things:

1. Manage the time children spend on the Internet or on the computer.

2. Limit what children are allowed to see and read online.

3. Select which computer programs children can use.

4. Monitor and log all children's Internet activity.

When it comes to 9- to 12-year-olds, managing the time they spend at the computer is as important as monitoring the amount of time they spend watching TV. At this age, kids should already have grasped the notion that the computer is part toy, part educational tool. A plan to schedule and limit their time in front of the computer will help increase their healthy respect for this important device.

As with TV privileges, computer use at this age should not be an automatic right; rather, it should be a privilege -- earned by good behavior and respect for the rules of engagement! Most parental control suites allow you to schedule weekly times when the Internet is and isn't available to your children, along with daily time limits for each member of the family.

Filters and blocking software
When it comes to controlling what children are allowed to see and read, most security suites typically offer to block websites matching specific categories, such as pornography, violence, drugs, or chat. Some blocking software refers to its own database of sites to be avoided, and this list is constantly updated with new additions; others analyze page content in much the same way search engines do.

Bear in mind that blocking software may wind up filtering out more than you want; for instance, it's not unusual for filtering software to deny user access to thousands of pages of informative text about Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists because descriptions of their work contain the word "nude"!

Because over-blocking (and sometimes under-blocking) of websites has been a frequent cause of complaint, most filtering programs now incorporate an override feature that allows parents to permit access to specific sites they want children to be able to visit. Some of the really smart ones allow parents to do this remotely, which is useful when, for example, they're at work and a must-see web site is needed for a child's homework assignment.

All parental control software programs will also allow parents to turn off applications that are available to older users. Typically these would be email services, but might also include financial applications, games, movies, or other entertainment programs available on the computer's desktop or hard drive.

Finally, there's the "spyware" side of parental controls. An extremely useful tool if you want to monitor how adventurous your children might be getting with their Internet searches! Typically, these monitoring features will log every attempt to visit a banned website or simply record every website visited -- good or bad. They can even send notifications in real time, so you can be at work and still see which sites your children are attempting to visit -- and make an urgent call to the babysitter to find out why she isn't paying attention!

Other controls allow more thorough monitoring, literally recording all IM conversations and emails. This can be entirely reasonable when your child establishes their first email account and starts IM-ing their buddies as soon as they get home from school. But at some point you'll will need to wean yourself away from reading all their everyday exchanges -- hopefully long before they suspect you of doing so!