Preventing the viewing of unwanted material

When web site designers make a web site, they will often build it so that if you click your mouse on an advert on the screen it will open up another page, probably from another site. This may or may not be related to the writing or picture that you clicked on.

Some web sites also automatically open up an extra page of information as soon as you go to the site. These unwanted pages are known as ‘popup windows’, or just ‘popups’, because they seemingly ‘pop up’ without your permission. The problem is that there could be anything in these ‘popup’ windows!

There are various ways of preventing ‘popups’ appearing, and so stopping people looking at websites that contain unwanted content. These include computer programs such as NetNanny that look out for unwanted material. Some Internet Service Providers have controls which try to block unwanted information before it arrives at your computer. These options are not 100% reliable, and may let unwanted content through.

There is only one foolproof method that we would recommend, and it’s free! The downside is that it can be a bit restrictive when it comes to searching for sites and viewing them in a leisurely fashion.

Content Advisor

Within Internet Explorer, the web browser that comes free with Windows, is a function called Content Advisor, which blocks all unwanted or uncensored material. Content Advisor works by giving permission for people to look only at web sites, or certain pages within a web site, that are stored within a list YOU create. Unauthorised pages or sites are blocked immediately. The list is password protected, so that it cannot be added to by unauthorised people.

To learn how to turn on content advisor, look at the guide here.

Links

Below are some web sites giving general information on using the Internet safely with your child:

Kidsmart - An award-winning practical Internet safety program web site designed for schools, young people, parents and agencies.

Childnet International - A non-profit organisation working with others to “help make the Internet a great and safe place for children”. It also contains information specifically aimed at parents - See here.

Internet Watch foundation - The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) was formed in 1996, following an agreement between the government, police and the Internet service provider industry that a partnership approach was needed to tackle the distribution of child abuse images (often referred to as child pornography) online.

NSPCC - The following sites give specific advice on using chat rooms and IM safely.

Chatdanger - A site all about the potential dangers of interactive services online (and on mobiles), such as chat, IM, online games and email.