PG On The Internet

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

April 23, 1999 / 6:47 PM EDT / CBS

There are wonderful sites on the Internet for children to explore. But there's a dark side to the 'Net as well. How can parents keep an eye on what they're viewing and doing online? Robin Raskin, editor of Family PC Magazine, visited CBS News This Morning to offer parents some guidance.

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

Aside from watching over your kid's shoulder, are there ways to find out what sorts of sites he's looking at?color>

One straightforward way to monitor your child's use of the Internet is to check the computer's Web browser, Raskin points out. It stores the most recent sites that have been accessed on that computer. Click on "location" to pull up a list. The "cache" and "history" functions also show what sorts of sites have been stored in the computer.

Besides that, there are more sophisticated software programs that parents can buy that will monitor what your child is doing online. It's called desktop surveillance, and it was originally developed for companies that wanted to keep an eye on employees. The software monitors every keystroke and allows a parent to play back what the child did on the computer like a video.

What about finding out who they may have talked to in chat rooms or e-mail?color>

"Most computers have e-mail address books but there are also several popular programs where kids can talk to each other online," says Raskin. America Online has a free service called a Buddy List. Users can sign up for "Instant Messenger" from the front page of the service. When a user clicks on the "Instant Messenger" icon, his or her personal Buddy List comes up, showing the user names of people your child talks to online.

In any case, try not to panic. People use all sorts of nicknames online. A person's user name might be "Devil," Raskin notes, but "if there's an 'NJ' after it, the guy might probably be a New Jersey Devils hockey fan, not a mass murderer."

But can't kids put in secret passwords or try and hide their lists so a parent can't get to them?color>

"As the parent you are probably paying the bills, so it's your right to see what's going on," Raskin asserts. "The Internet is a privilege, not a right."

For every kid who has abused the Internet, there are thousands who have blossomed because of it, she says. It's the parents' job to filter out the bad. Kids have to learn how to use the Internet, not abuse it.

For more information on warning signs of a troubled child, and how to cope with school violence, you can visit Family Education Network and FamilyPC.