Instant Messaging Safety for Parents
On the one hand, it is important to recognize the major role played by IM in the socialization of today’s kids and teens. Much more than just a passing craze, it is a core communications medium through which kids interact with their friends, discover the world and engage with 21st century culture. Denying your children Messenger access could have serious implications for their socio-cultural development and standing among their peers.
Nevertheless, the security risks associated with IM are very real, and – left to their own devices – kids cannot always be trusted to use the technology in a responsible, safety-conscious way.
Here are a few recent statistics that should set alarm bells ringing:
Another growing concern for parents is the amount of time today’s kids are spending on instant messaging. For many youngsters, IM has become an all-consuming passion that has led them to abandon other interests. Even in less serious cases, messaging can prove a real distraction from homework and “online study”.
So what can be done to protect our kids from the potential hazards of instant messaging, and what is the best approach for a sensible parent to take?
The answer may be less complex than you were expecting. More and more parents are finding that a simple IM safety strategy can be a highly effective and useful parenting tool.
53% of teens say their parents now issue guidelines and rules about instant messaging, and fully 65% of kids who have such rules say they follow them!
Superb IM monitoring software is now available to help parents enforce their messaging safety strategies.
These specialist parental control tools effectively allow parents to ‘spy on’ their kids’ IM use by recording the times, dates, durations AND content of all the instant messaging conversations that take place on a machine.
In fact, IM monitoring can be a positive and empowering parenting technique that brings us closer to our children. Bear in mind that our kids’ IM conversations offer insights - into what they're dealing with at school and in their social lives - that might help us in our parenting.
And once you’re on top of it, IM can be used as a helpful negotiating tool. You’ll find that kids are surprisingly co-operative when they’re made to work for their Messenger time!
The parental control software from Netintelligence is probably the best option for parents seeking sophisticated IM monitoring technology.
The Netintelligence package is widely regarded to be the most powerful and comprehensive internet security program on the market. Fully customizable, it includes a specialist IM recording tool that provides detailed analysis of all IM activity, with complete transcripts of each conversation available for a 30-day period.
The Netintelligence IM monitor supports all the major messaging clients including AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and ICQ.
The package also offers powerful anti-virus protection, specially developed to address the particular hazards posed by instant messaging.
A single subscription allows you to install the software on up to three separate computers, meaning all your kids can be protected in one go.
The company offers a 14-day free trial that gives you enough time to test-drive the program and be convinced of the benefits of Instant Messenger monitoring! Clear here for more information.
If you have an questions or queries about Chat Safe Online services, we'd love to hear them. Please follow this link to use the form provided or contact us on:
+44 (0) 870 050 012.
Netintelligence 14 Day Free Trial
We believe that Netintelligence is the most complete Parental Control & Internet Security package available anywhere but do not take our word for it - TRY IT