Digital Smarts - Internet Filters May Not Be Effective

If you are using an Internet filter to block your children’s online contact with the negative elements of the online world such as bullies, predators, pornography and other inappropriate material, you might want to rethink your approach. A new study casts doubt on the effectiveness of these kinds of tools, finding that children with filtering software on their home computers were almost just as likely to encounter inappropriate material online as those without filtering software. They also found that those children who “got around” the filter were much less likely to report negative online experiences to their parents or other adults - a problem because it means that parents and kids are not talking about what to do when they encounter bad things online. As one US expert in the field said, “It’s really important to talk to your kids about how to keep their information safe online. If you would prefer your child not look at pornography, talk to them about what that means to you.”