Parents increasingly turn to Net filters

Many more parents are using technology to keep their kids safe online, according to a study released Thursday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

The survey of families with children age 12 to 17 found a sharp rise in the number of parents who use some sort of Internet filtering tools to prevent their children from visiting unsavory Web sites or chatting with unknown people. A majority of Net connected families said they used such software -- 54 percent now compared to about 40 percent four years ago.

"Perhaps parents are using filtering tools because don't have to continually rethink it. They just set it and it runs," said Amanda Lenhart, the report's author. "For the most part, filtering is a safety net. Parents don't have a lot of time right now."

The filtering tools studied included software products sold separately, such as NetNanny or SpectorSoft, as well as parental control tools offered by Internet providers such as America Online and Microsoft's MSN.

Despite the negative publicity that sometimes surrounds Internet use, a growing number of parents see it as a positive influence. About two-thirds of parents with teens believe that "overall the Internet is a good thing for their child," up from 55 percent in December 2000.

No surprise: Parents, children disagree
But keeping those kids safe is still an uphill battle, the study found. Two-thirds of both kids and parents said that youngsters are still getting places they shouldn't get with their computers.

And that's about the only point on which parents and their kids agree. For example, two-thirds of parents said they check where kids went online after the fact, but only one-third of kids said their parents do so.

The findings are similar to results from a Kaiser Family Foundation study released last week. In that survey, 46 percent of kids said their parents had rules about their use of media, including the Internet, but just 20 percent said the rules are enforced "most" of the time.

Child safety expert Parry Aftab, who operates WiredSafety.org, said those kinds of discrepancies are typical of such parental surveys.

"A lot of parents tell surveyors things that make them sound like good parents," she said.

"If you ask parents if they are taking care of their children, they'll say 'Yes.' If you ask parents if they are making their kids floss, they'll say they are, for example. But are they actually reviewing the Web sites kids are going to? Looking in the Internet browse cache? Most of the parents don't know how."

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