I say to students all the time, "The Internet is the most wonderful place in the world." Then I say, "The Internet is the most horrible place in the world. How can both of these statements be true?" I am always amazed that students can tell me with great detail why both of these statements are true. As a matter of fact, your children and mine teach me new things about the Internet all of the time. We want to protect our children while they are on the Internet, but in many ways they are so much smarter than we are when it comes to computers. Filtering programs are one way parents try to protect their children from the questionable parts of the Internet while allowing children to see the wonderful sites that are out there.

Filtering programs are programs parents can install onto the computer to help protect their children while they are on the web. The purpose is to let the children use the computer to research and yet keep them on safe sites. Safe sites are sites that will not contain questionable materials that should not be viewed by young eyes. In concept this is a wonderful idea, but in reality sometimes these programs do not always work as they were intended.

There are three types of filtering programs on the market: additives, subtractive, and sitter filters. Each has positive and negative aspects. Each works in different ways, but all of them allow parents the ability to control or know where their children have been on the web.

Additive filtering programs allows the parent to type in the only sites their children are allowed to go. Sometimes the programs send a list of accepted spots and offer the service of adding more sites on a regular basis. Otherwise, the students can only go to the sites that the parents have typed into the computer and no other site. That is why it is referred to as additive because the parent must add the site to the list for the child to be able to go there.

The problem with this type of program is the limitation. If a child wants to research a given topic, they can not go to any other site than the ones their parents have listed. The Internet is severely limited as a research tool when using this program. This may be a good type of program for parents of younger students, but parents my find themselves always having to add new sites.

Subtractive filtering programs run off a list of key words. The programs supply a list of words like violence, sex, pornography, etc. Parents can add other words as they see fit. Before going to these sites, the computer will check to see if any of these words are on the site. If any are found, the computer will not allow the child access to that site. It is called a subtractive program because sites with these words are subtracted from the child's choices.

While having some limiting factors as a research tool, people who design questionable sites and want children to visit them can find ways around these programs. In some ways this may give the parents a false sense of security. These programs also do not always work in chat rooms, never in email, and cannot scan pictures.

The newest type of filtering program is the sitter program or at least that is what Professor PC called it on Channel 41. This program works on trust to a point. In other words, you discuss with your children the dangers of the Internet -- the sites that are safe and why they must stay on safe sites. You follow all the parent rules for the Internet. You trust your child will do what you want, but with this program you will know where they have been for sure.

This program will record everywhere the child goes. When the parent has time, he or she can go into the program and type in a password and find a list of every place the child has gone and how long they were there and when. Parents can click on any of the sites on the list, and the computer will take them there. The greatest part of this program is you know how long they were on given sites and if these sites are acceptable to you.

Out of the three programs the most effective is the sitter programs, especially for older children. Because it is straightforward and merely records where the children go, children are less likely to find ways around this type of program. The additive and subtractive programs can be disabled if the child is smart enough. I have heard stories from many parents and schools who tell of kids who found their way around these expensive filtering programs and went wherever they wanted and parents or schools found out by accident that the program had been circumvented.

If you want to learn more about filtering programs, check out PC magazine on the web. It gives reviews of different types of these programs. They talk about cost and effectiveness of the product. This may help to decide which of these programs are for you and your child.

To be truthful, there is no foolproof method to protect children on the web. These programs will not protect your child on e-mail and chat rooms. The only real way is to talk to your child and to get involved in their lives. Set up and follow usage rules with your child, look over their shoulder while they are on the net, discusses the Internet sites they visit, and ask questions! In other words get involved with your child and the Internet.