Child safe Internet Searching

Web Browsers

What is a Web Browser?

Web Browsers are what make it possible for you to search the Internet. It is basically a software program that will allow you to search for and view different kinds of information on the Web, like web sites, video, audio, search engines etc.

Some of the popular Browsers include:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 78.7%
• Firefox                            14.5%
• Safari                               4.8%
• Opera                               0.8%
• Netscape                          0.7%

(Figures correct as of May 2007)

Web browsers are freely available for you to download. The most popular browser Internet users are using is Internet Explorer by Microsoft because of its ease of use and a large amount of Web sites are written with Internet Explorer in mind, making them compatible.

Mozilla Firefox is fast catching up to Internet Explorer with its superior security features and the ability to load fast.

Opera is another popular browser that's easy to use; however, because of some compatibility issues with various websites this makes it a less popular choice.

Specifically for Mac users, Safari is an excellent choice as a Web browser, with fast loading and good compatibility with most websites out there on the internet.

Which Web Browsers are the Best?

When it comes to choosing a browser, this is really a question that can only be left to personal preference. Each one has its own positive and negative points, so simply try out each one and see which one you prefer. Internet Explorer 7 has some great security features as does Mozilla Firefox but at the time of writing this, it is only available to those pc's running on windows XP or later. Coupled with Windows Vista, IE7 slightly nudges ahead of Mozilla on most features.

Knowing which browser will work best for you and/or your children can only be solved by trialing them, they are all free to download, so it can be a good idea to test them all and find out which one you prefer.

Security:

Security Options in browsers are also something to consider. Using a rating system like ICCS (safesurf®), ICRA that relies on website operators to indicate the content of their material. Your Internet browsers can be configured to allow children to only visit sites that are rated at a level that you specify. The advantage to this method is that only sites you see fit to be viewed are viewed. Disadvantages to using such a system is that there are many websites which have not submitted themselves for rating under this scheme but may be appropriate for viewing by children and will be blocked.

While some of these child protection tools are worth using, no program is perfect and they should be used in conjunction with other safety measures. There will always be the possibility that things you may not want your child to see, slipping through or something that is useful or appropriate to your child will be blocked out. Filtering programs do not protect children from all activities. Instant messaging and chat room services (see safe chat) which can be a particularly dangerous area on the internet as they can put your child in instant communication with other people, are not necessarily blocked by such filters. Other filters do not work with peer-to-peer networks like Edonkey, Shareaza, Limewire, Kazaa plus many others which allow the exchange of files like music, video, pictures, software, programmes and text. On these peer-to-peer networks can be found some very nasty files including pornography. 

Finding the right kind of blocking or filtering software for your family can be quite difficult. The software you may need for an 7 year old will be different to that needed for an older teenager.

Points To Ponder:

• The age of your child
• Do you want to prevent them from visiting pornography and hate sites?
• Do you want to prevent them from wandering into pornography and hate sites by accident?
• If you are trying to stop them from visiting such sites, are they very technically savvy, where they will be trying to disable the software?

Younger Children
You will want to protect your child by installing filtering software so they don't accidentally access such sites.