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Press Release April 21, 1997 |
Contact: Andy Norton, 914-378-2436 |
YONKERS, NY - The Internet and its ever-expanding colony of information sites, the World Wide Web, have proved an invaluable resource for kids in the Information Age. Equipped with only a computer and a modem, they can get online help with their homework, exchange e-mail with "keypals" around the world, and take virtual-reality tours of locales they might otherwise never experience. They can even share their creativity with others, through outlets like "Global Wave," the monthly Web magazine of the Young Writers Club.
But the 'Net can also entangle kids in a snarl of manufacturers' come-ons, special-interest pitches, and lurid - often sexually explicit - displays. In its May issue, Consumer Reports magazine tells parents how to shield kids from these often-camouflaged entanglements, and how they can find the many cultural, social and educational resources available in cyberspace.
In "Is Your Kid Caught Up in the Web?" Consumer Reports notes that an estimated 2.6 million youngsters currently go online via the family computer, and that that number is expected to swell to 10 million in the next five years. Some educators see this as a boon: Children read more in cyberspace because they control the subject matter, these educators say, and cyberspace provides more of a feeling of working with others than does a book or a TV show. Yet the Internet poses special challenges for parents and teachers alike, because its content is more varied and far less regulated than either television or the public library.
To help parents protect their 'Net surfing kids, Consumer Reports recently tested the efficacy of five Web "babysitters" - software packages that block access to off-limits sites or ward off other risks, such as foul language. The magazine also looked at the efforts of the four major
online services to shield their members from potentially offensive material.
The results? None of the software packages was totally effective in screening out 22 easy-to-find Web sites the magazine judged inappropriate for young children. And while all the online services do a good job of monitoring themselves, only three of the four (America Online, CompuServe and Prodigy) provide blocking software to protect members who go onto the Web.
Here's what happened when Consumer Reports challenged the "babysitters":
Cyber Patrol, Version 3.1: It blocked 16 of the 22 inappropriate sites. Users can select 12 categories of adult material to control Web access and block the use of certain words and phrases. Parents can enforce online time limits. Available for $29.95 for Windows and Mac OS users. Free to subscribers of AOL, CompuServe and Prodigy.
Cybersitter, Version 2.1: It blocked 14 of the 22 sites. Parents can view a list of their child's activities, restrict what phrases are sent or received, and block sites containing foul language. Available for $39.95, plus $5 shipping, to Windows users only.
Net Nanny, Version 3.1: It blocked none of the adult sites. The software came with a list of only a few hundred blocked sites, and you're supposed to wait for free monthly updates or add to the list yourself. Available for $39.95 (or $26.95 off the Web) to Windows users only.
SurfWatch, Version 1.6V2: It blocked 18 of the 22 sites. Available for Windows and Mac OS users ($49.95), the Windows version was the simplest product Consumer Reports tested and it is tamper resistant. Updates to the blocked-site list are $60 per year.
Internet Explorer, Version 3.0: It left 19 of the 22 sites unblocked, mainly because it relies on voluntary ratings systems that are little used on the Web. It has the option to block all unrated sites, but that prevents access to a number of popular kids' sites. Free on the Web.
Parents and kids who want to seek out appropriate materials on the Web will find the search engine "Yahooligans" (www.yahooligans.com) useful, Consumer Reports says. Other sources include the indexes "Teachers@work" (www.teachers.work.co.nz), which has 1,000 rated sites grouped by age and subject, and "Berit's Best Sites for Children" (www.cochran.com/theodore/noframe/ksites.html), which also includes ratings and categories.
The May issue of Consumer Reports will be available April 29 wherever magazines are sold. To order this report by fax through Consumer Reports by Request, at a cost of $7.75 per report, call 800-419-9824 and specify code 9565. This report will also be available April 29.
