[icernet] The Net gets a little safer for children

[Arul Selvan]

  The online world is stepping up efforts to make the Internet safe for 
kids. New Web sites, new software, and even new laws are part of the 
crusade to address the need for a child-friendly online environment. 
KidFu, a Web site for children and young teens has strict rules against 
information sharing and has closely monitored chat rooms. The latest 
versions of America Online and the Microsoft Network now include 
stronger parental controls, reports the Times. The new software allows 
parents to limit and even track the online travels of young users. 
Today's kids also use the Web for online diaries where their private 
information could be accessible to predators. However, some say the 
risks are overstated. "There are new perils for kids, but no evidence 
that kids are on the whole more endangered today as a result of the 
Internet," said David Finkelhor, a criminologist at the University of 
New Hampshire who has studied Internet-related crime. Still, parental 
controls are increasingly common and even youngsters are more attuned to 
online threats.

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/31/technology/circuits/31safe.html