Neilsen reports that kids (age 2 - 11) are spending more time online than ever before. Parents, educators and online companies are trying to make sure that the time kids spent online is not harmful.

Schools spend a lot of time, money and effort keeping the students from freely searching the Internet. One common way to prevent kids from accessing unapproved sites at school is to use a firewall. A firewall allows or blocks certain sites from being accessed within the school's network. This article from the Washington Post suggests that the firewalls used in schools are like the Great Wall of China; much effort is put into blocking loopholes while students are busy searching for ways around them. To quote a colleague, it's like playing 'wack-a-mole'. As soon as you knock one down, another loophole is already found.

What are your thoughts about using filters in schools? Is it worth the game of 'wack-a-mole' to have the filters in place on school computers? Do you have another idea?

Do any or all of the following apply to you as a parent?
-- Concerned about their kids' online safety
-- Don't use parental controls
-- Installed parental controls, but never adjusted the settings
-- Have a computer hooked up to the Internet in a child or teen's bedroom
-- Not sure what the kids do online because you don't monitor their online activities

If so, you are not alone. This PC World article says that most parents ignore parental controls.

School is almost out and summer break is just around the corner. Do you know what your kids will be doing this summer? How will they be spending their spare free time for the next sixty or so days? Whatever you may or may not have lined up in terms of activities for your children, one thing is certain for most kids - free time offline means more time spent online.

This year add a new tradition to your usual end school year routine, along with graduation parties, summer camp registration and vacation preparations. Before this summer begins, talk to your children about staying safe online. A safety conversation is probably the last thing your kids want to have before they are set free for the lazy days summer, but it's important and it won't take long. Pick a day and put it on the calendar so you both stay committed. As a matter of fact, make it a complete safety briefing covering all their summer activities.

Have you ever wondered where your kids go on the Internet? Do you know who they are emailing or instant messaging? As you have likely come to realize, the virtual world is very different from life at school or on the bus, where your kids are interacting with friends you've met or at least know who they are.

As parents, we constantly struggle with the balance of watching out for our kids (when they go online or otherwise) versus spying on them. The good news is there are a variety of tools available -- both free and fee-based -to help you stay plugged in to what your kids are doing online. Some may be more "invasive" than others, so I recommend you review the options to learn which tools align best with you own parenting style and family mores. This post on Parental Controls Basics can help you decide which type of software would suit your family needs.

One of the leading free solutions is from my company, AOL, which has been a leader in online family safety since pioneering parental controls in the early '90s. AOL Parental Controls are now available to everyone as a free download. Using any e-mail address, you can sign up, download the software and start protecting your kid or teen online.

If you're like many parents, you try to keep track of what your kids are doing online by watching them when they're on the computer. This can be a time-consuming method, and your kids may want to explore the Internet even when you're not around to "babysit" their activity. Parental Controls software can help you feel more confident about letting your children explore the Internet without you needing to be physically present ever time they go online. In this article, I'll give you a basic overview of the types of tools available so that you are better equipped to decide what type of software best suits you and your child.

The breadth of parental controls software available on the market today can be confusing and overwhelming. But in general, they fall into four basic categories:

1. Basic Filtering

Basic web filtering software blocks access to inappropriate web sites, such as pornography sites. The two most popular basic filtering solutions are browser toolbar plug-ins: Parental Control Toolbar for Internet Explorer, and Glubble for Firefox. Both allow parents to approve websites from the toolbar based on a history of the websites blocked. Glubble requires users to login so that child accounts can only access a pre-approved list of kid-friendly websites. Although limited in features compared to other types of parental controls software, these basic plug-ins are free.