The Progress & Freedom Foundation's Adam Thierer has collected a broad survey of different tools and methods that parents may use to restrict or tailor the media content their family consumes. This publication includes a survey of resources on the market today that can help parents better manage media content from such sources as broadcast television, cable or satellite TV, music devices, mobile phones, video game consoles, the Internet, or social networking websites.

Thierer states that there has never been a time in our nation’s history when parents have had more tools and methods at their disposal to help them decide what is acceptable in their homes and in the lives of their children. At the same time, the current state of parental control tools and online child protection efforts is important because it has a profound effect on the legal and regulatory status of modern media providers or various types of speech and expression.

He proposes that the goal should be to work to improve parental controls tools and further empower parents to make decisions for themselves and their families, as we move from a “community standards” approach (one-size-fits-all) to one of “household standards” (individually tailored). In the end, Thierer says, there is no substitute for education and for talking to your kids about media and the world around them in an open, understanding and loving fashion.

The entire publication is online and can be downloaded at the PFF's website.

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