Keeping My Fake Kids Safe

I don’t have children. Perhaps some time in the (distant) future I’ll have a family that consists of more than two cats and an iPad, but until then, the challenges of raising a family in a world filled with Facebook, Mad Men, and cyber-criminals aren’t my own. But when the time comes and I have to make sure my home media is kid-friendly, I’m glad I won’t have to go it alone. There are tons of tools available to help navigate our ever-expanding content universe. In fact, many of the most valuable tools can be controlled easily from within my home cable setup.

For example, based on times, channels, and TV ratings, I can block out certain programs. So even if I set firm TV viewing rules in my house, a curious kid can’t accidentally stumble onto that one episode of “The Wire” where Omar – well, where Omar does pretty much anything. Setting this up is really simple. It varies from provider to provider, but basically I can set the cable system to play some programs freely, but others are locked out using a secret pin number. For specifics on setup, ask your cable provider.

And while I’ll rest easy with the TV under control, there’s still the matter of the World Wide Web. That glorious stream of entertaining and educational content is a barrier-free medium, so it has some dark corners. Taking control and making sure children don’t find themselves in the wrong part of the Internet with my credit card and my mother’s maiden name will come from sound family rules that encourage an understanding of what’s out there as well as support from the Internet itself. Programs like PointSmartClickSafe are a great resource how to talk about dangerous content, setting ground rules, digital education, and where to get a good web filter.

Having access to the wide world of content that cable and broadband Internet provides is part of what makes being alive in the 21st century so awesome. But don’t be afraid to take control of what’s coming into your home. Not all of that content is, let’s say, “well suited” for children. For inappropriate content, it’s nice to know there are tools, guidelines, education programs, and support coming directly from cable itself that’ll help you and your family (and in my case, my imaginary family) make the right choices.    

For more information on taking control of your home media, take at look these resources:

http://www.thetvboss.org/
The TV Boss is a website that offers parents the tools and information they need to guide their child’s television consumption.

http://www.ciconline.org/Resource/private-its-the-new-public
Cable in the Classroom and Internet Keep Safe Coalition provides a tailored lesson, activities and tips to better understand the power of social networking.

http://www.controlyourtv.org/#Control.aspx
Control Your TV provides clear direction on the ways parents can manage channels with sophisticated control capabilities.

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/
Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.