Symantec to Release New Parental-Control System

OnlineFamily.Norton is an Internet-based service that protects and manages each child's Internet access on all Windows PCs and Macs in the home. Until January 2010, the service will be completely free for parents.
Symantec is releasing a new parental-control system that isn't just focused on restricting and controlling a child's access to the Internet, but also to foster dialog between parents and kids about online safety. OnlineFamily.Norton (formerly known as Norton Online Family) is an Internet-based service that can protect and manage each child's Internet access on all Windows PCs or Macs in the home. While normally priced at $60 per year, the service will be completely free until January 2010.
OnlineFamily.Norton includes all the expected features of a parental-control program, but adds its own twist: It can block sites in specific categories, or just warn kids to stay away from them. Parents can set a weekly schedule of times when Internet access is permitted as well as a daily or weekly cap. But it doesn't necessarily cut off access outside these limits. Instead, it can give the child a warning and send a notification to the parent.

Parents can choose to monitor their kids' IM traffic and Web surfing, or back off and only monitor seeming violations. It's also possible to view just what your kids are searching for on popular search engines, and to force "safe search." And as long as your kids access their social-networking profiles from home computers, it can track their presence in different social-networking sites and even send a notification if they supply a false age.

The program's settings are automatically boiled down into a set of "house rules" for each child. The OnlineFamily.Norton Web site even includes suggestions on initiating "the talk" about online safety with your kids.

To ensure that the product conveys the right message, Symantec has assembled an advisory board of experts, among them former PCMag Editor Robin Raskin, to discuss children and technology.