[Aliantha]

Cloud, I have a 9 yr old and a 10yr old. They've been browsing the web for about 6months now. Because we own the computer and they browse with our permission, we keep things pretty open at home. I don't use any of the parental snooping devices because I don't like the idea of having to spy on my kids.

I feel that if it gets to a stage where I feel I've got to snoop, then I've done something wrong. That is to say, if the kids can't discuss openly what they're doing online, we need to reset the boundaries. Like Cloud, our computers are generally used in family spaces in the house. That will change shortly when the kids area is built in under the house and perhaps then I'll change my views, but to date, they've never let me down, and I will never expect them to.

I'm realistic enough to know they'll look at porn online sooner or later along with other sites I might consider inappropriate and I hope that when that happens no one feels the need to be deceptive about it.

Supervision is the key. If you really know your kids, most of the battle is won.