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It’s a big Internet out there, and we’re constantly searching in it. For parents who can’t have their eyes everywhere at once, the lack of a filter continues to bring up concerns. The solution? Up for debate.

Some say the answer is systematic parental control. The latest version of Windows Vista, for instance, advertises, “a centralized location where [parents] can turn parental controls on and off; block or allow specific programs, games, and websites; and set controls for every aspect of [their] child’s computer use.” My question is: how do parents control the online activities that take place away from home? And what about those crafty kids that figure out a way to access the central panel and select the off options?

Another idea for keeping surfing safe online is to introduce a kid-friendly search engine like the recently re-launched visual search engine Quintura for Kids When I first went online not so many years ago, it was on AOL which prompted users to select settings by age (Kids, Teens, etc.) The restrictions seemed secondary to the enticing content that the welcome page had to offer me. Quintura’s method is more akin to this positive approach of promising kid-centric content. Also, the approach doesn’t wed the kid to his or her home computer, but rather allows them to use their search engine of choice from anywhere on any machine or device. Of course, there’s no rule saying parents can’t employ both methods, but is there a limit to placing limits?

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