Created: 10/18/2007 6:45:21 AM 
Greensboro, NC -- As any parent who has ever watched their child program the Tivo while battling orcs in an online fantasy world knows, kids are pretty tech savvy these days.
And many kids are begging to get online, even before they've set foot in kindergarten. You can't keep children offline forever, but you can make sure your kids surf safely.
The cornerstone of keeping kids protected on the world wide web is parental supervision. Parents you need to take an active role in supervising what your kids are doing on the computer and what sites they visit online.
But even the most innocent searches may turn up sites you don't want your kids to see. To help keep an online trip more friendly, you may want to consider a filter.
Filtering software will block designated content, websites and allow parents to set up passwords to limit access.
TopTenReviews.com has a pretty good review of some of the more well known programs like Net Nanny and CyberSitter.
Sites like this are a good place to start checking for a program which fits your needs. To learn more about a particular program, type the name into a search engine and read up.
Remember, no filter is perfect. Some objectionable content may still get through, others may block sites that are ok for the family. So some developers are now designing web browsers aimed just at kids. One recently launched browser will let your little ones go surfing with Miss America!
Lauren Nelson's Miss America platform was internet safety. So the pageant organization partnered with the children's educational network to create the Miss America Kid Safe Web Browser.
Download the browser to your computer and your kids will be able to surf thousands of pre-screened kid-friendly sites, but only those sites.
The browser is free and customizable. Parents can even get Miss America to read their kids' e-mails out loud or remind them when it's time to take out the garbage.
Speaking of beauty queens. According to the webthis tape of "Stacy Hedger, Miss Douglas" has been floating around newsrooms for years. Until an enterprizing individual gave the video the notoriety it deserves by posting it on YouTube. Click on the link to watch and wonder if Ms. Hedger won the contest.
WFMY News 2
