Software Review: Monitor Your Children’s Time on Internet
One afternoon while he was out at a friend’s, I was exploring the different functions on my laptop and clicked on the “ichat” icon. The subject “recent chats” popped up and I clicked on it. I wasn’t really expecting or hoping to spy on my son. I was just clicking around. Well, the recent chats I read pretty much stopped my heart. The subjects my son and his friends were talking about may have been things that I talked about with my friends around that age, but seeing them in print was more than a little upsetting – not to mention the obscene language. There’s just something about seeing the f-word used in a sentence three or four times that’s just not right. After a few sessions of reading his chats, just touching my keyboard gave me the heebie jeebies.
Dirty chatting, pornography, and teen web pages and blogs are reasons why parents like my husband and I are turning to monitoring software to watch where their children are headed online, who they’re talking too and what they’re talking about. If you decide to monitor your child’s time, make sure you prepare yourself for what you might find.
There are three top Internet monitoring software programs, Spector Pro 5.0, Iambigbrother, and eBlaster.
Spector Pro 5.0 costs about $99.95 and is considered the Gold Standard in Internet monitoring and surveillance software. The software records chats, instant messages, emails sent and received, websites visited, keystrokes typed, programs launched, and file searching and swapping. The system saves all the recordings in one location that only you have access to. While this software was created for Windows, a Macintosh compatible version is also available, Spector Mac, costs about the same price, and is the first spy software package fully compatible with Mac OSX and OS9.
The software also includes an Internet Access blocking capability. Awarded PC Magazine Editors’ Choice as the best Internet monitoring software, SpectorPro has the added bonus of emailing you immediately when words or names that you specify appear in your child’s email or chatting.
Iambigbrother 9.1 is a more inexpensive choice at $29.95 and performs many of the same functions. It records everything secretly, will capture all passwords typed, instant messages, chats and incoming and outgoing emails. You can also purchase the software in a 5-license pack. This is a bonus because if you have multiple computers in the house you cannot always guarantee your child will use the one you have the software on. Another bonus, you can download it and install it immediately. It works with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 2000 and XP.
The third of the three software packages, eblaster, also shows you everything your child does online. Easy to install and use, eBlaster provides both instant notification to you via email of their chats, instant messages, sensitive words and phrases, and emails. The software can send you detailed hourly reports of all their Internet activity including Web sites visited and programs launched, and files downloaded. The eBlaster 5.0 software is fully compatible with Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows NT, Windows ME, and Windows 98.
According to reviews, “This product does a good job of capturing instant messenger programs as well as web based email, all keystrokes, screenshots, and more.” One of the main differences it has with the other two products is that it does not include live phone support like Spector PRO and eBlaster. Reviews also say, “This product is best suited to those familiar with downloading and installing software without extensive tech support. It is not as reliable as the Spectorsoft products above, but is suitable for basic monitoring needs.”
Since we have an all Mac household, we bought the Spector Mac software and consider it to have been a good investment. After confronting our son with our knowledge, mortifying for all involved, we decided to discontinue his access to chatting, instant messaging, and emailing. He does go on the Internet but is definitely more careful about where he visits. Because he is not “I-m-ing” all the time, he has more time for homework, playing video games with his buddies, and is becoming an excellent guitar player. He looks us in the eye a little more often, and seems to appreciate the fact that we cared enough to stop him from getting in over his head into situations he wasn’t ready for. There’s time enough for that when he turns sixteen.
