One great site to visit for movies is dove.org. As I noted in a previous column, the Dove Foundation was founded to promote family-friendly entertainment in a refreshingly positive way. It doesn’t organize boycotts. Instead, it encourages good movies by reviewing films for parents and by putting its "Family-Approved" seal on those that actually provide clean entertainment.
In his report, Thierer offers guidance with the various other media, from music players to Internet gaming sessions. Each section contains a list of helpful tips and hints. And “Parental Controls and Online Child Protection” is loaded with footnotes and Web addresses so you can delve deeper into particular technologies or subject areas that interest you.
It’s important to realize that no single “fix” can really address your concerns with each technology. In the chapter on Internet use, for example, Thierer covers the importance of using a “layered” approach -- using, for example, a Web filter in addition to monitoring and time-management tools, etc. This advice applies to all the media in question. After all, no device is perfect. Using more than one with each medium provides a crucial safety net.
Thierer’s 117-page survey is comprehensive enough to cover the parental controls available for a wide variety of media. But it’s careful enough to avoid overwhelming busy adults with too much information. It also avoids the confusing techno-speak that plagues many appliance manuals.
In the end, though, it’s not enough to install V-chips and check ratings. As I note in my book, “Home Invasion,” and as Thierer points out in his “Informal Household Media Rules and Tips for Parents”:
“Strongly consider removing televisions, game consoles, computers and other media devices from kids’ bedrooms. Parents who allow their kids to lock themselves in their rooms with media technologies have surrendered their first line of defense.”
Smart parents also realize that shielding their children from bad influences is only part of their task. As Thierer writes:
“Teach your children what you’ve learned and teach them how to be smart media viewers and consumers. With a little guidance and common sense, they’ll become savvy and discriminating media consumers just like you.”
Today’s technology offers consumers more choices -- and therefore more perils. But smart parents can also use cutting-edge tools to make their jobs a little easier. “Parental Controls and Online Child Protection” is a good place to start.