Television, movies, music, video games, and the internet- all these forms of media have expanded our world and brought information and entertainment to millions, with all this unlimited information however comes danger. Media consumption among our children is at an all time high. Children are exposed to the internet and television at home and at school. It is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure your child surfs the web safely or views no offensive films in class, but when the kids come home it’s up to you- the parent- to guide your children through the jungles of the media.

For many people it would seem as if today’s standards for entertainment have been lowered. Some would argue that because parents have the ability to automatically filter and block inappropriate material adults should have easier access to questionable programming.

Parental controls have been created for televisions, computers, DVD players and other electronic devices. The point of these controls is not a substitute for parent supervision, but rather a tool that can be used to combat the overwhelming number of questionable materials that can be easily accessed.

• Television Parental Controls
The most well known parental control for the television is the V-chip. The V-chip blocks programming by the rating it’s given. The rating is embedded in the broadcast information of a program, the V-chip recognizes the ratings and blocks them according to the settings placed by the parents. Most televisions in homes today have a V-chip and the information on how to program them can be found in the operator manual for the TV.

Blocks are another common way parental controls are used with televisions. Blocks can prohibit certain channels or ratings, they can also lock out viewing during pre-determined time periods, or they can be used in combination. Blocks can be built into some TV’s but they are also usually offered by the cable or satellite provider. Personal recording devices like TiVo and DVR’s may also have the capability to set up blocks.

Filters can be purchased and hooked up to the television system to filter out offensive language. The filter reads the closed captioning code embedded within movies and programs and mutes crude language. Some DVD players have filters that can be turned on. Filters can be unreliable and don’t filter out offensive images so they are used the least.

• Gaming Systems and Media Players

Gaming systems like Playstation, X-box, and Nintendo also offer parental controls. The controls can be set up to allow only games with the appropriate rating, they also can set time restrictions that can prevent children from getting sucked into playing for hours and hours on end. All of these systems use a pass code in order to set them up. Parents should strive to be creative because kids can and will try to crack the code. DVD and Blu-Ray players also have parental controls that will require a pass code in order to play movies with certain ratings.

The home computer will also have parental controls. The operating system gives parents the ability to control every aspect of a child’s computer use. From what time of the day, how long, what programs, what websites to the blockage of downloads and email. The operating systems have incredible built in controls, but parents who are still fearful of the internet and what their child may find may feel more secure with additional parental control programs installed on the computer. These programs carefully examine every website to determine if it’s appropriate.

With media all around us it’s easy for many of us parents to forget that we must closely watch what our children absorb. Even programs that parents find suitable for their kids may not be appropriate for yours. Parental controls are useful tool in monitoring our children, but they are no substitute for the guidance and lessons parents can teach their children.

Jennifer R. Scott has been writing for over ten years on a broad range of topics. She has a background that includes such diverse areas as environmentalism, cooking, animal care, and technology. If you would like more information on parenting, please visit parental controls, a place for parents to get support from other parents, as well as products to make their lives easier.