Best Parental Control

The Sony PlayStation 3 gaming console, or PS3 as it is commonly referred to, along with the PlayStation Portable, or PSP, Sony’s handheld gaming device, offer features well beyond individual gaming and movie watching through the PlayStation Network. The PlayStation Network is an online service which opens the systems to features like multiplayer game playing, chat, and movie downloading just to name a few. To learn more about the features offered on these systems, visit: PS3 Features and
PSP Features.

Parental Controls

The PlayStation 3 (PS3) and the PlayStation Portable (PSP) come with parental controls options to help parents establish an age-appropriate gaming, communication, and multimedia experience for their children

PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Parents should be aware of three separate parental control settings:

1. Parental Controls for the PS3 Entertainment System: Parents can determine the age-appropriate level of games and movies that can be played locally, without use of the PlayStation Network. Game and movie settings are based on number-based levels so, when determining the appropriate setting for your children, play close attention to the level you select as they do not directly correspond to ratings established by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board or the Motion Picture Association of America.

2. Parental Controls for the PS3 Internet Browser: Parents can block access to the Internet browser, but it is an all or nothing option. There is no filter option and individual Web sites cannot be blocked.

3. Parental Controls for the PlayStation Network: Parents can create a Master (18+) account and then setup sub accounts for their children. Parental control settings can be established for each sub account to control access to content based on age, restrict audio and video chat capabilities (sub accounts can still send and receive text messages), and set monthly spending limits at the PlayStation store for the purchase of games, game add-ons, and movies.

These are great links to learn more about the PS3’s parental control features:

PS3 Parental Controls
Knowledge Center | Support | Playstation.com

PlayStation Portable (PSP)

The PSP’s parental controls are very similar to those of the PS3. Parents can determine the appropriate level of game or video content to be played on the device. Additionally, the PSP also offers the same browser and network controls. To learn more visit: PSP Parental Controls.

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CybSecure is an internet filtering and application blocking tool. CybSecure can help organizations to safeguard employee internet misuse by blocking internet access to browsers, instant messengers etc.

Posted in Parental Control News No Comments Tags: employee internet misuse, instant messengers, internet filtering, network administrators, security tool

CybSecure is an internet filtering and application blocking tool. CybSecure can help organizations to safeguard employee internet misuse by blocking internet access to browsers, instant messengers etc.

Posted in Parental Control News No Comments Tags: employee internet misuse, instant messengers, internet filtering, network administrators, security tool

Filed under: Video Gaming

Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite (a redesign of the original DS) are handheld gaming devices that, in addition to individual game play, offer multiplayer online gaming and chat through a wireless local area network (LAN) or over Nintendo’s Wi-Fi service.

Online Gaming (via Nintendo Wi-Fi)
Nintendo DS and DS Lite have over 60 games that can be played online using the Nintendo Wi-Fi service.
To play online with others, users need to exchange friend codes, unique twelve digit numbers generated by playing Internet-enabled games. Each Internet-enabled game generates a different friend code. To become “friends” and play online, users must manually exchange friend codes. Often times, users publically post their friend codes online in message boards and blog posts to find others to play against.

Multiplayer Gaming (via LAN)
Nintendo DS and DS Lite enable users to play multiplayer games with other DS users that are within 65 feet of them using a LAN.

PictoChat
PictoChat is a picture drawing and text chat application built into Nintendo DS and DS Lite that utilizes a LAN. PictoChat enables users to send picture drawings and text messages to other DS users within approximately 65 feet of each other. There is no requirement to exchange friend codes to communicate using PictoChat.

Nintendo Browser
Nintendo offers web browser applications for both the Nintendo DS and DS Lite that can be purchased separately. Web filtering technology has been integrated into the browser that provides parents with the option of blocking inappropriate content. You can learn more about the browser including the filtering technology by visiting: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/dslite/browser.jsp.

Beyond the filtering technology in the optional web browser, the Nintendo DS and DS Lite have no built-in parental controls and parents should consider the following:
- Parental oversight is needed to ensure age appropriate game play and communication.
- Communication on the DS and DS Lite is not private.
- Parents should share the same general online safety tips with their children that they would for Internets chat environments including no sharing of personal information and no speaking to people they do not know.

To learn more about what Nintendo suggests to parents, visit: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/ds/dsprivacy.jsp.

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Posted in Parental Control News No Comments Tags: local area network, network lan, nintendo wi fi, pictochat, web browser applications

Filed under: Internet Safety Tips, Online Safety Tips, Technology

The New Year is here and by now many of you have probably got a kick start on your resolutions or are still trying to find that right day to start working on them! Either way, this year, if you haven’t already talked about online safety with your children, how about making a New Year resolution to do so? A good start would be to come to the SafetyClicks site on a regular basis to check Internet safety updates, specifically on hot topics like cyberbullying or social networking. You could also subscribe to RSS feeds from the SafetyClicks site to get the latest updates. On a more serious note, you could sign the NetSmartz Internet and Real World Safety Pledges, designed for different age groups, with your child and post them in your home, near their computer. These are signed contracts between you and your child that can help them understand the rules and learn how to protect themselves on the Internet and in the real world. Even if you have had the conversation with your children about how to be safe online, the Internet Safety Pledge is a good way to review (with your kids and teens) some of the key points to keep in mind when they go online. Happy New Year!

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Posted in Parental Control News No Comments Tags: internet safety tips, new resolutions, new year resolution, safety pledge, safety updates