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So set up individual users in XP. Have each child have an easy-to-remember password that they should be instructed NOT to share with anyone else. Don't make them system administrators, make them users only. You'll have to use your own account to install stuff. That's more good security.
Log in to each child's account and open the web browser. Click on the Bookmarks tab at the top (Favorites in IE) and open the Manager. Delete all existing bookmarks. Now, add the places in the city that you don't mind your child visiting.
A good place to start is WorldVillage (http://www.worldvillage.com). It's a nice family- safe portal. In other words, it's a good central starting point with tons of other family-safe links. Bookmark this site by opening the Bookmarks tab and selecting "Bookmark this page." The procedure with IE is quite similar, only it refers to Favorites instead. You might even set WorldVillage as your home page.
Visit other kid-friendly sites that your child will enjoy and add their bookmarks. Don't forget Yahooligans (http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/), a great search resource for kids.
Okay, you have provided your own Thomas Brothers map book for your kids (do they still make those?). Now, INSIST that they only go to sites that you approve of.
The nature of the internet is such that links take you all over the place. Even though sites linked at WorldVillage or Yahooligans are safe for your kids to visit, that's no guarantee that sites that THEY link to will be quite so kid-friendly. And one of THOSE sites may have sites linked that are clearly out of line. So your kids should be taught that they go ONLY to sites linked DIRECTLY to the portals that you approve.
So there you have the city analogy. Make sure that your kids only "visit" the city, not "live" there. In other words, control and limit internet access. In chapter 4, we will be reviewing products that allow you to turn the internet off and on at will.
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