KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE ON 'THE INTERNET

Johnson cofounded one of Australia's first IT companies and is an expert on Internet security. When he became a father in 2002, he realized his young daughter would soon be tooling around online and would inevitably encounter inappropriate spam messages, among other hazards. He promptly founded an information Web site for parents to keep their kids safe online, which then begot this comprehensive guide. The Web is still a "wild, undiscovered, and unregulated frontier," Johnson says, a tool pedophiles use to look for victims. Nearly 90% of kids encounter pornography online while doing their homework, he warns. The good news is parents can take steps to protect their children so they may safely and effectively use the Internet, which Johnson presents—in spite of the dangers—as essential for contemporary learning. Most importantly, Johnson asserts, parents should educate their children (e.g., tell them not to give out personal information online), monitor computer use (place the computer in a shared place, not in a child's bedroom) and buy computer software to filter and protect. He suggests five programs that parents should install and walks readers through individual products, explaining the pros and cons and making recommendations. Rather than offering a diatribe on the dangers of the Web, Johnson offers a practical, well-researched guide to help parents minimize the Web's potential drawbacks. (Aug. 19)