Symantec service helps parents keep a cyber eye on the kids

— -- Internet predators, cyberbullies, websites and social networks that may be inappropriate for children — it's understandable why parents fret about their kids' activities in cyberspace. Especially because there's a wide perception that the youngsters understand technology better than Mom and Dad.

On Monday, Symantec plans to launch a promising Web-based service called OnlineFamily.Norton to help parents get a grip on what their kids are doing online. Best of all, the service is free until January. Symantec isn't committing to a price after that but says a one-year subscription is valued at $60.

I've been trying out a prerelease beta version on a PC and Mac. It's still not completely functional or polished. The Windows version is further along than the Mac's.

But I appreciate the direction Symantec is taking. OnlineFamily is meant to be completely transparent between parent and child. For example, while parents can view reports on what their kids are doing on the Internet, this isn't stealth software in which you're meant to surreptitiously eavesdrop. Parents are encouraged to have an open dialogue with the kids in setting up printable "house rules" concerning computer and Internet usage. As your kids surf, search or try to send instant messages, they'll know what's permitted and what's off-limits. Warnings remind kids that Norton is active.

Meanwhile, parents can tap into easy-to-digest activity reports from any computer connected to the Internet — and peek at thumbnail images of Web destinations that are blocked.

The new service is loosely aimed at parents with 8- to 13-year-olds, though it may also prove to be appropriate in families with younger or older kids.

Symantec hasn't exactly reinvented the wheel here. It borrows elements from parental-control software built into PCs and Macs, as well as in third-party software that's been around for years. This includes imposing time restrictions on the child's use of the computer, instant-message monitoring and blocking access to some websites and services.