A New Post, but first an FYI

FYI:  If you are reading this, I want you to know I did not write my last post about you.  You are definitely NOT driving me crazy!  Hope everyone is breathing easier now!  So why did I write it? A friend recently mentioned her struggles with a teenage son and I remembered what I learned several years ago when I first read this article.  After re-reading it, I thought it was worth sharing with you. And I don't mean any of you specifically, just any and all of you!

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Now on to our regularly sporadically scheduled post.

Let's talk about filters for a minute.  No, I don't mean the apps you use to make your Instagram photos look cool.  I mean the filters that keep the nasty stuff from showing up on your computer.  We all want to protect our families from pornography and filters are one way to do that.

Now I know you may have a list of reasons why you don't have filters on your computer/phone/ipad/itouch.

• My kids are too young to worry about that
• No one uses my [insert digital device of your choice] but me
• The filter might block sites I want to use
• I don't want to spend the money on that
• I'm not tech savvy enough to figure that out
• I'll do it later 
• I have really good kids and I trust them
• It can't block everything, so why bother?
• Our filter doesn't work right, so I disabled/removed it
• It makes my internet run really slow.

I get it, I really do.  Filters are a pain.

But do you really want to find out that your child, grandchild, spouse, babysitter, nephew etc is addicted to porn and you didn't do everything you could to prevent it?  Are you willing to take the risk that a family member might accidentally see pornography on your laptop/phone/ipad/itouch?  Do you want someone using your wifi to view porn or show it to an innocent child?

No, filters don't offer complete protection, but without them, we are leaving our doors wide open and inviting the adversary to come on in. So what can you do?

1. Install a router based filter so that any person/device using your wifi is protected.  This is even available FREE through services like OpenDNS which actually makes your internet faster. Another option is buying a router like Pandora's Hope.
2. Install filtering software on each and every one of your mobile devices.  Why?  Because they're mobile.  You will be using them on other networks besides your own wifi.  
3. Check your filters regularly to be sure they're working. Set a date on your calender once a week/month to remind you.  It only takes a second to test an objectionable website.  I have been shocked to learn that my filters weren't working on several occasions.  I have had a great filter from my cell phone provider, but recently I found that it didn't work with the latest software update!

So please, learn how to prevent addiction, teach your family to do what's right, help them understand the dangers and what to do if they see pornography.  Talk about it often, but don't forget the filters! 

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