When parents think of parental control software, most of them are probably thinking of how to block pornography.

And with the millions of sites out there for kids to find or stumble upon it definitely makes sense for moms and dads to block porn on computers that can be accessed by kids.

The problem is that relying on the basic parental controls that are found free online, or in your web browser, aren't going to be all that helpful--especially when so many website names seem so harmless.

Ways to block porn
URL/website blacklisting allows everything except for the sites/categories you specifically block URL/website whitelisting blocks everything except for the sites/categories you specifically allow. [Note: This is the most restrictive blocking available.] content filtering Scans web pages in real-time. Blocks all pages before they're displayed if they contain words you've banned.

And when you seek to block porn, also keep in mind that kids can happen upon such sites accidentally through links or spam email, so there are many ways you'll need to approach the problem.

The very best parental control software programs will allow you to block pornography in several different ways. They should offer website monitoring so you can see what your kid is looking at online, and website blocking so you can do something about it.

But the top quality programs will also offer you pre-designed lists of sites to avoid or block, and sites that are generally considered okay.

These "black lists" and "white lists" can make it much easier for parents to block porn, and to block it with less work and in less time.

Also, pornographic images can be sent via email, webmail, social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook, and even via "chat" rooms and Instant Messaging.

So, parental control software with pro-active content filtering tools and the means to control access to all of these venues is best for kids who have access to a computer.

And of course, for older kids you'll want to make sure your program is invisible, and can't be disabled (Also known as 'stealth monitoring).

After all, there's no reason to block porn if your kid can just disable the program.

For parental control software that makes it easy to block porn, both pro-actively and after the fact, we suggest CyberPatrol, NetNanny, SpyAgent, and our number one pick, WebWatcher.