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Solid Oak Software's CyberSitter 9.0, SoftForYou's iProtectYou Pro Web Filter 6.03, and LookSmart's NetNanny 5.0 are among reviewed products that protect children using the Internet from porn, bad and dangerous chat room experiences, illegal music and software sharing via peer-to-peer (P2P), or time wasted playing games and chatting with friends. According to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, almost 70% of youngsters say they would not be able to give up the Internet easily, while only 48% gave the same response for TV watching. CyberSitter 9.0 is the editors' choice for filtering, is user-friendly, and works very well to defend its filtering against computer-wise kids who try to get around the filter. CyberSitter 9.0 may block sites that parents would approve, but it does not let unsuitable content get through. iProtectYou Pro Web Filter 6.03 is rated very good, especially for filtering, while ease of use, application filtering and blocking, and time management. Monitoring is average, and privacy control is good. For instance, only iProtectYou among reviewed products allows the user to set a limit on the total number of bytes that children can download. NetNanny 5.0, one of the most well-known products for parental controls, has a good toolset, including cookie and pop-up blocking, time management, and program controls. However, testers found it easy to gain access to explicit images without being blocked. NetNanny is the only product in the list that allows users to view its built-in lists of permitted and restricted site and words.
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