Pay - Probably "NetNanny".

However, take a look at MS Family Safety:

http://explore.live.com/windows-live-family-safety-child-kid-protect-filter-sites-chat-faq

It's free and it works. Nothing will replace a discussion, though about issues on the net... depending on the age of the child how frank they'd be. Kids aren't stupid, they're gullible and lack judgement... that comes much later.

Have the computer in a central, populated area of the house... so there's observation.

Also, Web of Trust helps with those Google searches. Explaining the circles helps a good deal, and set him/her to a "Guest" account with no downloading privileges... to start.

*edit:

Sorry for the repetition. But then, who'd want to miss a gem like "nakeditity"?

What?  That's not a word?  I've been using since  . . Well . . Since I was interested in girls and thier nakeditity.  

Quoting Zubaz,

reply 4

What?  That's not a word?  I've been using since  . . Well . . Since I was interested in girls and thier nakeditity.     <----

Bebi's gonna roast you on a spit... [I've gathered the wood already]. "Felony use of Bebi smiley while committing nakeditity."

Buh-bye, Zu. Nice to have known you.

I use this on my step-sons PC. It's fantastic.

You can set up the times they can use it, what programs they can have access to, etc.

You get reports on what sites they have been to and you can add and delete from the list of sites you allow.

It also lets you set the ratings limits for games as well.

You can set the parental settings to several different levels.

Anything they need access to and can't get to they have the option of emailing you for permission (which you can give from any PC) or you can just enter the password on the prompt if you are nearby for them to have access.

 There is a Firefox  add-on called FoxFilter that is only 9.95 a year that I used when he was much younger. It worked very well as well.

No matter what you do, they will find whatever they want to in the end. There are a lot of sites out there with very innocent names disguised as 'forums' and 'newsgroups' where all kinds of crap can be posted. Even if you don't set any parental controls and want to give them some measure of trust, the Live Family Safety can allow you to see where they have been so that you can look at the sites and decide for yourself.

They will know you have it turned on as a little pop-up comes up. SO it's not like you're installing a keylogger and trying to hide it from them. I went through it setting by setting with my step-son when I first started using it. I started using it when he was at an age where I was more concerned about protecting him than I was about what he might be looking at.

Thanks guys,  I will try the MS Family Safety method tonight.

Our computer is located in a public space in our house, and we do try to be there with the kids when they use it, but this isn't always possible (especially when the kids gets up at 6 in the morning and start using it).

What's funny from this discussions is how much times have changed.  When we were growing up, we had to work at trying to find naked or half-naked women.  These days its more of a challenge to get on the internet and not see them.

You're lucky. When I was a kid the best we could get was risque episodes of Love American Style or Goldi Hawn shaking her bootie on Laugh-In.

Excuse me. My parents were divorced and Cosmo was the best I could do. But thanks for reminding me. I'm gonna go drink a bottle of Jack and eat a pint of Chubby Hubby and wallow in self-pity, douche bag.

After mine turned up his toes and we were clearing out the house for resale I found his 'stash'.... pretty ancient it was, too....almost 'collectible'....

You lucky, lucky bastard.... my dad couldn't read the article so he refused to buy 'em.

Nah, not really!  He just wasn't into that sort of thing... not that it deterred me.

I used to spend an hour or so at the newsagency [newspaper/magazine store] most afternoons after school.

Hmmm, it still amazes me that they never suspected anything when I asked to use the toilet.

i never even knew what a computer was until 1991 when I saw my first one, a Commodore 64 and the only game in town was pong. As for the Internet ... my first time online was in 1999. Kinda johnny-come-lately.

AKA the "I'm sleepy and off to bed" rule.

Blessings called on my friend Peter's dad who had a huge stack of Playboy mags. Woo-hoo!

*Can't wait for Wiz's confession.

This is a valid method of teaching the rights & wrongs of internet behaviour. I was told if I did wrong by going to certain websites or being abusive and using the computer for wrong doing, the internet would be taken away so I made sure I did the right thing. Some may call this method extreme but in some cases you have to be cruel to be kind. It works so good job starkers