Vidushi blog

AOL's 'Safe Social' Monitors Your Kids Online

It seems that every day there's a new scam aimed at Facebook users, fromto . You're smart! You don't fall for these. But what about your kids? Without your background and life experience they're more gullible. The kids are more likely to fall for scans and to accept friend requests from the wrong people.

AOL has justa new service called AOL Safe Social. Powered byit gives parents what they're calling a "360-degree view" of children's online activities. $9.99 per month covers all of your kids.

This is no sneaky spy program; it requires "up-front consent from the child". Parents get a look at the child's data on major social networks including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. The service offers real-time alerts when it detects communication suggesting cyberbullying, suicidal tendencies, and other worries. It also checks all "friends" to make sure none are known predators or frauds. Parents can view all photos posted by kids and photos in which kids are tagged.

Competitoralso tracks children's social media accounts, photos, and friends. It specifically targets cyberbullying, with real-time alerts for parents.

Putting these products through a full evaluation would take more time than I can offer them just now, but both have free trial offers. If you're concerned about possible dangers in your children's social media interactions you can give both services a try and see if they suit your needs.

Originally posted to the PCMag.com security blog, Security Watch.