Next month the Irish computer maker iQon Technologies will launch parental control software for protecting children when they use PCs, siliconrepublic.com has learned.
The Dundalk-based firm developed the solution and had originally intended to supply it as a bundle with its PCs but has now decided to make it available as a stand-alone product and it will go on sale from 24 July.
Called ChildGuard, it will be available from Tesco stores throughout the country and will retail for €29.99. According to iQon, the monitoring software is easy to use and allows parents to monitor and control all PC activity, not just when children are using the internet or visiting chat rooms.
Parents will be able to easily identify if their child spends too much time online, what sites they visit or how long they spend playing games. The software has a facility to limit or block a child’s access to particular applications, websites or chat rooms. A password protection feature prevents others from tampering with the program and only the parent has access to the monitor reports.
The software also lets parents see what their child is saying in chat rooms, with whom they are communicating and what other users are saying to them. An image-tracking function logs any offensive photos or images that are being downloaded.
“The internet is a wonderful resource but children can very easily stumble across sites that contain unsuitable images or information or strike up an online relationship with someone whose intentions may be harmful, even criminal,” said Aidan Donnelly, director of iQon Technologies.
By Gordon Smith
