Parents should keep an eye on podcasts

The wildly successful iPod from Apple Computer has opened up a new concern for parents. A podcast is a method of publishing audio programs via the Internet. Users can, for the most part, freely listen to the content of a podcast anytime they wish. The content of podcasts span the range from religion to raunchy rap music to shock-jock radio programming.

RedNova has a news item which alerts parents to the dangers of podcasting to their children.

Just like Web sites, podcasts aren't regulated. So it's possible for today's technology-savvy children -- who often know more about computers than their parents -- to listen to or subscribe to a sexually explicit or hate-based talk show.

Several podcast directory Web sites regularly report adult- oriented shows among the most popular.

While some sites flag podcasts with explicit content, it's possible for kids to hear curse words or erotica with just one click.

Podcasts are so new that i-SAFE, a nonprofit Internet safety foundation, is still researching how to address them in training police, educators and parents, said Kevin Storr, the foundation's communications director.

Fortunately, Storr says that parents can use general internet safety guidelines to protect their children.

"The biggest thing is to be a part of their online lives," Storr said. "Parenting is the same whether it's online or offline. Know who their friends are online. Make it a family experience. Keep the computer in an open area. The worst thing you can do is put the computer in the bedroom."

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"You just explain to them, 'The Internet is much like the real world -- there are good and bad people,'" he said. "You want to be there to explain. It's hard for minors to discern what is right and what is wrong out there."

That is always good advice. Chances are that if a parent is involved in their child's life, good things will happen.

Read "Parents Should Keep an Eye on podcasts. This New Way of Distributing Audio Files Via the Internet Could Expose Children to Questionable Material."