by Shellie Driscoll

 Editor’s Note:  We’re giving away two copies of Social Guard to two lucky winners!  See the end of this post to sign up to win!

Is your child on Facebook?  Do you ever wonder if there is anything being said or done on their account that you wouldn’t approve of?  The worldwide leader in securing the Internet, Check Point Software Technologies, has a wonderful new product called ZoneAlarm SocialGuard*.

According to ZoneAlarm:

• 1 in 5 teens has been bullied or approached by a predator online

• 1 in 5 links is malicious
• 1 in 5 teens has had an account hacked

ZoneAlarm SocialGuard enables parents to monitor your children’s Facebook accounts for cyberbullying, illicit content, inappropriate status updates and messages , friend requests, etc., while still respecting your child’s privacy.  You do not have to have a Facebook account to receive updates about potential threats to your child’s Facebook page and you can monitor up to 5 Facebook accounts.  However, this software is only available for PC’s running Windows 7, Vista and XP.  Sorry Mac users.

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University states:

“Bullying and harassment, most often by peers, are the most frequent threats that minors face, both online and offline.”

Cyberbullying occurs when a child, preteen, or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen, or teen by using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies, or mobile phones.  SocialGuard software becomes a tool that parents can use to protect their children from threats such as this.

Setup is very easy.  Just install the SocialGuard software from their website and it will then direct you to the Facebook sign-in page.  Have your child put their email address and password in and then confirm their age.  They will only have to do this one time.  That’s it. You are now ready to setup your account preferences.  Here are the categories under account settings:

• Cyberbullying
• Hacked Account
• Potential Stranger
• Age Concerns
• Dangerous or Inappropriate Links
• Category List: Adult/Sexually Explicit, Hacking, Violence, Criminal Skills, Hate Speech, Weapons, Drugs, Alcohol & Tobacco, Personals & Dating, Gambling and Sex Education.

SocialGuard will then show you all the warnings in one place and sends you real-time email alerts so you can address dangers immediately.  SocialGuard will also send a warning email to your child if you would like.

I had a few questions about the software so called up Check Point Software Technologies directly, maker of SocialGuard.

What if YOUR Child is Saying Something Inappropriate?

I wanted to know if the SocialGuard software would alert you if your child was the one saying something inappropriate and Check Point Software Technologies confirmed that it can depending on how it is setup. Check Point Software Technologies said it would also alert you if your child was friends with a stranger.  It would not, however be able to monitor if your child was trying to hack into someone else’s account because that action would be outside their monitored account.

I also wanted to know if SocialGuard was available in any stores.  Unfortunately, they just launched their product and are still in the process of setting up retail partners but they should have some exciting news soon!  In the meantime, you can download SocialGuard from www.zonealarm.com.  I had no problems downloading it from their website and it literally took about 5 minutes to get setup.

Angel also confirmed that all private messages and status updates on Facebook would be monitored.   The SocialGuard application detects updates that are available and notifies the user.  All the user has to do is accept the update and the process is automatic.

A Video Overview of SocialGuard

A Mom’s Perspective

The ZoneAlarm website suggests some very useful tips for protecting your Facebook account:

•  Have a strong Facebook password, do not put your address or phone number or other ways to contact you in your profile.
• Be suspicious of Facebook messages that request personal information and think twice about friend requests.

Facebook is a wonderful way of keeping in touch with friends and family, especially if they live far away. Staying informed of activities, sports and club meetings, etc., unfortunately there are potential threats out there in the cyber world and this software is a great way of protecting your children from them.

SocialGuard Allows the Parent to:

• Know instantly if your watched Facebook accounts have been hacked
• Be alerted about dangerous links and phishing scams
• Safeguard your kids more effectively than “friending” your child
• Get real-time alerts – even if you’re not on Facebook

I highly recommend ZoneAlarm SocialGuard to protect your family.  ZoneAlarm SocialGuard is available for a free 7-day trial and/or it can be purchased online  for $1.99/month or $19.99/year.

Win It!

Want to win a one-year license for SocialGuard to ensure your children are protected and monitored on Facebook?

TO ENTER

• Fill out the form below.  One entry per person.
• Only USA addresses please.
• The contest ends October 19th, 12am PST.
• The winner will be chosen by random.org.
• Prize will be fulfilled through online download.

GET EXTRA CHANCES TO WIN

• Get 1 extra entry for following Well Connected Mom on Facebook.
• Get 1 extra entry for following ZoneAlarm SocialGuard on Facebook.
• Get 1 extra entry for following @wellconnectdmom on Twitter.
• Get 1 extra entry for tweeting on twitter, “I hope to win a 1 year license of SocialGuard to protect my kids on Facebook from @zonealarm @wellconnectdmom http://bit.ly/qO8UHC .”

* I was given a trial version of the software for purposes of review.  All expressed opinions are my own.