Norton Parental Controls Reviewer's Comments

Norton Parental Controls is now a part of Norton Internet Security 2007. Please see our review for Internet Security Suites.

Norton Parental Controls of the Internet Security suite is a good product. Norton has a great reputation for building great products. However, this one has a ways to go before it will be considered “great”.

Feature Set:  

With Norton’s knowledge of port controls, it was disappointing to see that no peer–to–peer blocking was implemented. The overblocking worked extremely well. Even though there was no override function for a blocked site, most of the time you wouldn’t need an override.

Ease of Use:  

This product wasn’t as easy to use as some of its competitors’ products. You have to look for certain functions and they are not where you would expect them to be.

Ease of Installation:  

There were some major problems during installation and while trying to access the web. The setup took longer than most of the competing products.

Filtering Effectiveness:  

The overblocking (websites that were blocked by mistake) worked extremely well. Even though there was no override function for a blocked site, most of the time you wouldn’t need an override. The underblocking (websites that should have been blocked, but were not) left a lot to be desired. Many websites that should have been blocked were allowed through. Most foreign objectionable websites were allowed right through.

Summary:  

As of this review, you can’t just buy the parental controls; you have to buy the entire suite. If you are buying this product, buy it for the Anti–Virus and Firewall, not the parental controls.