Everywhere parental controls

One sign of "media convergence" – the Web on phones, game consoles and handhelds, etc. – is proliferating parental controls. TiVo and Microsoft's Windows operating system are joining PlayStation Portable, Xbox Live, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS (soon), and cellphones (soon) with "KidZone" software and "Family Safety Settings," respectively. TiVo's parental controls "will be made available without additional charge in June to the 1.4 million users of [its] stand-alone set-top boxes," the New York Times reports. With them, parents can pick the ratings and programming picks of one of two groups, Common Sense Media or the Parents Television Council. "Children watch only programs the designated group deems appropriate for the age range specified by the parent," the Times explains. Microsoft's controls are called "Family Safety Settings." The company just sent out some email invitations to potential testers. The settings controls will be part of the new Windows Live services (like OneCare and the Safety Center) and will be included in the next version of the Windows operating system, called "Vista," CNET reports. With them, parents can "filter online content … create individual accounts for children, and see activity reports on the Web sites they visited," CNET says. Of course, parental controls are fine, they can be helpful, but I'm not sure their proliferation is giving parents any more control, the way the Web's developing. Do post here or in the NetFamilyForum - or email me - if you agree, disagree, or wonder what on Earth I'm talking about. ;-)