File-sharing sites and programs can cause problems in three ways. The free-to-use ones are probably breaching copyright laws, which means that either downloading or uploading is illegal. Some sites are used to distribute pornography, racist or other inappropriate or unlawful material, often masked as respectable content. And these services also enable strangers to gain access to areas of your or your child’s computer, leaving it open to viruses, spyware and ‘botnet’ software.
Show your child where they can legally download music and video, such as sites like iTunes and Amazon, or you can rent age-appropriate movies for them from a choice of online services.
