Web filtering system and method

1. A web filtering mechanism, comprising:

a computer having a processor, memory and a plurality of instructions configured to:

select, using an institutional policy dashboard, a set of institutional web access policies sanctioned by the institution for a computing device of a minor user;

select, using a parental policy dashboard, a set of parental web access policies sanctioned by a parent of the minor user;

filter, using a web filter, a piece of web content accessed by the minor user via the computing device by enforcing the set of parental and institutional web access policies for the computing device;

extract text associated with the piece of content accessed by the minor user;

detect, by an urgency module, a potential for physical harm to the minor user by examining one of keywords and phrases in the extracted text associated with the piece of content accessed by the minor user; and

enable the parent to establish a trust relationship by logging in using a set of credentials issued to the minor user by the institution and send a respective email to the minor user and the parent and the institution in response to a login by the parent.

2. The web filtering mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further configured to provide a current geographic location of the computing device to the web filter such that the web filter adapts the parental web access policies and the institutional web access policies to the current geographic location.

3. The web filtering mechanism of claim 2 , wherein the computer is further configured to determine the current geographic location using one of an IP address of the computing device, a web-based geo-location service and a GPS device in the computing device.

4. The web filtering mechanism of claim 2 , wherein the computer is further configured to record a geographic location for each web access undertaken by the minor user using the computing device when outside of the institution.

5. The web filtering mechanism of claim 4 , wherein the computer is further configured to generate an activity report for the parent in response to each web access and the geographic location recorded in the activity log.

6. A method for web filtering, comprising:

providing a set of institutional web access policies sanctioned by the institution for a computing device of a minor user and a set of parental web access policies sanctioned by a parent of the minor user;

receiving an access to a piece of web content by the minor user using the computing device;

filtering, using a web filter, the piece of web by enforcing the set of parental and institutional web access policies for the computing device;

extracting text associated with the piece of content accessed by the minor user;

detecting, by an urgency module, a potential for physical harm to the minor user by examining one of keywords and phrases in the extracted text associated with the piece of content accessed by the minor user; and

enabling the parent to establish a trust relationship by logging in using a set of credentials issued to the minor user by the institution and send a respective email to the minor user and the parent and the institution in response to a login by the parent.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a current geographic location of the computing device to the web filter and adapting the parental web access policies and the institutional web access policies to the current geographic location.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising determining the current geographic location using one of an IP address of the computing device, a web-based geo-location service and a GPS device in the computing device.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising recording a geographic location for each web access undertaken by the minor user using the computing device when outside of the institution.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising generating an activity report for the parent in response to each web access and the geographic location recorded in the activity log.