Parental Controls for computers....

[Dennis Peacock]

OK....I'm sick and tired for working day and night to try and protect my kids from internet porn and such types of content.

I have CyberPatrol installed on their computer and I learned that a part of it can easily be hacked for unlimited access.

I want to know what YOU use for parental controls.
I want to know if there is a router that will do this at the router level.
Now...before you go internet searching...I've already spent well over 20 hours of searching, reading, and even trying some of them and all without success. So please don't jump on your web browser and start searching for me a solution.

Boil it down.....if you aren't using a working solution for your parental control for your own kids at home or if you aren't a design engineer that has helped develop and put into practice parental controls from extensive experience, then I don't need to hear from you.

I've been using, tweaking, and plugging along with parental controls now for over 3 years...so I'm not new at this.

I'm looking for a better and more effective way to give my kids internet access without the bad stuff that goes along with it. My boys have to use it for school work, so I can't cut out internet access altogether.

Before you ask....the kids only have ONE computer and it's in plain view in the great room of our home and yes, I know how to disconnect the DSL Router and take it with me when I leave the house.

[Chuck Wintle]

OK....I'm sick and tired for working day and night to try and protect my kids from internet porn and such types of content.

I have CyberPatrol installed on their computer and I learned that a part of it can easily be hacked for unlimited access.

I want to know what YOU use for parental controls.
I want to know if there is a router that will do this at the router level.
Now...before you go internet searching...I've already spent well over 20 hours of searching, reading, and even trying some of them and all without success. So please don't jump on your web browser and start searching for me a solution.

Boil it down.....if you aren't using a working solution for your parental control for your own kids at home or if you aren't a design engineer that has helped develop and put into practice parental controls from extensive experience, then I don't need to hear from you.

I've been using, tweaking, and plugging along with parental controls now for over 3 years...so I'm not new at this.

I'm looking for a better and more effective way to give my kids internet access without the bad stuff that goes along with it. My boys have to use it for school work, so I can't cut out internet access altogether.

Before you ask....the kids only have ONE computer and it's in plain view in the great room of our home and yes, I know how to disconnect the DSL Router and take it with me when I leave the house.

how old are your kids?

[Doug Sewell]

KimKomando.com You may have search a little on her site but it should be worth it. Good luck

[Zach England]

My advice would be to give up because keeping porn away from teenage boys is quixotic. It sounds like what you want is a stand-alone content filter ala Barracuda.

But I don't really fit into the categories you solicited for advice, so I'll shut up.

[Eric Franklin]

Two options I know of but have never used are OpenDNS or Safe Eyes.

My kids aren't old enough to have to worry about this yet.

[Dan Hintz]

I don't have to worry about such things yet (7-yo who is only allowed a couple of short flash/java games on pre-defined sites, not to mention she has no real understanding what the net is actually for), but personally I would use paranoia to its fullest.

Explain that you review every move they make at some later time... if they go somewhere they're not supposed to, they lose serious privileges. It doesn't matter if you actually review anything (though I suggest doing so once in a blue moon to keep them truly honest), but the paranoia that'll set in should keep them from doing it.

[Matt Meiser]

I was kind of thinking the same as Zach on both fronts. There's a content filter package available for pfsense which is router software you run on a PC platform Overall pfsense is pretty easy to configure and will run on just about any old PC with 2+ nics. I've never looked into the content filtering though. You could block their PC from internet access by MAC address outside certain hours of the day too. But from what I've seen no content filter is perfect and if they are persistent they are going to find a way to defeat it. Or use someone else's computer. Or someone else's phone. Or...

What you really need is a content filter for the boys, not the computer

[paul cottingham]

Open dns is terrific, and very hard to circumvent for a child.

Two options I know of but have never used are OpenDNS or Safe Eyes.

My kids aren't old enough to have to worry about this yet.

[Mike Conley]

We use K9 Web Protection at home.

http://www1.k9webprotection.com/

[Pat Germain]

I'm a system administrator and work on a very large network with hundreds of PCs and a few Solaris (Unix) servers. I have a very sophisticated setup for blocking inappropriate sites. It's actually quite ridiculous what is blocked: imdb.com, craigslist.com, ebay.com, etc. And, of course, adult content.

However, even with all that blocking software, firewall settings and policies, a user can still get to adult content. I think this is because some of the best Web Administrators work for adult sites. (After all, that's where the real money is.) They seem to be able to configure their web sites to overcome any means of blocking.

I came to the same conclusion you did years ago, Dennis. All the software appications and network settings don't work. Any motivated 14-year-old kid can get past them. (For example, even if something is blocked through a web browser, a kid can typically type a URL into any window on the desktop and completely bypass all blocking software.)

I've heard good things about Integrity Online. But you would probably have to switch to them as your ISP which can be a big hassle.

Therefore, my recommendations are to keep the computer in an open area in the home and supervise, supervise, supervise. It used to be you could check where your kids had been online. But new browsers have "Private Browsing" (aka "Porn Mode") which eliminates that cabability.

Wish I could give you more. Good luck. It's tough being a parent in the 21st century.

[Justin M Rovang]

The answer isn't technological but rather strategic. I can promise you if they really want, they'll find a way. (This is coming from plenty of technical experience).

The best solutions are:

1. Computer needs to be in a public place. Livingroom/diningroom if possible.
2. Computer can only be used when an adult is home.
3. (Optional, evil): Make the computer operator's back face the room entryway.

To be honest, depending on their age - they'll find a way if they need to. Cell phone, friend's house, you name it. In the end you'll have to let go and just know you did your best to bring them up right - and hopefully not draw a polar response by caring too much

[Dan Friedrichs]

Your kids will be frustrated with the times that it incorrectly blocks legitimate content. Every time that "blocked" screen pops up erroneously, it'll be a reminder to them that you don't trust them.

The problem is that there is no automatic way to differentiate between good and bad content (as Justice Stewart said, "I can't define pornography, but I know it when I see it.")

Commercially-available software is going to block only the obvious, which lulls parents into a false sense of security. I submit that less obviously-dangerous content, such as the pro-eating disorder website or the internet bullies on facebook/myspace/etc, pose a much more serious risk to your children than them seeing some naked people.

[paul cottingham]

that plus some programs block stuff for ideological reasons.

[Matt Meiser]

Sweet! Where can I get that one?

Just kidding. I want one that blocks all political sites.

[Keith Outten]

It has been my experience that you cannot prevent a child from accessing information that they want to view.

In your home you should place the computer in a public place. Make sure the screen faces the entrance to the room. As others have said don't allow any access when an adult is not in the home.

If you place controls on your router what prevents a child from purchasing their own router they can install when you leave home?

Their friends at school will tell them how to get by any kind of control you implement.

Trust is something that isn't a factor until children reach a certain age. You don't trust young ones to not go into the road until they have reached an age that they can appreciate the physical risks involved and the penalty.

Consider that their are pictures and video of things that are illegal like bestiality, kiddy porn and police pictures that are so horrible they are not to be viewed by adults much less children that could not possibly understand the content. These types of information make traditional porn look like a Saturday morning cartoon by comparison.

Children should never have a cell phone. If I had young ones I would disconnect the cable and lock it in a metal box when I was unable to supervise my young children directly. Just as important is controlling who they spend time with and determining if their friends homes are also Internet safe. I used to operate an Internet Service Provider business and I can tell you that a large percentage of parents use the Internet as a baby sitter for their children, particularly during the Summer months. Children are left unsupervised all summer long with an Internet connection that is wide open. I warned parents when they contracted an Internet account with our company, they almost always told me that their children would never do such a thing, they are good kids. Weeks or months later they would storm into our office and demand that their account be disabled immediately......they were shocked at what their children were doing at home all day long when they started looking at their browsers cashe.

Most of you think that porn is on web sites, I can tell you that web sites contain just a fraction of the porn on the Net. UseNet News is where kids go to access porn and most parents don't even know what UseNet is......
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