I just added wi-fi to our house and now my kids have internet on the computers in their rooms and also on their iPods. They've never given me a reason to think they are doing anything inappropriate, but I think I'd like to have some assurance either way. So what do you recommend in the way of software, online programs like Net Nanny, or?
If you're running XP, this is free to use:
https://fss.live.com/Default.aspx
On any OS, you can use a HOSTS file.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_file
This is an extremely aggressive blacklist:
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.txt
All of this is useless if they can browse on their iPods.
My Linksys router running DD-WRT firmware can block sites from being accessed at the network level, instead of with software at the client level. You can also set up scheduling with the firmware.
Okay, thanks guys, I'll check out the links. I'm not really following some of what you've said, as I'm not much of a computer guy. The computer that is hard wired to the router is running XP, but the other two are running 2000. The router setup is Linksys if it matters.
Just remember, there's no content filtering software in existance that a motivated teenager can't circumvent, and no blacklist in the world that's fully complete.
You sure you want them to have internet in their rooms?
I'm not trying to pry into your business, but I don't even have it in MY room.
Even if they never (intentionally) surf inappropriate material, it is a devourer of time and energy. It's easy for a kid to chat with their friends 'till 3:30 am then be a waste product in school. It also enables them to disengage from the family way too easily. And, of course, there is all that inappropriate stuff...
Can you cut it off after a certain time?
OK, I'm off my soapbox. I'm just passing on a few thoughts, as a parent of older teens and 20 somethings, who blew it on my own awareness of the internet's impact on my family. My second family (younger kids) will not have the same liberties.
look up "untangled web filter"
problems solved
Besides blacklists and stuff, put the router on a timer. 11 p.m. (or whatever), the power shuts off, and there's no internet.
SVreX wrote: You sure you want them to have internet in their rooms? I'm not trying to pry into your business, but I don't even have it in MY room. Even if they never (intentionally) surf inappropriate material, it is a devourer of time and energy. It's easy for a kid to chat with their friends 'till 3:30 am then be a waste product in school. It also enables them to disengage from the family way too easily. And, of course, there is all that inappropriate stuff... Can you cut it off after a certain time? OK, I'm off my soapbox. I'm just passing on a few thoughts, as a parent of older teens and 20 somethings, who blew it on my own awareness of the internet's impact on my family. My second family (younger kids) will not have the same liberties.
Wow. An older person who gets it. I'm 20 and everything he said is valid, to the point that sometimes I was like what svrex stated. Nothing nearly as bad (I wanted to succeed at school, and I hated being tired for class in the morning) but sometimes the girlfriend wants to chat... Definitly a devourer of time and energy, especially if you like information. Go out and live it rather then read about it IMO.
I don't really know how old your kids are, or if you have a boy. But trust me, once 14/15 rolls around, you really aren't going to stop him from viewing what he wants to see unless you don't allow internet access unless he is monitored. And since we are on this topic, get rid of your porno mags. Yes, he will find them no matter how well you have them hidden.
HiTempguy wrote: And since we are on this topic, get rid of your porno mags. Yes, he will find them no matter how well you have them hidden.
Porno MAGS? Boy, now you're showing your age!
That's what the internet is for, isn't it?
carguy123 wrote:HiTempguy wrote: And since we are on this topic, get rid of your porno mags. Yes, he will find them no matter how well you have them hidden.Porno MAGS? Boy, now you're showing your age! That's what the internet is for, isn't it? GRM is porn isn't it?
Datsun1500 wrote: It is not them you need to worry about, it is the people that they will "meet" online that are looking for kids alone in their rooms..
This picture should be more than enough education for any teenager to be wary of the person behind the text (URL, as the image could be construed as NSFW due to innapropriate language) Who's on the other side of the chat...
I don't think parenting software is the solution. Why not let your kids know that you'll be watching what sites they visit? Setup your router software to keep a week long log, at the end of the week run a simple search on the log for some dirty words. Sure, your kids still might get into a few things but they won't become porn addicts.
HiTempguy wrote:SVreX wrote: You sure you want them to have internet in their rooms? I'm not trying to pry into your business, but I don't even have it in MY room. Even if they never (intentionally) surf inappropriate material, it is a devourer of time and energy. It's easy for a kid to chat with their friends 'till 3:30 am then be a waste product in school. It also enables them to disengage from the family way too easily. And, of course, there is all that inappropriate stuff... Can you cut it off after a certain time? OK, I'm off my soapbox. I'm just passing on a few thoughts, as a parent of older teens and 20 somethings, who blew it on my own awareness of the internet's impact on my family. My second family (younger kids) will not have the same liberties.Wow. An older person who gets it. I'm 20 and everything he said is valid, to the point that sometimes I was like what svrex stated. Nothing nearly as bad (I wanted to succeed at school, and I hated being tired for class in the morning) but sometimes the girlfriend wants to chat... Definitly a devourer of time and energy, especially if you like information. Go out and live it rather then read about it IMO. I don't really know how old your kids are, or if you have a boy. But trust me, once 14/15 rolls around, you really aren't going to stop him from viewing what he wants to see unless you don't allow internet access unless he is monitored. And since we are on this topic, get rid of your porno mags. Yes, he will find them no matter how well you have them hidden.
Wow. A younger person who gets it! 
I'm impressed. It's killing the enthusiasm and energy of a generation.
ReverendDexter wrote: Just remember, there's no content filtering software in existance that a motivated teenager can't circumvent, and no blacklist in the world that's fully complete.
Tell me about it.The above-posted blacklist doesn't even block the *chans!
bravenrace:
One of the mistakes I made was believing I could have an adequate filter. I even contracted for one at the server level that "can't be overridden".
Problem was, as soon as my kids got their own equipment (XBox, computer, whatever) they could hook up to my computer line and get past the filters. I thought MY LINE would be filtered. Turns out only MY MACHINE is filtered. Any other machine logged on- everything gets past the filter.
Since then, of course, we don't even need the line. There are enough stray wireless hot spots that kids with a machine can pick up signals pretty much whenever they want. And they know it.
I still have filters- I still have young kids. I know they won't serve any purpose when they get a little older.
One more snippet of advice... Remind your kids that YOU'RE connected to the local network too. You can drop into their machine and see what they're doing as they do it.
I respect my kids persons, but not their privacy.
They have no right to be private from me in my house.
Because I respect their persons, I would never take advantage of them, and they know it (because they feel respected).
But they do not have the right to keep things from me in my house. I'm the grown up. They can set the rules when they have their own kids.
Unfortunately, giving them private internet access is a good way to violate that principle.
SVreX wrote: You sure you want them to have internet in their rooms? I'm not trying to pry into your business, but I don't even have it in MY room. Even if they never (intentionally) surf inappropriate material, it is a devourer of time and energy. It's easy for a kid to chat with their friends 'till 3:30 am then be a waste product in school. It also enables them to disengage from the family way too easily. And, of course, there is all that inappropriate stuff... Can you cut it off after a certain time? OK, I'm off my soapbox. I'm just passing on a few thoughts, as a parent of older teens and 20 somethings, who blew it on my own awareness of the internet's impact on my family. My second family (younger kids) will not have the same liberties.
Most of my kid's homework is now done over the internet, and that's the reason we did this. What isn't on the internet is mostly on the computer also. All of us needing the computer at the same time just wasn't working. I understand your concern though, and that is exactly why I'm looking for a way of controlling when they are on it, and where they can go.
1 more option
www.opendns.org
provides logs and blocks what you tell it to
Tim Baxter wrote: One more snippet of advice... Remind your kids that YOU'RE connected to the local network too. You can drop into their machine and see what they're doing as they do it.
Hey Tim, how do I do that?
I'll have to defer to the more PC-savvy than me for details, but it should be pretty easy to log onto the other machine. From there, most basic thing would be to look at the history files, but there are ways do more
Remote Desktop between Windows computers, VNC between others. Requires physical access to the target PC to enable it, access to a user account on the target PC, and a rather not-computer-savvy user on the target PC. From there you can access the browser history.
At that age my parents had zero respect for my privacy (or person, whatever that means) and as such my computer was locked down pretty hard (as things went back in the Windows 95/98 days), pretty much everything short of full-disk encryption. They tried to break in on more than one occasion and failed, but they're not very good with computers. I had a connection that was filtered at the ISP, but occasionally it would block stuff for no good reason and I'd work around it. I never used the internet for anything inappropriate at a young age but that wasn't their business, but maybe if I trusted my parents it would have been a different story.
BTW, it helps to set up their machines with their accounts as having standard user (limited user) rights with a strong password for your administrative account.
This means that you need to logon whenever they want to install something.
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-350.html
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=478948
To enable Remote Desktop on Windows XP Home:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/06/14/install-and-enable-remote-desktop-in-windows-xp-home-edition/
Remote Assistance or VNC might be better options.
You'll need to log in to post.
