Parental Controls?

[kb4ns]

Well, I'm in uncharted territory. Thanks to the affordability and availability of old off-lease computers, my 5 year old will be receiving her very own computer this year. I know plenty about computers, but know nothing about parental control software. She loves getting on computers to play games and watch videos and I know that (at this point in her life, anyway) she won't be intentionally looking for anything inappropriate. But we all know how stuff on the internet can find its way to you.

Does anyone have any suggestions on parental control software? Preferably free...

[FJCrusing]

Well, I'm in uncharted territory. Thanks to the affordability and availability of old off-lease computers, my 5 year old will be receiving her very own computer this year. I know plenty about computers, but know nothing about parental control software. She loves getting on computers to play games and watch videos and I know that (at this point in her life, anyway) she won't be intentionally looking for anything inappropriate. But we all know how stuff on the internet can find its way to you.

Does anyone have any suggestions on parental control software? Preferably free...

Have you looked into Net Nanny - Official Site for Net Nanny | Parental Internet Controls | Net Nanny ? I've heard some good recommendations about this content filter system that you might check out. There is a subscription I believe and it only starts at around $40 a month. You can have alerts and reports sent to you which is a nice feature and authorize websites from remote if you were at work or away. Looks like you can add the feature to mobile devices as well.

[Garufa]

I know nothing about parental control software but if you plan on letting a 5 year old on the internet make sure you've got good virus/anti-spyware software.

[Lumber_Jack]

OpenDNS is what my in-laws use. It's basically a web based security filter. So anyone who connects to your Internet is subject to the filter, ie her friend brings her computer to your house it's still filtered. I'm sure there is a fee for the service but I don't know how much. You can customize the filter to your liking and it's easy to turn off for adult use or approve certain sites that get filtered by accident. May not be the best it's just what I know. It works well

[Oh Shoot]

Most every router has inbuilt controls over each computers access, as far as days, times of days, etc. Can block various protocols.

You can also block individual URLs, but of course that's impossible, as you have to add each one manually. Mine does allow blocking by keyword, though, but still a losing battle I'm sure.

Mine's an old Linksys, some may come with more sophisticated blocking that's a software add on, dunno.

At any rate, look into your router first, just to see what's available in there in the firmware. Generally http://192.168.1.1, as I guess you know.

You can also as I'm sure you know let her run on just a guest account and block IM and whatnot, assuming WinDoze, prolly with Macs too? Actually that's a good idea anyway, so she can't possibly screw up the OS and proggies. So there's a good bit you can do for free.

But for really restricted surfing, you probably will need to find another software solution that uses a constantly updated master list of sites by category. You will need to find one that allows choices for each computer connected to a router though, otherwise you'll be as restricted as yer youngin. No advice on which one, but I'm sure none are perfect either - it's a big web (even though I've been to the end of it a couple of times )

I'm sure I'd have to start with a general search for reviews, myself:

https://www.google.com/search?q=parental+control+software+reviews&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a\

best of luck.

- OS

Edited December 22, 2011 by OhShoot

[Chucktshoes]

There are plenty of parental control software options out there and though many may be useful in helping prevent accidental exposure to unwanted material, all of them can be circumvented fairly easily. No software will be sufficient to replace your close supervision while she is using the computer.

[peejman]

Smart idea to get a computer just for her. Several friends have had their home PC massively buggered (unintentionally) by their kids. I don't have any suggestions for parental control software but as my kiddies are getting closer to that age, I'll stayed tuned here.

[tnhawk]

The Norton Internet Security program has parental controls in it. It allows curfews, time limits, monitoring from another computer.

Edited December 22, 2011 by tnhawk

[Guest nysos]

The Norton Internet Security program has parental controls in it. It allows curfews, time limits, monitoring from another computer.

Norton is worthless - partially for this exact reason you mentioned. Too many AV programs (norton, avg, etc.) are trying to add too many bells and whistles to their programs. They aren't a program anymore, they are a suite. Symantic does have a few decent products like norton ghost, but as a whole their AV is tras. I have seen it cause more problems to computers than many viruses ever could.

If you want a good AV, get just that - an AV, not a security suite.

If you want parental controls, do some research and get a program to do just that. There are other hardware options you can use for parental controls, specifically web filtering.

I would just suggest a strong web filter, and for the time being set down rules as to what sites your kid is allowed to go to. Maybe have her ask you for permission before she is allowed to go to a new site. Sites you check out and approve of, you can bookmark for her. Good teaching on your part, and obedience on her part will be your best bet. It is not like she is going to be sitting down and just openly surfing the web, she is likely going to see a free game advertised on the disney channel and want to play it, or something similar.

Another thing I would suggest is start her out offline. Get ground rules set up and work her way up to doing some sites online. You have to consider most software, hardware, etc. is just a preventative measure and not a 100% solution to anything. Just like AV's, they can't help you if you can't help yourself by not downloading shady things or going to nudey sites, etc.

[peejman]

Another -1 for Symantec anything. I used it for a long time until I finally switched. It's awful.

[Capbyrd]

I have no experience with parental control software but I do trust Kim Kommando's opinion on software. Here are a few things from her site.

McGruff SafeGuard: Family Safety Software

K9 Web Protection - Free Internet Filter and Parental Control Software | Free Internet Filtering and Parental Controls Software

And this is her 10 commandments for kids online. Your daughter might be too young for it now (i dont know) but it might help as well.

Tips and Advice for Parents and Families - The Kim Komando Radio Show

[Guest db99wj]

Sounds like a lot of good advice on here and I need to beef up mine. Will these software or other programs help with the "innocent" websites like youtube for example? You don't have to go far from innocently looking at someones video to some dang near porn on there. I know they work on the "real" stuff, but the innocent sites are the ones I worry about as well. I don't want my kids seeing girls making out on youtube. It's there....not that I know.

[Lumber_Jack]

Sounds like a lot of good advice on here and I need to beef up mine. Will these software or other programs help with the "innocent" websites like youtube for example? You don't have to go far from innocently looking at someones video to some dang near porn on there. I know they work on the "real" stuff, but the innocent sites are the ones I worry about as well. I don't want my kids seeing girls making out on youtube. It's there....not that I know.

I think most are all or nothing. So you can block YouTube all together or not. I don't know of a program that can block certain types of videos within a website. Especially since a lot of time the title is not what's in the video.

NOD32 is good antivirus program. Basically anything that comes with an operating system is garbage,( Norton, McAfee, etc)

[wcsc12]

Well, I'm in uncharted territory. Thanks to the affordability and availability of old off-lease computers, my 5 year old will be receiving her very own computer this year. I know plenty about computers, but know nothing about parental control software. She loves getting on computers to play games and watch videos and I know that (at this point in her life, anyway) she won't be intentionally looking for anything inappropriate. But we all know how stuff on the internet can find its way to you.

Does anyone have any suggestions on parental control software? Preferably free...

Windows 7 has pretty good parental controls by default but honestly speaking, the best parental control is yourself standing there watching whatever she's doing on the computer anyway. Not one software will be better than all the others as they all have flaws of some sort.

[kb4ns]

I appreciate the replies, guys. I think I'll go with the K9 program as it has some good reviews. I wish there was a smarter program since she likes going to youtube and watching some videos, but I think that youtube is gonna be one of those sites she's only allowed to visit if she's sitting there with my wife or me.

[Lumber_Jack]

I think that youtube is gonna be one of those sites she's only allowed to visit if she's sitting there with my wife or me.

This is the best filter available! I k ow its impractical to think you can supervise 100%, but keeping the computer in a common area and not a bedroom helps.

[analog_kidd]

The first thing you want to do is create her own logon account in Windows. It should be created as a Standard user, not a Power User and definitely not an Administrator. In windows 7 and XP, only an administrator can install programs, and a virus is just another program. In Windows 7, if you do try to install a program, it will ask for the Administrator password. You can enter it if it is a legit program that YOU are installing. For XP, you'll probably have to log in with the Admin account and install any legit program.

If you use Internet Explorer, logon to the PC with the Administrator account and open IE. Look for the Settings option, and go to the "Content" tab. There is lots of stuff built right in to IE that you can use to protect her and the PC. I would lock it down as tight as you could. You can always relax it later if things don't work.

Your ISP may offer some kind of protection program for free. Many times it is going to be Norton or McAfee. As others have mentioned, these things are bloatware and will slow down your PC more than you may like, but if the ISP offers it, it will be free for you, and will probably do what you want it to do. You'll have to decide if you want it or not. IF it is a spare PC that only she is using, I'd probably think about it. Make sure to remove any Antivirus programs you may currently have on your PC. You don't want multiple Antivirus programs working against each other.

[kb4ns]

Thanks. Yeah, the PC has XP and I have two user accounts setup (one for the kid, one for the times my wife wants to use the PC). Now, I just gotta go back in and figure out how to change the privileges on the accounts. That's something I've never had to deal with before.

[Guest WyattEarp]

Well, I'm in uncharted territory. Thanks to the affordability and availability of old off-lease computers, my 5 year old will be receiving her very own computer this year. I know plenty about computers, but know nothing about parental control software. She loves getting on computers to play games and watch videos and I know that (at this point in her life, anyway) she won't be intentionally looking for anything inappropriate. But we all know how stuff on the internet can find its way to you.

Does anyone have any suggestions on parental control software? Preferably free...

i have a Linksys E3200 Wireless Router here at my place, and in the setup for it, there's Parental control options that you can set to limit her time on the internet, and other filters you can set to keep her out places she doesn't need to be.

you can also block the ports for chat programs as well as proxy servers.

you can pick up Linksys E3200 at Wal-Mart for $129. it'll connect all the devices in the house, and you can filter the MAC addresses of each to do specific things.

[Guest lostpass]

I have no experience with parental control software but I do trust Kim Kommando's opinion on software. Here are a few things from her site.

McGruff SafeGuard: Family Safety Software

K9 Web Protection - Free Internet Filter and Parental Control Software | Free Internet Filtering and Parental Controls Software

And this is her 10 commandments for kids online. Your daughter might be too young for it now (i dont know) but it might help as well.

Tips and Advice for Parents and Families - The Kim Komando Radio Show

I wouldn't trust Kim too much. She's not really an expert but she alps with lots of confidence so she sounds like she is.

As for kids and the internet I just make sure my kid can't read or spell, problem solved.

Just kidding.

As others have said there are plenty of programs to take care of this. OS X has some nice built in stuff and I am sure Windows does as well plus a slew of third party programs.

But the way I work this is to avoid all that stuff. Kids are used to computers and all but kids are also lazy. I set the homepage on the kid account to google, set up safe search with strict filtering and don't worry too much. Safe search fails on occasion but, and this is weird, my kid has idea of what he is allowed to see and will click it off it is inappropriate. Except for homestarrunner.com. He'll watch that forever.

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

Wow Jon, I was out today with the oldest and we were talking about the differences between when I was 16 and him now and how it may have been for my generation if there had been computers when I was a teen.

I made the comment that even some 5 year olds were getting their own computers these days.....then I see your post:tinfoil: who woulda thunk that it would even be someone that I knew? I almost want to say that is too young but I do know that it really isnt these days.

I didnt read the entire thread as the masses about wore me out today but there is plenty of games and such that a child can do without being online which is how I started mine out.

I have also only just recently started letting the oldest take his laptop to his room alone. I keep the kids desktop computer where I can see it from where I sit and have kept the oldest one in the same room with his laptop too, he got it last Christmas. I am sure that you will figure it out, if it goes anything like it did with my kids, your girl will be the "go to" person for computers at your house quicker than you would think, it seems that the younger that they start the quicker and more that they learn.

I am also sure that I need to come back and read this whole thread as I know there has to be some good stuff to be learned here.

Good Luck to ya and Merry Christmas to all.

[kb4ns]

Yeah, mine loves playing the kids games online and I have no problem letting her. Like I said, I ain't worried about her looking for inappropriate material, just worried it might find her. But it'll definitely stay in a common area. No way is she gonna get a computer in her room.

[analog_kidd]

Wow Jon, I was out today with the oldest and we were talking about the differences between when I was 16 and him now and how it may have been for my generation if there had been computers when I was a teen.

I made the comment that even some 5 year olds were getting their own computers these days.....then I see your post:tinfoil: who woulda thunk that it would even be someone that I knew? I almost want to say that is too young but I do know that it really isnt these days.

I didnt read the entire thread as the masses about wore me out today but there is plenty of games and such that a child can do without being online which is how I started mine out.

I have also only just recently started letting the oldest take his laptop to his room alone. I keep the kids desktop computer where I can see it from where I sit and have kept the oldest one in the same room with his laptop too, he got it last Christmas. I am sure that you will figure it out, if it goes anything like it did with my kids, your girl will be the "go to" person for computers at your house quicker than you would think, it seems that the younger that they start the quicker and more that they learn.

I am also sure that I need to come back and read this whole thread as I know there has to be some good stuff to be learned here.

Good Luck to ya and Merry Christmas to all.

If you think it's surprising she has her own computer, you should see her iPhone and Credit Cards

When we had kids at home we started off by putting the computer right out in the open in the family room, where there was no privacy. That alone kept them from going places they shouldn't. Plus I had a password on the PC, so my wife or I always had to unlock the computer for them. If we were away, the kids could not unlock the computer by themselves.

I don't think the OP will need to worry about where his daughter will go on the Net at her age, but it's still a good idea.

[Romad7]

+1 for OPEN DNS.

Definitely start with this it's free and it does more than just filter. It also provides an extra layer of security and it's easy to use.

PM me if you need help setting anything up, I have been doing this kind of thing for a while. Just started a side business doing this but I won't charge you or anything.