need good parental control software for DS' computer

[luvmyboys]

Dh is getting new computer today, and we're going to give DS 10 the old one for his room. Anyone have any advice on which software we should purchase to keep him & his friends away from inappropriate sites?

 

[Geoff_M]

My advice is that the best parental control software is... You. Secondly, don't put it in his bedroom. Instead keep it in a common area. This aids with my first point.

 

[kristilew]

I'm a big fan of Vickie Courtney, who gives advice on raising tweens and teens. She has a book out that talks all about monitoring software and what you as a parent need to know about. Here is the blurb about the book:

Logged On and Tuned Out

When CNN and FOX News asked Vicki Courtney to discuss child safety and the Internet on-air last summer, the best-selling author who is popular among both teenagers and parents knew this urgent issue had to become the core topic of her next book.


For sure, gone are the days when kids were safe just as long as they were at home and under your nose. Today’s children can access the world from a growing number of portable gadgets, and depending on what they do with this ability, could potentially invite a world of danger into their lives.

Logged On and Tuned Out is a timely wake-up call to low-tech (tuned out) parents whose high-tech (logged on) kids use modern computer and cell phone technology like second nature. In simple language, moms and dads overwhelmed by today’s digital world will learn the imperative basics and checkpoints of Instant Messaging, text messaging, social networking Web sites (MySpace, Facebook), chat rooms, and photo and video uploading. The book even has its own related Web site where parents can download online safety contracts, get updated information about safety filters, and more.

 

[kristilew]

Oh, and here is the software she suggests:

Safe Eyes

Safe Eyes is the # 1 rated Internet parental control software that allows parents to determine how their children use the Internet. Safe Eyes provides: Web Blocking (blocks up to 35 categories of potentially harmful content), Time Controls (controls the amount and times of day that kids spent online), Instant Messaging (blocks or monitors your children’s IM chats), Program Blocking (blocks IM, P2P file sharing and any other application), Social Networking (tracks activity to keep your children safe from predators while they are on social networking sites such as My Space, Facebook, & Xanga), Usage Reporting (creates reports of websites visited, IM chats and programs used), and Instant Alerts (provides instant notifications via email, text message, or phone call when a child visits inappropriate websites).

 

[luvmyboys]

thanks kristilew.

he is 10, not on IM, facebook, myspace etc... He uses it to play games,(like Lego Star Wars or Pokemon) mostly via software, but also on nick.com and an arcade site. I just want to make sure that if he types in the wrong address, or he & his friends get too curious for their own good, that they can't wander onto adult sites.

For instance, I once misspelled "craigslist" and ended up with an eye-full! Also, we once tried "whitehouse.com" for a school project. Ummm, that is definitely NOT a federal site.

To the PP who made reference to me being the parental control... Um, thanks. Obviously I will be involved in his computer use, but can I be there for every move? No. I will monitor as much as humanly possible, but even if it was in the kitchen, there's no way I could hover over him watching his every move. Nor do I believe I should. At some point, constant hovering is more to their detriment than benefit. I'm sure you're intelligent enough to realize I was asking for examples of computer software.

 

[John Smith1]

thanks kristilew.

he is 10, not on IM, facebook, myspace etc... He uses it to play games,(like Lego Star Wars or Pokemon) mostly via software, but also on nick.com and an arcade site. I just want to make sure that if he types in the wrong address, or he & his friends get too curious for their own good, that they can't wander onto adult sites.

For instance, I once misspelled "craigslist" and ended up with an eye-full! Also, we once tried "whitehouse.com" for a school project. Ummm, that is definitely NOT a federal site.

To the PP who made reference to me being the parental control... Um, thanks. Obviously I will be involved in his computer use, but can I be there for every move? No. I will monitor as much as humanly possible, but even if it was in the kitchen, there's no way I could hover over him watching his every move. Nor do I believe I should. At some point, constant hovering is more to their detriment than benefit. I'm sure you're intelligent enough to realize I was asking for examples of computer software.

Heck I once typed in craiglist.COM instead of ORG for an elderly woman at the job who said she "hated the internet" because it was "full of porn" and BOY did I prove it!!!!

Yea, parental control. My computer is in an open place and my kid can get into all KINDS of trouble on it, even if I turned my back. Thanks for the info on Safe Eyes, PP!

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Another site that is a good resource for parents is here:

http://www.missingkids.com/

NCMEC

They don't have any economic interest in recommending various software.

click on the parents resources in the left hand column. there is a direct link there to a place called netsmartz411.

A lot of good info!!!

keep 'em safe!!!

 

[cherylp3]

I'm a fan of Kim Komando a nationally syndicated talk show host.
http://www.komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=3200

OpenDNS and k9 http://www.k9webprotection.com/

 

[Geoff_M]

To the PP who made reference to me being the parental control... Um, thanks. Obviously I will be involved in his computer use, but can I be there for every move? No. I will monitor as much as humanly possible, but even if it was in the kitchen, there's no way I could hover over him watching his every move. Nor do I believe I should. At some point, constant hovering is more to their detriment than benefit. I'm sure you're intelligent enough to realize I was asking for examples of computer software.

Well of course I thought you were asking about filtering software... but I was serious with what I posted. For starters, when you put the computer in the kid's room, you're effectively relying 100% on any software you load to do the monitoring for you. If the computer is in a common room, you may not be there all of the time, but it makes it harder for the them to try and get away with stuff. As for the filtering software, I'm not a big fan of it because I think it gives people a false sense of security and they also have their own set of headaches. For example, from what I've read about the piece of software recommended here is that any URL that contains the "bad" words in them (ie. www.classwork.com) are blocked by default.

 

[Donna]

I'm a fan of Kim Komando a nationally syndicated talk show host.
http://www.komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=3200

OpenDNS and k9 http://www.k9webprotection.com/

i can vouch for the k9 protection software and its free! you can choose the content they can or cannot see and if they try to bypass your password, you get the email and you can also see what sites they were trying to view. (unfortunately, i know this from experience, lol.) Seriously, this software works great. You can even set a time for internet access to start and stop on a daily basis. i also like that it's free!

 

[elizke]

I'm using K9 too, and it works very well.

 

[Cindyluwho]

My DD14 1/2 is sitting right next to me on her computer (our computers are side by side) and her reply to the OP is this:
"There is NO security software that can block all bad sites. Even at the school the kids have ways of getting around the software."
So, there you have it. There is NO software that can block sites. The kids will figure out how to get around the software and then they tell the other kids....you get the picture. And we don't have a computer in our DD's bedroom because we are a family, we like to be around each other and chat while we're doing stuff, even if it's our own stuff.

 

[Tuffcookie]

Whatever you do, don't go with Content Watch.

I was having problems with my computer and tried to uninstall the Content Watch software. It would not uninstall completely and froze my computer up. I ended up taking it in for repairs and was told Content Watch had left a trojan on my hard drive. I had to have a back-up made of all my files (my stupidity for not backing up on a regular basis!) & a complete clean of my hard drive!
Several months later I upgraded to a new computer which had Windows Vista installed on it. I just use their parental controls.
And ditto on keeping the computer out of the beroom and only in a common area in the house!!!

TC

 

[KSchwagg86]

covenant eyes--sends you reports with what he is looking at

 

[Claudia1]

We have Spector Pro. It takes a digital snapshot of every thing and you can also capture all keystrokes, if you want to track passwords. Love it! Easy to use, too.

We told our kids before we installed it that it is our computer and our rules. If they abide by the standard rules, all is well. However, we have the right to check EVERYTHING and we will so spot checks as frequently as needed. Just thought we needed to get that out before they cried fowl about invasion of their privacy.

BTW, our computer is in the family room and visible to anybody in the large area.

 

[Geoff_M]

We told our kids before we installed it that it is our computer and our rules. If they abide by the standard rules, all is well. However, we have the right to check EVERYTHING and we will so spot checks as frequently as needed. Just thought we needed to get that out before they cried fowl about invasion of their privacy.

That's key... We don't have any parental software loaded for our three kids, but we have their passwords and from the day they got their first e-mail accounts we've told them "We reserve the right to snoop!"

 

[Donna]

That's key... We don't have any parental software loaded for our three kids, but we have their passwords and from the day they got their first e-mail accounts we've told them "We reserve the right to snoop!"

thats what i do too. even with the k9 software , i still check the internet history paying particular attention to the img and jpeg files, lol.