How do you control internet access for your kids?

[swee'pea99]

very good idea for security of your own network to change password for wifi regularly

Believe it or not when I first got wi-fi I found the setup a bit fiddly and ended up not bothering to set any security at all. Must have been about six months later, by which time I'd got the hang of some of the related techiness, when I realised one day that the connection seemed to be getting a bit more sluggish. I went to check the router, and found there was a list of current users...something like 25 of the buggers!

 

[nickyboy]

so you leave all the pron sites available for access ?? I don't as a few innocent clicks from a respectable site can lead you to all sorts of weird stuff.

funily enough though they have never been accessed when I look at the logs , which shows the trust thing works.

bold to highlight for the hard of reading and understanding.

I change passwords frequently to get the kids to do the jobs they need to. like washing up after tea. and keeping room clean etc. if they don't do that they get priveliges removed . when I was a kid it was removal of fiction books or televison programmes

it is also a very very good idea for security of your own network to change password for wifi regularly. you do wnat to keep your network secure ??

As I said, I don't block any aspect of the internet, I prefer a different approach. Not saying who is right or wrong but I'm happy with the way it's working out. I know full well that any blocked sites can easily be accessed elsewhere by using a friends smartphone so it seems like sticking my finger in the dyke to block stuff. But if it works for you that's great

 

[Smithbat]

As I said, I don't block any aspect of the internet, I prefer a different approach. Not saying who is right or wrong but I'm happy with the way it's working out. I know full well that any blocked sites can easily be accessed elsewhere by using a friends smartphone so it seems like sticking my finger in the dyke to block stuff. But if it works for you that's great

I agree, I have never blocked anything and only looked at her history maybe once or twice. As you have said, the trust approach works for me too.

 

[Bimble]

this thread sounds more like control over people rather than control over the internet,

Really? I just see a bunch of parents exchanging ideas about how they might keep their kids safe from some of the adult things that are on the Internet.

We taught ours at a young age about how seemingly innocent details can be used to track, trace and pinpoint you via the Internet; such as the school photo with the name badge on the cardigan ... which, when combined with the town where you live and your first name, can easily be Googled to find the school you go to! This came as a big surprise and actually took a while to convince them that there wouldn't be strangers waiting for them at the gates.

It opened a dialogue though that continued over the coming years and lead to us working together to ensure privacy and keep personal stuff off the general grid and restricted to family and very close, trusted friends. We also took time to explain that once something is emailed, texted, imaged and sent it is no longer under your control and can, even years later, come back to embarrass or bite you.

We went through the various scam email tactics when they were older too, and with discussion and consent, enabled Find My iPhone and explained that it wouldn't be used to snoop, it was just for emergencies or if us parents were worried. I also said I was enabling logging on the router ... but forgot for a long while to do it, and when I eventually did (for a very brief period only), didn't find anything to worry about.

I definitely feel like the inclusive approach has worked in our house, and even now we'll still have an odd discussion or two over Internet content, emails, etc. if they're worried or want to make sure they're not giving too much away or to the wrong people.

 

[smutchin]

I saw boobs online as a sweaty teenager and I still seem vaguely well adjusted.

I played Samantha Fox Strip Poker on the ZX Spectrum as a sweaty teenager and I'm now a confirmed psychopath.

 

[smutchin]

[QUOTE 4740633, member: 45"]We have no TVs in the boys' bedrooms, no screens at the dinner table etc.[/QUOTE]

We had the same policy when the boy was younger - the only internet and TV access was in communal spaces. This applies to the whole family though, not just him. Now he's old enough to make his own decisions and I trust him not to do anything stupid.

 

[Electric_Andy]

it doesn't concern me that much, we're usually around when the younger ones are on their tablets. They are well educated (by us) as to what they should and shouldn't be doing on there, how to recognise scams etc and generally not to click on stuff if they don't know what it is. if any rules are broken, they get a lengthy e;electronics ban.

 

[keithmac]

Our two use their tablets in the living room only, when me or the wife are there.

YouTube is absolutely horrendous, the amount of videos that a full of swearing beggars belief and none of them seem to be restricted...

 

[Sandra6]

this thread sounds more like control over people rather than control over the internet,

For many people, parenting is all about control.

 

[Sandra6]

Or what some see as control others might see as responsibility and concern...

It's a fine line.

 

[fossyant]

[QUOTE 4739805, member: 45"]We're on BT. Not only do you get a decent filter, you can go into the hub and identify each device that accesses the internet, and set timers. The internet connections in our house for the boys' devices got off at 9pm.[/QUOTE]

Same here. BT Web based parental controls plus BT hub to control access times - the new Smart Hub (Hub 6) lets you add more time profiles than the older hubs and is easier to use from a phone now.

 

[fossyant]

PS It's adults you need to watch for clicking and responding to emails and giving away details. Had to fix one family member's laptop and a friends !

We use the hub to turn internet off at 10pm - kids are 16 and 13.

 

[summerdays]

[QUOTE 4739839, member: 76"]You can't control it. They will get around anything you put in place.[/QUOTE]
This.... my husband is not clueless when it comes to computers but my youngest has managed to get around the controls. In the past he has managed to give himself Admin privileges, and in a recent conversation about an app on his phone he explained he used it in school to by-pass the controls on which websites he can access there!

 

[fossyant]

This.... my husband is not clueless when it comes to computers but my youngest has managed to get around the controls. In the past he has managed to give himself Admin privileges, and in a recent conversation about an app on his phone he explained he used it in school to by-pass the controls on which websites he can access there!

Smart arses aren't they. My son changed the 'name' of his PC so he could still play games on-line after the cut off. I soon caught him and he was told NOT to try that again - he hasn't. The main thing is stopping them gaming until late, which can affect sleep/school work, and keep us awake. The parental controls stop the really bad 'porn sites' but it's active by default. You can control social media etc etc, but we just have it on the 'nasty' stuff. They are responsible about what they do on-line, and they are at an age where they could use proxys to bypass the BT servers, but not the hub. My son even tethered his gaming PC to his mobile one night so he could game after the cut off - you soon spot them pushing the 'time up' limit, once caught, they don't do it again.

 

[fossyant]

Also, the automatic 'cut off' stops any arguments - i.e. they know the time to come off and the system will shut them off. The kids go through stages - my son is coming out the good side of awkward teen, but my daughter is now going into that stage. You can now talk to my son again, my daughter is going into the grunts and shouting.

My lad is busy trying to set up a media/photography business now... little side line whilst he goes to college from September.