Internet Filter Software for Parents

S

SuperG

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Messages
198
Hi all,

My friends mom rescently asked me about what software was out there to block things out on the internet. She has two young kids, so she is a little concerned, and she does not really know what all is out there on the internet. I have never really been asked this question, so I told her I would have to do a little research. She bascially wants something that will block pr0n sites / chat programs (aol im, etc) / block p2p if possible. Are there any users out here that use this kind of program, and can tell me which is best, or what to get. Thanks.

SuperG
 
To be truthfully honest, the only real application of good monitoring when your kid is online is being in the same room and watching for what they're browsing. Programs are too unreliable. They can be removed, disabled, hacked, hijacked, and just about everything else. I had friends that did it all the time when I was growing up, and their parents were none the wiser. One friend of mine even found a program online that tricked the software into bypassing everything instead of filtering it out. Parental control software may have evolved since those days, but I'm skeptical at best in that. If their kid can't be trusted on the computer, they can't be trusted any better on a restricted one, because the only thing they're going to do, if they want to badly enough, is find a way to get around it, or talk to people who'd know about how to get around it. Worst case scenario? They have friends whose parents don't give a rat's ass about what their kids do on the computer, and they'll start buddying up to them.

For starters, give them their own separate account with very heavy restrictions on program access, and disable allowing them to install their own programs. For any accounts on the computer with admin access, password them, do not have them auto-login when you click on them. And make the password at least 10 characters long.

Others may have a different opinion on this. But as far as restricting access, that's about the limit of what I can offer as far as advice.
 
I can understand porn but Chat and p2p?

the hell?

And I agree, why doesn't she, you know? Try some parenting?
 
I have a 16 year old son, so I can speak to this. I use cyber sitter to block out most porn and other objectionable sites. I also have a linux router setup that e-mails me the logs that shows me where he has been on the internet. Between the two I can keep tabs on him pretty well. I don't block chat programs or p2p. I just told him that if I caught him on a p2p downloading something that he would have his computer priviledge revoked for a month or more. I use a combination of parenting techniques and technology to keep track of where he goes online.

Lyquist
 
Gob said:
I can understand porn but Chat and p2p?
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Chat leaves a kid open to pedo predators, p2p could allow them to download undesireable stuffs (including porn).

If she is concerned, then she should only allow the kids to use the net on a comp in an area where it is visible and can be supervised. Even if she's not watching over their shoulder, they are less likely to "try" stuff when they know mom or dad could walk by at any minute.
 
Lethal said:
Chat leaves a kid open to pedo predators, p2p could allow them to download undesireable stuffs (including porn).

If she is concerned, then she should only allow the kids to use the net on a comp in an area where it is visible and can be supervised. Even if she's not watching over their shoulder, they are less likely to "try" stuff when they know mom or dad could walk by at any minute.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I won't let my son have a comp in his room. The computers are out in the living room in plain view.

Lyquist
 
Lyquist said:
I have a 16 year old son, so I can speak to this. I use cyber sitter to block out most porn and other objectionable sites. I also have a linux router setup that e-mails me the logs that shows me where he has been on the internet. Between the two I can keep tabs on him pretty well. I don't block chat programs or p2p. I just told him that if I caught him on a p2p downloading something that he would have his computer priviledge revoked for a month or more. I use a combination of parenting techniques and technology to keep track of where he goes online.

Lyquist
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Hes 16 jeez, let him masturbate.

I mean c'mon.
 
Gob has a point. You may as well tie him up and forbid him exercise, social interaction, and all those other things that are vital to a person's development...
 
Wally said:
Gob has a point. You may as well tie him up and forbid him exercise, social interaction, and all those other things that are vital to a person's development...
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And you have to realise, no matter what, he Will do it. Somehow, someway. He will find a way.

The best is to not be a militant annti-masturbating parent and just let him grow up himself.
 
Whack on..

Whack off..

Whack on..

Whack off..




I wonder if anyone will catch that reference?
 
Put it this way, my friend, at the ripe old age of 14, coded a program in QBASIC, (yes, you heard that right) that overrode a security program on the highschool computers that was supposed to restrict access from literally EVERY function you could imagine, except for using programs that were already installed on the computers. You could only have read access. You could not write to disk in any way, shape or form unless it meant browsing the web for research, and even then there were two women in the lab who were actively monitoring anything you did, and you knew when they were watching what you were doing because your screen would suddenly flicker, and then the computer next to you would suddenly do it a couple minutes later. And when you looked back at them you could watch them clicking and the screen flickers happening within sync of eachother.

This program he wrote slipped under the radar and managed to delete files off the computer. They weren't of any importance, because he took the same program and managed to write junk data files to the disk as well. Seeing this is the software forum I don't think it needs to be said just how brow-raising it is to see a weak and dumbed down programming language such as QBASIC can have the power to override security programs in place that are supposed to be monitoring such activity.

On another note as far as arrogance goes, the sysadmin who was there twice a week (he maintained all the computers in the school district I think) pretty much didn't give a shit that the security he had in place was well, useless. The same for the two old bitties who watched the activity going on, even when he explained, in full, what could happen as a result if someone not so nice came across this bit of information. None of them cared.

Needless to say, my friend suddenly became not so nice and distributed the program to everyone in the class. I don't remember if any mayhem resulted. All I know is, at least 300 kids in the school now had the ability to give the finger to the security system.
 
The normal "the computer is int he living room in plain site" trick doesn't work at my house. My parents (who I think are losing it anyway) are both disabled and live with my family and me. Well, my wife and I at the moment work different shifts. So there's a gap of about 2 hours between when I get home from my work and when she leaves for work where the only adults in the house are my parents.

We have 5 kids where two of them are hers from a previous marriage. Her oldest boy, who is almost 12, brags to his friends everyday and to my oldest son about how he goes out to this site or that site and sees all this porn and other questionable things. Even though the computer is right out in the living room. Now granted it's not in a place that one can see what's happening while watching tv but it's still very easy to see what's going on with a quick turn of the head.

I've confronted this boy on this and to me, of course, he completely denies it. I know I can go to his browser and look at the history to see where he's going but I'd rather have a different way of monitoring his online activities. I don't have a linux box I can set up to email logs to me so does anyone know of a way I can have his online activities sent to me. I've trield telling my wife about where he's been going but she seems to think that if we punish him by taking away his internet access for however long, then we need to punish the others was well because they're surely doing the same things. Maybe they are but they're not bragging about it and I have gone into the histories of the browsers for each peson and her oldest son is the only one that actually has links going to quesionable places. So, if I could have some program or whatever somehow keep track of where each person goes on the internet and then email me that list something like once a week (or whatever) that would be great.

Does anyone know of something like this?
 
Screencap your findings and keep them off the computer somewhere as proof that he won't be able to deny, so that you can catch him red handed.

Alternatively you're looking at grabbing some kind of monitoring software that will record site URLS that are visited.
 
Damn it. Hasn't anyone seen the Karate Kid? Hrmph. Am I really that old?
 
SirKenin said:
Damn it. Hasn't anyone seen the Karate Kid? Hrmph. Am I really that old?
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It's just a horribly cliched joke/parady everyone has heard 3 million times over.

It just wasn't funny.
 
Gob said:
It's just a horribly cliched joke/parady everyone has heard 3 million times over.

It just wasn't funny.
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Oh. That was one of my best works. :( I guess I shouldn't quit my day job. Heh.
 
I apologize for resurrecting a dead thread, but I have a very similar question. I'm also looking for parental control software, but for a slightly different reason. My sister is looking for software to limit the time she or her kids can spend on the computer. Web filtering is of secondary concern. She also has a limited income, so it needs to be free. Can somebody recommend free time-imiting parental control software?
 
I found a few nice ones for *nix, but I'm assuming we're talking Windows here.
You could try this one: User Restriction Service(I've never used it personally though), and it is completely free.
 
Gob said:
Hes 16 jeez, let him masturbate.

I mean c'mon.
Click to expand...

Oh my god xD
I cracked up at that. But yeah it's true, parental controls beyond simply restricting time on the internet are really draconian.
 
Best controls are aware parents, but if you must there are options.

Web Watcher, Safe Eyes and Cyber Patrol 7 are good software based solutions. There are also several router based options

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1650669,00.asp

Vista has built in parental controls

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/community/parentalcontrols.mspx

I'm surprised there aren't more hardware based solutions similar to the PC moderator but that lock on to the network cable or even a parental control NIC
 
plasma said:
Best controls are aware parents, but if you must there are options.

Web Watcher, Safe Eyes and Cyber Patrol 7 are good software based solutions. There are also several router based options

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1650669,00.asp

Vista has built in parental controls

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/community/parentalcontrols.mspx

I'm surprised there aren't more hardware based solutions similar to the PC moderator but that lock on to the network cable or even a parental control NIC
Click to expand...

LMAO I just looked up "aware parents software" on google. And I even read the post twice before. I'm dissappointed in myself...
 
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