technology to help us to control our kids' computer use?

[stefany]

Hello.
My elder son spends all his free time at the computer! He is fully obsessed with this infernal machine. He doesn't want to discuss it and gets irritated every time I try to talk.
I decided I have to use the same weapon against this habit - technology.
There are some programs you can use to control someone's computer activity, right?
I googled some, but would like to hear the opinion of someone who already did or does it.
Thanks in advance.

 

[justour2boys]

Mac or easy child?? Also look into controls for your Internet/Wi-Fi... why turn off the hose/nozzle when you can control the faucet!

 

[InsaneCdn]

I use standard parental controls for this... I just give the kids specific windows when they can use the technology.... for example, 7 to 9 at night. I don't have to say a word... the computer simply locks them out at nine. It's not ME nagging them to get off... the computer locks their account.

I'm assuming you're using separate accounts for each person on the computer etc?

 

[trinityroyal]

We use a timed lockout as well. Internet connectivity shuts off at 9 pm on difficult child's computer. We have set up a whitelist so that he can only visit certain websites approved by us, and logging/tracking software so that we can directly monitor his activity. We also had to revoke difficult child's smart phone and replace it with an old-tech phone so that he can't use it to connect to the internet. difficult child is aware of all the restrictions including the logging and tracking.

 

[busywend]

I had software that captured every character typed and emailed it to me. This was how i found out she had created her own stalker on aol IM.

I think it was called Spybot.

 

[STRESSEDTOMAX]

Do these things work on ipads also?

 

[trinityroyal]

Smart phones and tablets are more difficult to lock down than computers, but there are ways to do it.
I don't know a lot about i-devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.), but there might be a way to do it. It might be worth checking with Apple or your cellular service provider...

 

[DammitJanet]

Im going to go into my role as a pro Nabi tablet user for people who want to keep kids safe on the internet. They have one for children for ages 2-5, 5-9, and then one that is a 10 or 12 inch tablet perfect for kids over the age of about 8 and up that has snap on keyboard, parental controls, you can get an office suite so they can do all school work and bluetooth it to a printer, it is basically an android Ipad.

I have the Nabi2 and my granddaughter has a bluetooth keyboard, can do anything she wants to do on it. She can write books, she can write papers, she can download games and apps from google playstore and Amazon, she can watch Netflix, Skype, she can go to webpages I approve of. You can do that on the 10 inch one too.