Protection for a kid's pc...

This may not be the right place to put this, so just let me know where it does belong.

Now that I no longer have Symantec Internet Security, I am concerned that I don't have parental controls in place for my kids' pcs.

1) Is this a valid concern, in blocking porn, inappropriate internet stuff?
2) If it is, what is the best thing for me to use? My kids are 10 & 13.

I have Avast and Sygate, and all of the spyware, adware,.... stuff listed in the forum about those things, like CCleaner, Ad-Aware SE Pro,...

Any advice?

Thanks to all!
pansygirl

 

Have a look at this thread:

Need a good, invisible, adult site blocker

 

Many thanks, Shadow! Didn't know what phrase I would find it under.

Thanks again,
pansy

 

Don't rely too much on any programs to block content.
You would be amazed at how proficient the kids are at
getting around these programs.

Best protection is to keep their pcs in a high traffic area of the
house, so you can monitor their use, and, do not use automatic
sign-on for your internet connection, and do not let them know the
password. Having to sign them on everytime is a pain, but, if
they have the ability to sign on when you are not home, the odds
are that they are going to figure out how to view content you would
not approve of.

 

IE6 has very good options within its self to block adult content, ok its not fantastic, however you can use it to block most unsafe content, its known as the "content advisor" in Internet options, set this to the level of your choice and it WILL work for most things, it uses certificates and ratings to identify the site (something windows updates often) you can ensure they canot alter these settings if you create guest accounts for your children, do not allow them to have administrator privilages, and yes i agree, keep the pc in a place where you can see the kids using it. curiosity will always get the better of kids, its unavoidable, but with carefull monitoring you can ensure this is kept to a minimum. why not participate with them on the pc and sugest finding interesting sites to visit to take there minds away from wondering? there are lots of safe sites and interesting sites. what do they like to do? what are there interests?i personally love the howstuffworks website its really cool and safe. there is no need to go out and spend ££££s on software, that a little carefull planning wont cure

 

Making your kids accounts 'Guest Account's' is not something I would recommend. This kind of account is looked for by hackers. I would recommend that your kid's have a 'Limited Account' and that you password protect each account with a password that is a minimum of 8 characters in length, and is not a word, birthday, and such. Passwords should contain a minimum of 2 uppercase, 2 lowercase, 2 numeric, and 2 special characters.

Limited account
The limited account is intended for someone who should be prohibited from changing most computer settings and deleting important files. A user with a limited account:

• Generally cannot install software or hardware, but can access programs that have already been installed on the computer.

• Can change his or her account picture and can also create, change, or delete his or her password.

• Cannot change his or her account name or account type. A user with a computer administrator account must make these kinds of changes.

• Can manage his or her network passwords, create a reset password disk, and set up his or her account to use a .NET Passport.

Note: Some programs might not work properly for users with limited accounts.

Guest account
The guest account is intended for use by someone who has no user account on the computer. There is no password for the guest account, so the user can log on quickly to check e-mail or browse the Internet. A user logged on to the guest account:

• Cannot install software or hardware, but can access applications that have already been installed on the computer.

• Cannot change the guest account type.

• Can change the guest account picture.

Warning: This type of account is easily exploited by hackers.

 

Came across this free program in my latest pC mag. Haven' tried it so can't comment on how good it is.

PAL Computer Surveillance System v3.2 from www.palsol.com

program is Setup_CSS_retail.exe and is 1,626kb.

Reading the review it says, in part.