Safe surfing for children

[SavannahLion]

Any suggestions on "clamping" down on the network for a 9 year old?

Fiance let her use the PC one day to use Funbrain.com and the 9 year old found herself on some crap website where she "won" a $1000 Wal*Mart gift card as long as she enters a bunch of personal information. Good thing she has no clue how to fill any of that ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- out.

So, any suggestions? I kind of want to avoid shelling out a shitload of cash ala Net Granny. I also don't feel like reconfiguring the entire network. I can restrict the 9 year old to a single PC. The rest are all laptops or headless machines anyways.

[Silas (son of Silas)]

1. Create a local account for her on the PC she uses.

2. Install Firefox (if you are not already a user of it) and then google adblock plus Firefox plugin. Install it. That will eliminate embedded adverts in web pages.

3. If you are running windows, checkout K9 http://www1.k9webprotection.com/ web protection. It blocks all the other nasties out there. It's been a while I used it, but as a recall you can download and install it free.

4. Supervise her when she's on the Internet.

[Ed_McCarron]

OpenDNS.  Set it for insanely protective and let 'er rip.

[RayB]

Install Ad blockers. That's how she got to that stupid site to begin with, by clicking an ad.

Teach the difference between content and ads.

But Most important: Set exactly which site(s) she's allowed to go to and set up desktop shortcuts to those sites. There's no reason for her to be Googling for random sites or typing them in manually and therefore you don't need to worry about it. In my experience at that age they are perfectly happy going to a small number of very specific sites and they will happily spend all their time on them.

Additionally at that age, the computer they use should be in a common room, and you should be occasionally checking on what she's doing.

[Blanka]

Download a big localhost filter list on your router. They keep any system in your house free from a lot of trash.

[jamesjones626]

Download a big localhost filter list on your router. They keep any system in your house free from a lot of trash.

i would just say watch her while she using the internet.  My brother like to use my computer while I'm at work and when i look at the history i can see he's been surfing the porn sites when he claims to be using it for homework.  That mother fudger is trouble though, so i boot his ass off my computer and password my bois now

[gryhnd]

In our household:

FF + Adblock + NoScript.

After that, open communication plus keeping the computer in full view at all times. In our case, that means the only PC our son (just turned 11) is allowed to use (MAME aside) is in the kitchen. We've also made it clear to him that he is to ask us for permission before signing up for anything. I realize every kid is different and so YMMV, but IMO, if you clamp down too much then it's the forbidden fruit syndrome.

[Slippyblade]

I'm really liking the number of "Supervise the kid" and "Communicate and educate" replies here.  That's what I've done with my kids and not had any problems. 

Spell out to the kid what is acceptable and what is not.  Explain to them that there is information that some sites will try to get that they have no right to.  Explain to them that you trust them to make proper decisions, then make sure they have the information to make those decisions.  Don't think nine is to young to understand this stuff, that kind of thinking is a result of societal dumbing down over the past century.  Kids have far more sense and intelligence than most folks give them credit for.

[Blanka]

and when i look at the history i can see he's been surfing the porn sites when he claims to be using it for homework.

My experience is that kids understand the concept of the history list before they get the concept of porn 

[RayB]

Speaking of porn... thing is kids don't WANT to see that. Not until puberty gets the hormones going. So it's a moot topic. But just in case, go into Google, and set the Safe Search to strict. (though like I said, there's no reason for a 9 year old to be Googling, just set up short-cuts/bookmarks.)

@Slippy: I'd be careful to say you don't "trust" your kid. It's best to use language that explains that personal information is very important and to leave it to adults. Explain it in a way whereby the message is that you are protecting them. Kids wants to feel protected by their parents. It's when they hit their teens that they start looking for independance.

Also note, Kids under 13 shouldn't be on any Forums. They WILL be contacted, and WILL be targetted by pervs (especially girls). You have little control over that, so best to keep them off completely. If you have an understanding that they have to ask for permission to sign up for things, you'll be able to vet the sites they are wanting to visit and participate in.

Lastly, you should have all their passwords (if any). Again, you can convince them this is ok under the "protecting them" argument.

[shmokes]

Keep them OUT of PnR.  Most of you have no idea the horror that goes on in there!

[SavannahLion]

A couple of things I should point out.

The last time I let her use the PC and she found herself on that ---smurf-poo--- was when I got tired of sitting there "monitoring" her browsing and I walked into the kitchen to make a sandwich. Or it was a burrito. Something. In any case I figure I was in there for about ten minutes when she started asking her mom about this and that.

There really isn't any point in explaining what is and isn't acceptable and actually expecting her to remember. Without going into too much detail, this is a child that completely forgets what we're talking about five minutes into the conversation but can recite every lyric in Justin Bieber's Baby.  Don't get me wrong, I will, and have, explained what is acceptable. I just don't expect her to remember any of it.

Porn, nudity, sec and all the related stuff is a concept this child is just now grasping. She finally figured out last month what it is, exactly, mommy and I do behind the closed door at midnight. We're just now getting into the monthly bleeding thing.

Chat of any sort is already off limits.

If she "signs up" for a site and/or alters an existing password and fails to update me on that fact, that website is going right into the blacklist.

It's a little weird trying to pull all this together. I've have always been about creating a network with FULL unadulterated access to anything I please while creating defensive layers at preventing the outside from compromising the network. I have never, in all the time I've been on the net, ever considered designing a system at protecting itself from the INSIDE (except websites and they're an entirely different ball game anyways).

Thanks for the suggestions.

I am a little leery at installing yet another service app that I'll personally never use.

[Slippyblade]

@Slippy: I'd be careful to say you don't "trust" your kid. It's best to use language that explains that personal information is very important and to leave it to adults. Explain it in a way whereby the message is that you are protecting them. Kids wants to feel protected by their parents. It's when they hit their teens that they start looking for independance.

Huh?  I said to explain to them that you DO trust them...

[missioncontrol]

OpenDNS.  Set it for insanely protective and let 'er rip.

I second this suggestion. OpenDNS rocks

[lokki]

OpenDNS.  Set it for insanely protective and let 'er rip.

I second this suggestion. OpenDNS rocks

Hi,
Another vote for Opendns.  Lots of features logs on sites visited, phishing protection, etc.

[hypernova]

but can recite every lyric in Justin Bieber's Baby. 

Considering the lyrics (or lack thereof I should say)...that really isn't that impressive of a task. 

I'm really liking the number of "Supervise the kid" and "Communicate and educate" replies here.  That's what I've done with my kids and not had any problems.

Yes...It is so much fun sitting there and monitoring them time after time...

It's like watching a Barney video.  Even if you're interacting with them while they play, eventually the content is going to push you towards insanity.

[RayB]

@Slippy: I'd be careful to say you don't "trust" your kid. It's best to use language that explains that personal information is very important and to leave it to adults. Explain it in a way whereby the message is that you are protecting them. Kids wants to feel protected by their parents. It's when they hit their teens that they start looking for independance.

Huh?  I said to explain to them that you DO trust them...

My eyes play tricks on me. I wish I knew why. I even read your post 2 or 3 times.

[Slippyblade]

@Slippy: I'd be careful to say you don't "trust" your kid. It's best to use language that explains that personal information is very important and to leave it to adults. Explain it in a way whereby the message is that you are protecting them. Kids wants to feel protected by their parents. It's when they hit their teens that they start looking for independance.

Huh?  I said to explain to them that you DO trust them...

My eyes play tricks on me. I wish I knew why. I even read your post 2 or 3 times.

No worries, I was just a bit confused.  Thought maybe my grammar had gone bad on me and I typed the wrong thing. 

It's like watching a Barney video.  Even if you're interacting with them while they play, eventually the content is going to push you towards insanity.

Supervision doesn't have to mean sitting behind them and watching every minute, it just means paying attention once in a while.  I work in a game store and you'd be floored by the number of parents that don't have the wildest clue what their kids are trying to buy and play.  They simply don't pay attention - off in their own little self-centered world.