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graham england
20th Apr 2007, 16:40
Hi everyone,

I know there were a couple of threads a while back about this but can't find them now, so apologies but I would appreciate anyone's comments.

My 7 year old girls are just beginning to use the pc at school and a little at home. I've given them their own log on's to windows 2000 on our desk top. They have run cd rom games and stuff without supervision for a while so I don't want to start looking over their shoulders now as they discover the web.

I know the previous threads wisely talked about being open and teaching individual responsibility. However that advice seemed to be aimed at kids older than mine.

So any good tips for suitable software to minimise the risks of them stumbling across something I'd rather they wouldnt know about just yet?

My ISP (was blueyonder and now virgin) offers free parental controls if I increase the speed of my connection (seems like a good excuse for me to speed things up) but is it any good?

Thanks in anticipation.

Cheerio
20th Apr 2007, 16:50
Try these - both free

http://www.k9webprotection.com/ Blocks bad sites, logs activity.
http://www.siteadvisor.com/ Warns of bad sites on google searches with a red cross

OzPax1
20th Apr 2007, 16:56
www.forensicsoftware.co.uk (http://forensicsoftware.co.uk/FSL_Athome.htm) is the home version of filtering software that my work is starting to offer to schools and other council linked child support and care organisations that we support. For £25pa I can assure you it is very good at what it does.

In my experience kids are never too young to learn about respopnsible net use. At your kids age it is more about them being comfotable about coming to you when they come across something they don't feel comfortable about while online. The fire and brimstone route tends to be counter-productive in my experience, I have seen more then one school come a cropper as a result! And anyway your kids are pobably more comfortable about using a PC and the net then you, and they might suprise you in what they know and what they can do! I gointo schools regulary and see kids of 5,6 & 7 (up) using powerpoint, photoshop, flash etc quite happily, and scarily knowing far more about those packages then I do! :uhoh: