[Tea"cheer"]

My son is nearing the age where we need to put some blocks on the computer. Do any of you have a recommendation as to a program or whatever to do so? Thanks!

[Kathcha]

is that these kids are all so smart and "techy" that don't be surprised if he figures out how to take the block off. I had a parental block on my computer so my son couldn't get into certain sites and the next day he yells to me, "hey Mom I took that block off, I couldn't get into stuff I need for school." (at least he was honest I guess!)

Anyway, he is now 27 yrs old so maybe they have improved. However, there are blocks at the middle school that I work at so that no one in the school can get onto their private email or many other sites and so the majority of us cannot access it. However, the computer teacher constantly has had kids that can crack into anything. He has had to try to be steps ahead of them all the time and now he has a system so that he can watch from his desk what everyone is on all the time just to make sure. These kids are so past a lot of us adults.

Maybe others have some foolproof ideas.

[Library Linda]

My son, a computer geek, put OpenDNS on our computer, free. With it you can block particular websites that you list--like YouTube--or make sure certain ones are NOT blocked, like gun sites, for example.. You can put it on "high"--where it will block all pornography, movies, news, chat rooms, etc--all the way down to "nothing blocked." One person (probably you, the parent) has control of it, with a password. You can check what sites your child goes on.

It works well for us. I don't know what your cost would be.

I think there are other blocking programs that are good, but I don't know them.

I should add: OpenDNS is not perfect. Movies get through even though we've blocked them...

[Who me?]

Truth of the matter is he will see it at a friends house, on his phone, and anywhere he can. Most kids could unblock whatever we put.

[Tea"cheer"]

Thanks. Right now he is 9-1/2. Kids are younger and younger now when they start asking questions and such about "adult" things. I am fearful that he is going to use the internet to research what I don't want him to, even though he is a great kid! The computer is on our main living level; but I know how quickly kids can do things even though you are in the same room! Ugh. Sometimes I really miss baby, toddler, and preschool ages!

[BabyB]

I have a Mac. When a teenage relative came to live with me this year, my grown daughter pointed out to me that I could utilize the parent controls and set up a separate user account. It was actually easy AND he hasn't figured out how to get around it. (I did check and notice he was going to some sites to learn how, but I just blocked them. )It doesn't stop everything, but it stops enough.