What do you all use to block porno for a kid?

[thecomputerguy]

Client got a new laptop wants me to set it up and he wants something in there to block the adult stuff.

I've used K9 in the past but I'm not sure if it's updated or if it actually works.

 

[Porthos]

For the most part, unless the porn site follows certain guidelines, you will never block it all.
My personal solution 18 years ago was to password protect the computer and only let my son us it while I was there. We had that computer in the living room so I could relax in front of the TV and he could do homework.

Parents ask a lot of tech nowadays.

Look in this as well. I do not want to only talk about the parenting issues.
https://support.opendns.com/hc/en-u...amilyShield-Router-Configuration-Instructions

 

[Porthos]

If the parent wants to watch porn then you have another worry.

 

[thecomputerguy]

That's when you have to set up a UNcommon public DNS server on the parents' computer only. 1.0.0.1 works for this but isn't as widely publicized as 1.1.1.1, Google DNS or OpenDNS so there's a chance the kid won't think of it.

I can just manually configure the dns to 1.1.1.3 on the station right?

K9 was such a pain in the ass for everything.

 

[Fred Claus]

OpenDNS is great. i tried becoming a reseller of the product but there was just so much rules and regulations, that I just said "I'm just going to point people to the free version instead. "

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

Look into Router Limits (www.routerlimits.com) it does what you want and much more. I haven't personally used it.

 

[Diggs]

I've used OpenDNS quite a few times. It's simple and works well. I have used it both at the router (if the parents don't mind losing their pron privileges) or at the kids machine and have them run in a user account instead of admin so they can't mess with the DNS settings.

 

[britechguy]

The way the kid will beat this is either by finding an unfiltered DNS server that works or by installing a VPN. That's when the parents have to start parenting.

Not a bit of snark intended, but that's when the parents should know that the game is over. It is not a 6-year-old that will be able to figure this sort of thing out, and if you have an adolescent who has, then they have, and even taking away their computer isn't going to stop what everyone knows is "natural curiosity" at that age.

Kids grow up. A parent's job is definitely to give them guidance and keep them safe, but it's also to give them guidance about keeping themselves safe, too. You have to let go of certain things at certain times, and if you're not ready to let go of the idea of "my innocent child" for a teenager then you really are living in a fantasy world. (And, it seems, far too many parents have wanted to indulge just this fantasy through the ages. It's a cultural artifact that we'd be far better off without.)

I also doubt the original parent requesting this is probably doing so for an adolescent. Even I know it's far, far, far too easy to stumble into things on the internet that one never intended to, and for porn that's easier now than it ever was. And everyone who's ever had a kid or had charge of one realizes that it is virtually impossible to monitor their device use 24/7 and have a life of your own as well (not that you can't monitor a lot of it). That's why I believe the folks recommending doing the tweaking for blocking via the access point have the better idea, because then it doesn't matter what device is connected through it, they're all subject to the same blocking.

 

[Metanis]

The Mennonites in my area use a combination of Qustodio and Everaccountable to both control their Internet access and provide a watchdog sort of logging mechanism. For appliances which don't allow end-user software installations I configure their routers with admin passwords and OpenDNS Family Safe DNS.

Mennonites are required by their church to install and use these products. You might find it interesting to review their reviewed and acceptable filtering products.

https://new.weatec.com/index.php/filters/approved-filters

 

[britechguy]

@Metanis: That's about as "New Order" as they come!!

There are many New Order, and some Old Order Mennonites here in the Shenandoah Valley. You see "buggy warning signs" on certain roads in the area.

 

[Haole Boy]

Had a request like this several years ago (so details are a little fuzzy). Working with grandma, installed ESET and explained that they had a feature to limit / prevent access to "adult" websites. Needed a password to unlock it, and she decided she would use her dog's name. Took the kid about 5 minutes to figure it out....

 

[GTP]

Kids are smart. Google is smarter. Their school friends have probably worked out how to beat every "block" known as well.

Parental guidance is really the only thing that works. my .02

 

[britechguy]

Kids are smart. Google is smarter. Their school friends have probably worked out how to beat every "block" known as well.

Parental guidance is really the only thing that works. my .02

Hence my earlier comments. Once children reach the age where they can do this sort of sophisticated research and perform the workarounds, you cannot and will not stop them.

And I don't care how good the parental guidance has been, when it comes to sex every human being I've ever known is going to satisfy their curiosity, if not their actual sex drive. It is foolish to believe that this is unnatural or wrong. It's a part of the human experience.

And really good parental guidance means having really open and honest discussions about porn, and how unrealistic it is, and that it cannot and should not be used as a way of deciding what's typical. I won't say "what's normal" as "normal" in the world of sex is whatever two or more consenting parties want it to be, which is another truth that no one seems to want to state plainly. But most of porn is about as far from typical as one can get, even if the way it's far removed is by idealizing all of the bodies involved and, lets face it, it most frequently goes well beyond that.