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Question: My husband and I were doing everything right. We limited the kids' television when they were small. We encouraged them to play outside like we did. When we did let them on the Internet, they used the computer in the family room that everyone uses and we could see the screen from the kitchen. Everything was working well and we felt like we were in control. But then my in-laws bought them both laptops for the holidays! They're only 8 and 10. The little one does everything the older one does. How can I protect my children? I had no idea my in-laws were planning this or I would have tried to stop them. How will I be able to keep tabs on my children if they can take these laptops anywhere?

 

 

Rest assured, at compuKarma, many of our clients are parents and share the same concerns. We like to think of this issue as having two major components: the parenting component and the technical component. We can advise on the parenting component, but it sounds like you've already gotten that part well under control. You are the parents, and you still have the right to set boundaries for your children until they are at least 18 years old. Technology shouldn't be allowed to erase centuries of common sense. You maintain control over what your children do in your sight and beyond it. That's good news.

 

While the technical component is a little easier than the parenting part, each one brings its challenges. Similar to our computer security practices, we take a multi-faceted approach to solve the problem. For example, we make recommendations and install certain wireless routers, where you can block websites or classes of websites for some users and/or devices. We enable these mechanisms; think of it as perimeter security. I supplement this with parental controls on each of the devices that your child has access to. Not only can one restrict the hours and programs very carefully for each child's account on their device, but one can restrict the type of access they have. As a parent, for example, you will be able to control when your child is allowed to install software, and it will be your decision as to when your child is allowed to add wireless networks outside of your home. In addition, we use monitoring software that simply tracks their usage and sends periodic reports to you and us for review.

 

Many of our clients do not know the fine details of these mechanisms themselves, but they certainly know enough to retain the services of a company like compuKarma to manage their technology and help them ensure their children's activities are known. If your child is resourceful enough to take apart the laptop, remove the hard drive, install it in another machine in order to destroy the monitoring report files, there is a more serious concern here that would be best managed as a parenting issue.

 

One issue that has exploded is the proliferation of social media. While once Twitter and Facebook were the domain of teens and young adults, now that these sites have become ubiquitous, they are no longer considered cool. Teens have taken to Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, and a host of over 500 social media websites catering to a variety of unique interests. There are also dating sites that have exploded in popularity, and I have had to sad duty to inform one parent that her 11-year-old daughter had signed up at match.com. In the end, you will, as a parent, find the balance between restriction and letting go. It is different for every child and every parent. Our role at compuKarma is simply to provide you the tools to protect yourself and your family and the knowledge to understand the powers and the limitations of technology in our lives.

 

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