content filtering for a 14 y.o.

[OutThere]

There is essentially no way for you to stop her from chatting without taking the computer away. Even if you take the internet away, the number of open wireless networks is immense...there's a good chance she could pick one up.

The problem with saying no, is that it really doesn't work, and it'll wind up creating trust issues. Saying "NO. You CAN'T do that!" isn't going to work the way you want it to on a teenager. Being a teenager is the first time when you start to feel you can explore things that were formerly forbidden. It's a really ****ing dumb mentality, but there's no way around it really.

My close friend's parents tried the 'take the computer away strategy' to stop him from playing World of Warcraft. Instead of simply not playing WoW, he'd smoke weed all afternoon, and then he'd get up at 1am, find his computer, and play WoW all night, returning the computer before anyone woke up.

I'm not saying she'll turn to drugs (my friend already smoked before then, just not so much), I'm just saying that the more that gets blocked on the computer, the more she'll want to explore the so-called forbidden fruit, stuff that you don't approve of (be it MySpace or more sinister online chatrooms, forums etc.) At least on AIM she's talking to people she actually knows.

At one point, dumb mistakes and not harsh rules are the best way to learn. The sight of her report card could be a great motivational force.

User accounts don't work, anyway. A quick google search could turn up this little gem: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/159703/

 

[macs4usall]

thanks to everyone who has made a suggestion that actually provided me with info that I really asked for. Spector 3.0 looks like it needs a lot of work (according to the data I saw on versiontracker), so I won't bother with it. in addition, I don't need to spy on her- I need to limit access to those times that are more prone to homework, and not give her unlimited access to everything all the time. keep in mind that when she has complete unfettered access to the 'net, she spends ALL her time chatting. she frequently hides windows or quits applications when a parent comes near, and that tells me she's also doing things parents wouldn't approve of. she also has a myspace account, and I saw her username today for the first time - it is not something I approve of at all.

to date, this is what I have done... the wireless card in her laptop no longer has wireless access to the home network, so she is forced to use the computer in the famliy room. I changed the password on her user account, so she has to ask to use the main family computer. I disabled Netscape for her so she now has no easy access to AIM, iChat is disabled for her, and since she has a standard user account, she can not install software on this Mac. oh, and therre are no other wireless networks around- I already looked for them.

to those of you who say there are workarounds, I whole-heartedly agree with you; however, my daughter hasn't a clue about Unix and will never bother to learn it - coding and operating systems are not and most likely will never be something she is interested in - so I am not worried about it.

as much as I hate to, I think I am going to download Content Barrier again. I don't like using it because the interface sucks, its incredibly unwieldy, and the way it is set up is a PITA. I also don't like the fact that the company that manufacturers it wants the original cost of it annually as a user renewal fee. its almost like being held up by M$.

oh, and to those of you who didn't bother to read and comprehend my question, even after I clarified it, but saw fit to offer me "parenting refresher training" - please, stick to the subject at hand.