How do I stop access to My Space?

[Markbnj]

I know kids grow up faster now then when we were young, but 13 is still VERY young, and is most def still a kid.

Heh, if they grow up faster, why do they leave home ten years later?

The answer is, I think, that the world is more complicated than it used to be. But then that means they are growing up slower, not faster.

If only more parents didn?t want to be the KIDS friend?s things wouldn?t be as screwed up as they are now.

Amen, brother.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
So I'm wondering if you could point out to me how you know that the people my kids are interacting with on the net are their peers.

Just curious.

The CNN article I mentioned in my last post addressed this. For any person that your kid adds as a friend, they need to verify they are actual peers at school. Not just because they say they go to XYZ school (that is what the officer said to befriend the kids), but because they actually know them from school and have met them there.

Plus, you completely missed my other point. For every website like My Space, there are 50 websites that are a lot worse. Kids NEED to be educated or get the hell off the internet completely. Parents can't simply block the latest hyped website. On top of that, even blocking a website is useless if a proxy is found, and there are LOTS of those out there too. Sites like:
the-cloak anonymous web surfing (anonymous proxy)
Proxify anonymous proxy - surf the Web privately and securely
Guardster - Welcome to Guardster - Your Privacy Headquarters
Anonymizer: free web proxy, CGI proxy list, free anonymizers and ...

Argh.

 

[JonnyBlaze]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
Hey, Andy, I was wondering...

Are these guys my kids' peers?

the whole world faces that problem. might as well stop letting them out the door.

 

[Seeruk]

I for one am freaking glad I didn't have some of these control freaks as parents. Exactly what age are you gonna engage your child's grey matter in the the 2 most crucial skills in life?

1. Thinking for themselves
2. Judging People's Intentions

Or are you hoping if you coddle them enough they will still be living at home when they are 40 to look after you?

 

[Dravic]

Originally posted by: Seeruk
I for one am freaking glad I didn't have some of these control freaks as parents. Exactly what age are you gonna engage your child's grey matter in the the 2 most crucial skills in life?

1. Thinking for themselves
2. Judging People's Intentions

Or are you hoping if you coddle them enough they will still be living at home when they are 40 to look after you?

Gross over exaggeration.

If kids could accurately judge peoples intentions then there wouldn?t be so many under cover investigations regarding pedophiles in chat rooms and website meeting places.

Most adults can run mental rings around ANY kid and have them doing just about what ever they want in a short amount of time.

You have some crazy notion that kids have any serious amount of critical thinking skills at these younger stages. They don?t.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: Dravic
Gross over exaggeration.

If kids could accurately judge peoples intentions then there wouldn?t be so many under cover investigations regarding pedophiles in chat rooms and website meeting places.

Most adults can run mental rings around ANY kid and have them doing just about what ever they want in a short amount of time.

You have some crazy notion that kids have any serious amount of critical thinking skills at these younger stages. They don?t.

Believe it or not but kid's are intelligent. If you show them that someone in their list isn't who they think it is, they will begin to question the people they trust and you can help them clean up the list. If you never help them understand this, they will never learn this valuable lesson until it is too late.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Markbnj: I want to buy you a :beer:.

 

[Gravity]

Originally posted by: MechaSheeba

Originally posted by: TheoPetro
for every other reason already mentioned that MechaSheeba is wrong ill add another, THERE HIS KIDS. If he doesnt want them on that dumbass website then he doesnt have to let them on. If he doesnt want them watching conformityTV (MTV) then he doesnt have to. Just because he doesnt parent the way you would. whos being controling now?

Since when are kids a fvcking possession? They aren't objects, they're fvcking people. Parents are supposed to guide their children, not tell them what to do, and how and when to do it as they see fit. It's that kind of parenting that's supposed to be preventive that leads to delinquents.

I'm not saying let your kids do whatever the hell they want. I'm not gonna say hey if your kid wants to do fvcking heroin so what, let him, his body his decision. Certain things need to be handled in different ways, drugs can't be used responsibly, they're dangerous to a person no matter what. Myspace is not a danger to your child if it's used responsibly.

Maybe if you paid some attention to your kids you'd know what's important to them. I think Myspace is the stupidest fvcking website on the net, but I know there are a hell of a lot of people out there that devote a lot of time to it, for different reasons. The size of the user base is proof enough of that.

Share your concerns, and do it in a reasonable way. Treat your kids like they're equals, not like you fvcking own them. They have minds of their own, they aren't exact duplicates of the vagina they plopped out of. Or the stomach they were cut out of, whatever.

EDIT: Anyways, I'm getting way too off topic for the software and apps forum, I'll discuss this issue no more, my apologies to the OP.

You are starting to sound like a perpetrator that wants young kids available for exploitation. Your use of "nazi" is bannable and unwarranted.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I had my first 'weird' friend add on myspace last night. I'm in my late 20's and got a friend invite from a 14 year old chick. I was thinking to myself 'WTF' and then I realized it was my cousin so it was okay.

BTW, I don't know if all minors profiles are like this on myspace but hers is set to private so it could not even be seen unless she chose you as a friend. I also could find no way to send her a message.

Built in parental controls perhaps?

 

[Markbnj]

Kids NEED to be educated or get the hell off the internet completely. Parents can't simply block the latest hyped website. On top of that, even blocking a website is useless if a proxy is found, and there are LOTS of those out there too

Whoever said we don't do both? The knee-jerk reaction to the very idea of parents performing some censorship over what their kids are exposed to is interesting, especially in light of the fact that for twenty years anytime parents have complained about the degenerating content on network television we were told to turn the damn thing off! Yes, you control the channels Mr. Consumer, but mention on teh intarweb that you occasionally exercise that right and some other jerkwad constituency will call you a nazi and tell you you're an ignorant control freak for even _daring to think_ that you have a duty to influence what your children are exposed to. I don't even block freaking MySpace, but several of you cannot decipher english, apparently.

I have an idea, and it goes like this: if you have kids, raise 'em how you want, and keep your nose out of how I raise mine; if you don't have kids, stfu because you don't have a freaking clue what you're talking about. The OP asked how to prevent access to a certain website, and I gave him my opinion. That's a legitimate topic for this forum. If you're among those who don't like the idea of parents actually parenting, then I will feel free to automatically assume that you are fifteen and still trying to fake your way into liquor stores. Go play DDR or something.

the whole world faces that problem. might as well stop letting them out the door.

Really, if that's your view you are beyond arguing with. That's such a stupid statement that it isn't really even worth the pixels it took to display it. You don't have kids, or a clue.

for one am freaking glad I didn't have some of these control freaks as parents. Exactly what age are you gonna engage your child's grey matter in the the 2 most crucial skills in life?

1. Thinking for themselves
2. Judging People's Intentions

Or are you hoping if you coddle them enough they will still be living at home when they are 40 to look after you?

Well, at least there is competition for the "stupidest statement of the day" award on Anandtech. I wouldn't want JonnyBlaze to win by default. Come back when you grow up, and have some kids of your own, and tell me you shoved them out into the world with a cheery "Got to grow up sometime!" at the age of nine.

You guys are nuts.

Markbnj: I want to buy you a :beer:

Here's one back at ya :beer: .

And with that I am done with this thread. The OP got what he wanted, and the rest of the world's problems will not be solved here. Have a nice day everyone.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

how old are they? if they are teens your gonna lose some respect

 

[Seeruk]

Originally posted by: Markbnj

for one am freaking glad I didn't have some of these control freaks as parents. Exactly what age are you gonna engage your child's grey matter in the the 2 most crucial skills in life?

1. Thinking for themselves
2. Judging People's Intentions

Or are you hoping if you coddle them enough they will still be living at home when they are 40 to look after you?

Well, at least there is competition for the "stupidest statement of the day" award on Anandtech. I wouldn't want JonnyBlaze to win by default. Come back when you grow up, and have some kids of your own, and tell me you shoved them out into the world with a cheery "Got to grow up sometime!" at the age of nine.

Have a nice day everyone.

Victims of pedophilia, rapes, assaults, are usually so out of naivety... those with a little street-sense are much more likely to avoid situations and people to get into the predicaments that lead to such crimes.

Every police/government run campaign to educate people on such things is based around awareness, and forewarning.

The methods you guys use to '''''protect''''' your kids is the equivalent of saying to them "Should a rapist come along and attack you just shut your eyes, cover your ears and go 'la la la la la la la' and they will go away" :roll:

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: Markbnj

Kids NEED to be educated or get the hell off the internet completely. Parents can't simply block the latest hyped website. On top of that, even blocking a website is useless if a proxy is found, and there are LOTS of those out there too

Whoever said we don't do both? The knee-jerk reaction to the very idea of parents performing some censorship over what their kids are exposed to is interesting, especially in light of the fact that for twenty years anytime parents have complained about the degenerating content on network television we were told to turn the damn thing off! Yes, you control the channels Mr. Consumer, but mention on teh intarweb that you occasionally exercise that right and some other jerkwad constituency will call you a nazi and tell you you're an ignorant control freak for even _daring to think_ that you have a duty to influence what your children are exposed to. I don't even block freaking MySpace, but several of you cannot decipher english, apparently.

I have an idea, and it goes like this: if you have kids, raise 'em how you want, and keep your nose out of how I raise mine; if you don't have kids, stfu because you don't have a freaking clue what you're talking about. The OP asked how to prevent access to a certain website, and I gave him my opinion. That's a legitimate topic for this forum. If you're among those who don't like the idea of parents actually parenting, then I will feel free to automatically assume that you are fifteen and still trying to fake your way into liquor stores. Go play DDR or something.

Intelligent response?

Comparing TV to the Internet is absolutely retarded. Television has a limited number of channels, I can't start a pornographic television channel tomorrow and have it set next to your kid's favorite channel. The internet is a constantly growing resource.

Oh and I'm not a nazi. I never said people shouldn't block myspace. I only said that blocking myspace does not solve the problem. The problem being that your child is still on the internet and has not been properly educated on how to protect their information. Until THAT occurs, you have done NOTHING. Zig Heil, mein laben.

 

[ndee]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
All those methods will work, but you can easily get a more comprehensive solution. Here's what I did with my daughters' machines:

Download ccproxy, and install it on your machine. Run it. It's best if your system is wired in to the router, but not necessary. Go into the router (usually at http://192.168.0.1, or http://192.168.1.1) and block your niece's machines from the net. The rule should block all ports from accessing the wan for the mac addresses of their systems. You can get the mac address by doing ipconfig /all from a cmd prompt on their desktops.

Now go into their Internet options (IE Tools | Internet Options | Connections | Lan Settings) and set them up to use a proxy server. The address of the server is your machine name or IP, and the port you configured ccproxy to run on (usually 808).

Now you have a basic proxy filtering system in place. You can now go into the ccproxy app and configure special rules. I created weeknight and weekend schedules, and assigned these schedules to an account for each of the girls' machines. I also configured website exclusions, and turned on logging. With logging enabled you'll see each tcp/ip request they execute. When they try to access the net out of the time limit, or access a site on the exclusion list, they will get a message informing them to contact the administrator. If they are savvy enough to change the proxy settings they won't get out at all.

Sad that we have to monitor kids this closely, but that's the way it is.

I think I'd hate to be your kid....

 

[rudder]

Originally posted by: Anubis
my I ask for what reason you are doing this? i mean if it worked 1 day and then didnt its not like they arnt gonna know simethings up

And are you going to go over their friends house and block it there as well? Or the library? or wherever?