**Know a free program that control the time that children spend on the internet?**

[nEoTeChMaN]

A friend of mine need some help with her computer and was wondering of any good free program that control the time children spend online?

Thanks.

 

[Soybomb]

If she could run a multiuser os she could do that quite easily, but I'm assuming you mean for 9x?

 

[vi edit]

Need info - what does she use for internet connect? Dial up? Broadband? Does she use IE or Netscape? What OS?

 

[Total Refected Power]

Simple. Get a timer from radio shack that will cut power to the computer. Identical to what people use to light their house when they are away.

 

[Electric Amish]

Yeah, TRP.

Windows loves to have the power cut to it.

amish

 

[LadyNiniane]

There are a few programs, most connected with "nanny"-type programs. Search any shareware sites for online access timer programs.

However, the best protection is to unplug the phone line/computer power/whatever (hide the connecting wire, if necessary).

I don't run nanny programs or timers, but my young daughter (pre-teen) cannot dial-in to the internet unless I physically run the phone line around the corner from our bedroom to hers. I stay within range the entire time she is online. Her computer time is also limited by "is your homework finished? no? is this program something you need to run to complete an assignment? no? then why is it even turned on???"

(For the record, she doesn't have a TV in her room, either; if you want a personal television, you must earn the money to pay for it, and birthday money doesn't count. Her older brother earned his doing summer babysitting and mowing jobs when he was 14.)

Yes, I'm a "mean mommy"

Lady Niniane

 

[Demon-Xanth]

There's a program called "JIT scheduler" that can shut down the computer at a certain time, combine that with a BIOS password and you have a nice computer usage limiter (until the little tyke closes the scheduler)

 

[nEoTeChMaN]

I'll be installing NT server 4.0 OS (Primary Domain Controller) which will be hook to all rooms in the house.

I guess, I could use NT's Users Manager to control the time.

Is that enough?

 

[Soybomb]

I would think so, use like poledit on the 9x machines to require logins and then set the logins to be valid for certain times of the day, for x number of minutes, etc I think. Then again I havent played with NT much but I dont see why not

 

[Plantanthera]

Try Tucows.com for the program. They have many Freeware & Shareware; search for "Online Timers", or look for it under Internet Tools\Online Timers sub heading.

 

[konichiwa]

<< if you want a personal television, you must earn the money to pay for it, and birthday money doesn't count >>

If you don't mind me asking, why doesn't birthday money &quot;count&quot;? (Sorry to go OT in your thread, nEo )

 

[vi edit]

<< If you don't mind me asking, why doesn't birthday money &quot;count&quot;? >>



I'm not Lady N, but technically you haven't &quot;earned&quot; that money, it was given to you. I believe that there is a differnece between spending &quot;earned&quot; money and spending &quot;given&quot; money.

BTW - I think the poledit and time restrictions on the logins are one of the better ways to do it.

 

[konichiwa]

&quot;Technically&quot;, yes, that's true, but it's still your money, no?

 

[GasX]

AOL 5.0 <<shudder>> might be able to do that too.

Of course, once you install the program on your PC, you would have to stop posting on this 1337 board for sure...

 

[vi edit]

Yes, but wouldn't you respect something more if you had to put your sweat and hard effort into paying for it?

It's no different than some kid trashing a $40,000 car that his parents just flat out handed to him. If you had to spend the money that you worked for on it, I think you'd treat and respect it a little better.

Just my feelings on it

 

[LadyNiniane]

If you don't mind me asking, why doesn't birthday money &quot;count&quot;?

Because my husband and I agree that earning the money indicates that the youngster is willing to do something besides just &quot;veg&quot; in front of the box. Call it an earned privilege, I guess.

We also subscribe to the &quot;no money, no license&quot; theory of teenage driver school. Son-&amp;-heir was shocked to find out that no, neither one of us would take him over to take his driving test on his 16th birthday, even though a car was waiting for his use in our driveway. I told him to pay me a month's worth of insurance costs first. He had a fast food job two days later, got his first paycheck three weeks after that, paid the money, and went to take (and pass) his test. We had to drive him to/from the job for those three weeks, but he hasn't been wheel-less or job-less since. (He had two short &quot;jobless&quot; stints in high school while wrestling season and a couple of theatre productions kept him from having a decent work schedule, but we helped cover those - school things are important, too.)

Lady Niniane

 

[Zenmervolt]

If there's nothing else important in the room with the computer, just trip the circuit breaker.
OK, maybe not the best idea. vi_edit has a great idea with the poledit and login restrictions.

Zenmervolt

EDIT: TV's are easy to get, I got mine by digging through corporate dumpsters. It was completely free, and once I went over it with Formula 409 it was as good as new, I even found a universal remote in the dumpster, so I don't have to cross the room to change channels. (Of course if you really want your kids to earn the TV, then you probably shouldn't let them know about my method.) Also, apparantly I was wrong to give vi credit, sorry Soybomb.

 

[vi edit]

Thanks for the vote Zen, but Soybomb thought of it first

 

[nEoTeChMaN]

I'm just too lazy to search.

 

[Soybomb]

no problem heh

 

[LadyNiniane]

Hey, dumpster diving is a time-honored tradition in our household, also. If the kid has enough smarts to do that, I'd call it earned (as long as it was done legally).

We're talking 12 years old here, though - she's not quite at the stage of doing her own dumpster diving yet. (Although, she has been known to point out good prospects to her father, going to/from school and dance )

And son-&amp;-heir has figured out how to earn enough money to keep wheels in the driveway and games in the machine - not to mention the arcade game console he bought at an auction this past winter

Our kids understand the value of hard work - that's the most important thing.

Lady Niniane

 

[Emulex]

The free program is called MOM OR DAD. Its sole purpose is to nourish, raise, educate, and discipline CHILD.

However their are many defective MOM or DAD programs who don't spend time with their children, and wonder why their kids are screwups.

 

[yakko]

Parent 1.0

 

[nEoTeChMaN]

I'm not worry about shareware stuff..I'll take care of that.