Is there any free software options to make a laptop using XP/firefox reasonably safe for a 8 year old to use online?

We are letting her use it at the moment only with us supervising?

Any firefox add ons?

Ta

we looked into this some time ago.

the problem is that a lot of ‘safe browsing’ software seems to be provided by American fundamentalist Christian organisations to protect their young children from anythign resembling a balanced point of view on any subject more controversial than ‘how overweight is the average American’.

In the end we foudn 3 or 4 sites (bbc etc) that our children wanted to visait and put desktop icons on for each of them.

If they wanted to go ‘further afield’ then they had to talk to us first about what they’d be searching for etc. It worked pretty well (and continues to).

Most kids only want to visit the same sites their mates are on anyway.

Glubble is a good Firfox add-on:
http://glubble_for_families.en.softonic.com/

In the end we foudn 3 or 4 sites (bbc etc) that our children wanted to visait and put desktop icons on for each of them.

God idea wwaswas, we do this already, moshi monsters & cbeebies 😉

But, so called homework, is now taking her a bit further onto google.

Glubble is a good Firfox add-on:
http://glubble_for_families.en.softonic.com/

Thanks soma, will check it out.

Use OpenDNS DNS servers, the filtering is done on their network rather than your pc. https://store.opendns.com/get/basic

Who’s your ISP? Only TalkTalk do a network based security service (i.e. no need for software on the PC – happens before it comes down the phone line).

Another OpenDNS user here. I’m sure there are ways around it but it will also log visited websites, which may be usefull.
If you set it up on the router it will work with all devices that use that router, eg phones, Wii’s, PS3’s, etc.

EDIT: And it’s also free (but you can pay for extra features.)

No software, no safe search, no point. He’s 13 now and when he forgets to close a window the results are amusing rather than disturbing, have faith.

ourmaninthenorth – Member

Who’s your ISP? Only TalkTalk do a network based security service (i.e. no need for software on the PC – happens before it comes down the phone line).

Using SKY

Will look into openDNS too, thanks

I find control shift P lets me browse safely.

+1 for openDNS. You might have to pay for what you want to do with it though.

My personal view is that the only safe, secure way is to use a proxy server for your home LAN; I appreciate that that’s not going to be an ideal solution for everyone though.

Though, perhaps it should be. Affordable, easy-to-configure proxy servers for home LANs. A niche in the market! I shall be rich and famous. Or, more likely, old and bitter.

K9 Security is OK, but annoyingly can’t be set to just police one user. Settings are applied to all users, so OK if the nipper has own PC, but tedious (although workable) on a shared one.