OK bit in the dark here.

Can anyone give me some pointers/advice for making a PC secure and safe for a child to use online?

I have a old Dell laptop using XP and the Firefox browser, its also using the free AVG virus software.

She has not use a computer at home yet, so want to get it sorted and safe to start with.

Its mostly going to be used for researching homework, google searches, and the odd word doc, that sort of thing.

Just want to know is there a simple way of blocking content that will not be appropriate.

How have you set up your kids PC access?

Ta very much.

There are parental control settings in the control panel, you can set these to be appropriate for your childs age, think there may be an option in Firefox too.

Ok, I did not know about that, will go and have a look, thanks.

You can restrict the search parameters. On the google page click on search settings and there 3 levels, set it appropriately.

With my 12yr lad, I've shown him the history function, and explained that neither his mother or father have any need to clear it. He knows we check regularly, he also knows that if ever there's a blank history, he loses PC privileges…

i use wwww.opendns.com it's free.
create an account, put their dns details (ip address) in the network settings on the childs computer, i even installed the app so that it updates opendns with your external IP address everytime the computer starts. Then from your computer / or theirs, you can set up what type of site they can get access to. If you use the defaults then the maximum protection knocks out all Social networking, so no MSN no facebook etc. The next one down allows social networking, so we flick between the two. One setting for school nights (homework to be done) and one for the weekend.

You can also see what domains they have been going on, check them out and then create your own blacklist if you don't like them (Vampirefreaks.com anyone!)

if you want to completely ban them and they are on a wireless network, use mac address filtering on the router. That way they can still use the computer to write their homework, just not get distracted.

I think what worries me most is her typing a search into google and that bringing up something inappropriate, especially, as like me, her spelling is not that good 😉

Thanks rossendalelemming, will have a look at that too.

The homepage of the children’s section of Directgov currently sports an unfortunate banner by the name of Buster’s World, which just so happens to be the name of a gay porn fetish site.

Oops.

I forgot the best bit, you get to create your own "error message"

my personal favorite

"You're not allowed to view this site – I bet it was a really good one as well :-)"

Do be warned they will try to get around anything you put in place. The current one is to arrange to do homework at a friends house. When you go to pick her up, her friend is downstairs watching TV with her family (or even out with other friends) and ours is in her friends bedroom accessing all the crap she's banned from at home.

nickc – newer versions of Firefox have a private mode which doesn't store the history, and the facility to delete history for a given time period.

With my 12yr lad, I've shown him the history function, and explained that neither his mother or father have any need to clear it. He knows we check regularly, he also knows that if ever there's a blank history, he loses PC privileges…

Do you use Firefox? Kids are quite smart, he may have figured out this feature;

Firefox 3.1 gives you an option to browse net in a secure environment whereby your online activities will not be left on your computer and easily get traced by others.

So it won't show up on his history in the first place.

EDIT – beaten to it by I_did_dab

I have installed the live family safety suite on from microsoft (uses the same logons etc as a messenger account)

http://download.live.com/familysafety

from here you can set individual black/white lists, and different levels of restrictions. Ours are set on a white list basis, and each time they want another website, they can either get us to allow it in person via a password or request via email. Its free and seems to be fine so far.

Panda

OK, to explain further: He's allowed access to the net on the main PC which sits on a desk in the lounge. What I'm trying to do is allow him some freedom within a set of clear boundaries. I don't watch over his shoulder, in return he'll not actively go looking for it. At some point in the future no doubt we'll have to have "that" conversation.

TBH we don't control the access on the Internet (youngest is 11), but none access in their bedrooms and we've explain that there is stuff there we wouldn't want him accessing, and stuff that if he saw it would give him the 'willies'.

But they do know that history etc is there to see for all.

We've had a couple of issues, but mostly them wirelessly downloading soft-porn (topless etc) through PSP/phones etc…

'K9 web protection' – free and constantly updated with new 'inappropriate' sites added daily.

Used it for a couple of years now – you can set restrictions by category – be ruthless and then open access on a site by site basis as they try to access them through a master password.

It also tracks attempted website access so if your kid is a 13 year old male who thinks that he can try various sites to see if any slip through the net, you can deal with it as you check the logs. Little fecker wasnt expecting that was he!!

You can block websites / websites containing key words etc on the router with some models if you think your little whizz kids might circumvent your security settings on the PC.

netnanny