[Mr Kino]

Im giving my little sister an old iMac (333mhz) so she can go online but giving her internet access simply scares me.

what tips, suggestions, and experiences have you had in giving young ones internet access?

[powerbook867]

How old is she? When my daughter gets old enough, I'll let her use her computer, but only with one of the parents in the room. There's just too much chance of her stumbling into something inappropriate...

I would also look into some kind of blocking software. Like I said, I'm not at that stage yet w/ my daughter, but in a couple of years....

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

If you don't watch her online it is not a good idea.

With 10.4 you can severely restrict what she can do online but you have to wait 6 more months for it.

[Mr Kino]

she is 15 years old

[Zimphire]

Keep her off IRC.

[Goldfinger]

Don't restrict access. What are you afraid of ? Porn ?

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by Goldfinger:
Don't restrict access. What are you afraid of ? Porn ?

How about perverts trying to make her meet them. The statistics are really high for that sort of thing.

[finboy]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
How about perverts trying to make her meet them. The statistics are really high for that sort of thing.

For that matter, keep her off of MacNN.

[Goldfinger]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
How about perverts trying to make her meet them. The statistics are really high for that sort of thing.

Really, if your kid is somewhat intelligent this is not an issue.

[Ghoser777]

I don't think intelligence is the problem, it's gullibility/inexperience.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by Goldfinger:
Really, if your kid is somewhat intelligent this is not an issue.

Give me a break

[Mr Kino]

Originally posted by finboy:
For that matter, keep her off of MacNN.

That should not be that hard, all she looks at is clothing sites right now.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
That should not be that hard, all she looks at is clothing sites right now.

Well that and I don't think she will be all that drawn to by a bunch of computer nerd boys saying the imac video card sucks.

[turtle777]

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
That should not be that hard, all she looks at is clothing sites right now.

In that case, lock up your credit cards

-t

[turtle777]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
Well that and I don't think she will be all that drawn to by a bunch of computer nerd boys saying the imac video card sucks.

Hm, I'd be more afraid of those who talk about sucking other things...

-t

[Goldfinger]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
Give me a break

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by turtle777:
Hm, I'd be more afraid of those who talk about sucking other things...

-t

Is that a homophobic remark? Or something about women?

[RAILhead]

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
Im giving my little sister an old iMac (333mhz) so she can go online but giving her internet access simply scares me.

what tips, suggestions, and experiences have you had in giving young ones internet access?

I don't care what anyone says, go buy and use ContentBarrier. I've installed it for loads of people and I have NEVER had any issues. 110% customizable, easy to use, no problems.

http://www.intego.com/contentbarrier/

Maury

[turtle777]

Originally posted by RAILhead:
I don't care what anyone says, go buy and use ContentBarrier. I've installed it for loads of people and I have NEVER had any issues. 110% customizable, easy to use, no problems.

There are no effective ways to filter out Google image search.
Also, the weirdest innocent pages are blocked. I found it not too clever...

-t

[effgee]

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
she is 15 years old

My advice - talk to her. Be honest and tell what a shithole the internet can be and what kind of perverts she might run into - only if she knows what's out there can she be somewhat prepared and react responsibly.

If you have reason to believe that she might not stick to your agreements, increase the time the browser on her machine keeps her browsing history, set iChat's prefs (or install a multi-protocol IM app and set its prefs) so that all conversations will be logged to a file and check on her every now and then. If you guys have broadband plus a hardware router, jot down her machine's IP Address and take a peekt at the logs every now and then. If she violates agreements you could also block access to certain addresses/-ranges/URL's in the router settings.

In the end your actions will mostly depend on what kind of a relationship the two of you have (more "buddy-like"/"authoritarian"/etc.)

[cjrivera]

.Mac subscribers recieve (or at least did in the past) Norton Parental control for free. It may be on your iDisk somewhere.

That is a big help with little kids on the internet. Not sure how well it would be for a teenager.

Like someone may have mentioned above, put the computer in a public place where you don't have to stand over her shoulder to watch her, but she's less likely to get into trouble.

[TheBadgerHunter]

15? I suppose you could try and block "bad stuff". You'd certainly want to keep her off IRC and if possible chat rooms. Aside from protecting her from pervs (something that you should teach her about, not block her from) not much else you can do.

[cjrivera]

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
she is 15 years old

Is she a real 15 years old girl (translation: a 15 year old female)

or an "internet" 15 year old girl (translation: some 40 year old guy on the internet pretending to be a 15 yo girl)

[turtle777]

Originally posted by cjrivera:
Is she a real 15 years old girl (translation: a 15 year old female)

or an "internet" 15 year old girl (translation: some 40 year old guy on the internet pretending to be a 15 yo girl)

Highly unlikely that her own brother would now the difference...

-t

[Goldfinger]

Originally posted by effgee:
My advice - talk to her. Be honest and tell what a shithole the internet can be and what kind of perverts she might run into - only if she knows what's out there can she be somewhat prepared and react responsibly.

If you have reason to believe that she might not stick to your agreements, increase the time the browser on her machine keeps her browsing history, set iChat's prefs (or install a multi-protocol IM app and set its prefs) so that all conversations will be logged to a file and check on her every now and then. If you guys have broadband plus a hardware router, jot down her machine's IP Address and take a peekt at the logs every now and then. If she violates agreements you could also block access to certain addresses/-ranges/URL's in the router settings.

In the end your actions will mostly depend on what kind of a relationship the two of you have (more "buddy-like"/"authoritarian"/etc.)

Oh and do 15 year old girls even know what IRC is ? I don't think so. chat rooms yes, but IRC ? no.

[Mastrap]

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
she is 15 years old

In which case she is most probably fine. Keep an eye on her but I suspect that any overt control would only invite the urge to bypass them. You've got to trust teens, otherwise they'll never grow up.

[rozwado1]

She's 15 and from So-Cal --> she knows what porn is. Don't block her access to the internet. She won't IRC - nobody but us dorks know how to do that. She'll IM her friends and get addicted to that. She may look at porn, but she's a girl so she'll get over it quick. Don't worry --> she's 15 (that's 'old' now)

Hey, at least she's not F'ing guys. (bc 15 year olds know about sex too)

[Mr Kino]

Originally posted by rozwado1:
She's 15 and from So-Cal --> she knows what porn is. Don't block her access to the internet. She won't IRC - nobody but us dorks know how to do that. She'll IM her friends and get addicted to that. She may look at porn, but she's a girl so she'll get over it quick. Don't worry --> she's 15 (that's 'old' now)

Hey, at least she's not F'ing guys. (bc 15 year olds know about sex too)

kinda of straight forward there dude. But i get your point.

I have decided to not give her AIM, IRC, MSN messenger, Yahoo mesenger. i have also decided to install a keystroke logger and inform her about the evils of the internet world and that she better not cross the line cause big brother is watching her.

oh if i catch a guy even looking at my little sister, they will never find his body. heh.

thank you all for your advice.

[zerostar]

I met this guy's younger sister online, only problem is he blocked her from using the internet, anyone know a way around this? K Thanks.

*** Kidding ***

On the topic, honestly you sound like you are over protecting her, how old are you yourself? Does she live with you on a full time basis?

Installing a key stroke recorder without telling her would be horrible, I hope you tell her specifically what you are doing. Lying to her will only encourage her lying to you. Why should she be honest if you are not honest?

Being truthful and OPEN with her will in turn return the same from her, no, not 100% of the time, but kids make mistakes, that is part of learning, and seems to me you are taking that away. If you restrict her from everything they will only be curious and do it elsewhere, out of your supervision, trust me, as a father of a woman.

Personally, my 15 year old daughter was trusted enough to use the internet by herself, before that we always had the computer she used in the family room. I understand every child is different and perhaps she can't be trusted for past actions? I don't know specifically. But if she has been dishonest in the past, ask yourself this, was her guardian/parent/brother/authority figure dishonest with her in some way?

Kids learn trust and honesty from their parents more than they will admit, if you stop and look it can become clear.

[Captain Obvious]

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
kinda of straight forward there dude. But i get your point.

I have decided to not give her AIM, IRC, MSN messenger, Yahoo mesenger. i have also decided to install a keystroke logger and inform her about the evils of the internet world and that she better not cross the line cause big brother is watching her.

oh if i catch a guy even looking at my little sister, they will never find his body. heh.

thank you all for your advice.

How about this, let your parents set her limits.

Sh!t, I am over protective and my sisters are younger than yours. But at a certain point I give them some credit and trust their judgment. My sisters are good kids and they know where to draw the line with something this minor. Spying on them would be a huge violation of the trust they put in me and if they ever found out it would pose a real obstacle later in life when they do have more serious things on their plate than what they encounter on the internet.
Your sister is 15, next year she'll be driving. With that personal freedom you can expect she'll have to deal with drinking and if she hasn't already she'll be rounding at least second base with some guy. (unless she is fugly, fat, and unpopular) What she encounters on the internet will pale in comparison with what she will have to deal with soon. If she was 11 this may be a valid concern but she is too old to be babied with something like this. Leave the computer in a common area of the house and be done with it.

Plus what kind of 15 year old today can't figure a way around blocked AIM or MSN

[TeknoTurd]

You could always turn on logging on the router. I personally think it's a better option to peruse those logs than to install blocking software on her computer, no doubt she'll resent you for that.

[f1000]

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
kinda of straight forward there dude. But i get your point.

I have decided to not give her AIM, IRC, MSN messenger, Yahoo mesenger. i have also decided to install a keystroke logger and inform her about the evils of the internet world and that she better not cross the line cause big brother is watching her.

oh if i catch a guy even looking at my little sister, they will never find his body. heh.

thank you all for your advice.

I realize that you mean well, but how many of us would've tolerated our parents putting a video camera in our closet or a bug on the telephone? You're her brother, not her father, and what you're doing is in no way acceptable. A keystroke logger? You could be breaking Federal wiretapping laws since you'd be listening in on everyone your sister talks to. A jury might even accuse YOU of being a creepy voyeur.

She's not a man, so I doubt she'll go actively searching for porn like adolescent boys do. In any case, she's going to be subjected to a lot of raunchy stuff when she goes to college anyway, so it's better to simply warn her about men, pervs, and exploiters, and how best to avoid or deal with them. Casually leave some true crime stories for her to read if you want to teach her to be cautious (I recommend Ted Bundy). Locking your sister in a convent with 24 hours surveillance, though, only tells her that the world is an unredeemably dangerous place. That's not a healthy philosophy to instill in anyone.

More importantly, you will eventually force your sister to sneak around behind your back in order to fulfill her God-given procreative duties. That could actually put her in more serious danger, because then nobody would know what has happened to her if she suddenly vanishes without a trace.

If chat is really that populated by pedophiles (I've never used such program myself), then don't install the application on the computer and do block the relevant ports on the firewall (if possible). If she's deadset on using chat, though, let her figure it out on her own and simply warn her about the potential dangers of meeting a creepy perve... you know, the type that might put a keystroke logger on his sister's computer.

[Psychonaut]

You old fuddy-duddies.

Talk with her, most certainly. But I seriously doubt she could be corrupted by internet access.

If you're going to block anything, I'd filter out sites on 'suicide' (tricky, since it might block out depression support groups) and 'anorexia.'

The net's a double-edge sword. I've had to talk a fair share of teenie-boppers out of suicide, but if it weren't for the internet they'd've had no one to speak with.

EDIT: Read your post. Oh my god, I don't know any teenage girl that could possibly live without AIM. I think you're being way too overprotective. How much would you resent your parents/older sibling if they read all your conversations online? That's akin to listening in when she's on the phone or reading her diary. The internet can be a wonderful thing, but over-protective restrictions can completely spoil and retard the experience.

[wiffmaster]

I appreciate what you're trying to do as her brother, but you have to accept you can't protect her from the big, bad world forever.

Keyloggers and banning her from AIM, MSN, etc is too far I think (but banning from anomanous chat rooms is ok).

I'm only 17 and have been using MSN for years. I'd be pissed if my Mum and Dad 'listened' into my private conversations with my friends. Nobody I know has ever got into trouble because of the internet (grooming, etc), because they have common sense. If she has common sense, she'll be fine.

Kids get drunk, you know it's going to happen, but rather than banning alcohol, you tell kids to accept its consequences and be responisble for their own actions. They all get drunk at 16 ish, but soon they grow up, and soon (most!) move on with no problems.

You probably think by being very cautious you're helping her - you're not, you're giving her a 'sugar coated' version of real life, and when she realises real life isn't ike that, she's more likely to go off the rails than if she had more freedom. Kids make mistakes, but they know, much, much more than you think/would like them to.

[wdlove]

It can be scary, wishing you all the best.

[Big Mac]

Yeah, I have to say that the original poster is probably being a bit too protective, and it really likely isn't a sibling's role to enforce such restrictions - unless circumstances are outside the norm. The thing is, it's difficult enough for parents to restrict something like 'net access; a brother trying to enforce decency standards on a sister sounds like a recipe for strong discontent. Keystroke logging is definitely not a good thing to do, as it will most certainly foster resentment and distrust. And it's questionable whether or not monitor/blocking software of any sort is appropriate for older kids. You can certainly find a lot of filth online, but usually you have to do a little something to find it, except in the case of spam coming spontaneously to some domains. If I were in the OP's shoes, his sister would get a .Mac email only account (since it has great spam blocking), be given some Internet awareness/safe conduct advice, and then be expected to be responsible online. On the other hand, if his sister has demonstrated that she cannot be trusted with too much responsibility, it may be a better idea to scrap giving her separate Internet access at this time.

[Mr Kino]

yes i will admit, i am VERY over protective of my little sister. I didint think you guys would think that not allowing AIM or other chat programs was over board. I guess i dont think it would be a big loss, because i rarely chat online anymore. but you guys convinced me.. i will not be installing a key logger, i guess that would be a bit much.

I will sit her down, talk to her about having internet access and the great and bad things that it can bring. I will also tell her that i will be monitoring her History on safari from time to time. And no chat rooms at all!

[RAILhead]

Originally posted by turtle777:
There are no effective ways to filter out Google image search.
Also, the weirdest innocent pages are blocked. I found it not too clever...

-t

...so...when an "innocent" page gets blocked, you simply add it to the whitelist of approved sites. Two seconds, done. Can't get much more clever than that.

Maury

[itistoday]

15 years old? I completely agree with Goldfinger, if she's intelligent, there should be no problem. 15 year old girls or boys get more than enough of their share of perversion at school anyway. I understand that all older brothers/fathers want to keep their little princesses as pure and innocent as possible, but that's just not possible when they're going into their "late teens". Intelligence is the answer really, if she's smart, you've got nothing to worry about.

[rozwado1]

btw, your sister sounds hot.

[goMac]

I wouldn't be too worried. I set up my younger sister with internet when she was 13, and she had access before then. Just set up a base AIM account in iChat, set up her email, and you're good to go. Most teenagers just want to check email and chat with friends anyway. If you set everything up for her, she probably won't end up wandering around the internet trying to get stuff herself.

[TheJoshu]

Others have already said it, but at fifteen in this millennium there's not much on the Big Bad Internet to surprise you. That said, there are dangers - it may not occur to her not to give her real name out, for instance - and it's surely a wise idea to simply explain that. Be open and honest, I reckon, and keep a dialogue going. You'll both be much happier for it.

[f1000]

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
I will sit her down, talk to her about having internet access and the great and bad things that it can bring. I will also tell her that i will be monitoring her History on safari from time to time. And no chat rooms at all!

Why don't you check in on her hymen from time to time as well?

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
yes i will admit, i am VERY over protective of my little sister. I didint think you guys would think that not allowing AIM or other chat programs was over board. I guess i dont think it would be a big loss, because i rarely chat online anymore. but you guys convinced me.. i will not be installing a key logger, i guess that would be a bit much.

Treat women the way you'd want other men to treat your sister. That's really the first thing you should do. If you set a good example for her, she'll come to expect certain behaviors from her suitors.

[itistoday]

Originally posted by f1000:
Why don't you check in on her hymen from time to time as well?
Treat women the way you'd want other men to treat your sister. That's really the first thing you should do. If you set a good example for her, she'll come to expect certain behaviors from her suitors.

[CreepingDeth]

A little bit overboard. She probably watches alot of MTV/mass media outlets that usually broadcast alot of crap, much of it very sexual in nature. So it's not like she already hasn't been told by the media to have sex before you're 18, etc. She probably knows more at her age than you do know, unfortunately. And I doubt she will be looking up porn.

If your parents raised her right and told her/implied that she shouldn't be looking up 'suicide' on Google, there shouldn't be that much of a problem. Taking away AIM is going to get you a world full of nagging. Nix the idea.
As long as you trust her not to do messed up things like that, everything should be fine without the restrictions.

[itistoday]

The only thing you have to worry about really is some pervert getting her name/address on some chatroom. Other than that, she either already knows or will find out sooner or later about anything online... It's not like it's the worst thing in the world. Are you afraid she might stumble upon a goatse link and have a seizure or something?

[turtle777]

Originally posted by RAILhead:
...so...when an "innocent" page gets blocked, you simply add it to the whitelist of approved sites. Two seconds, done. Can't get much more clever than that.

Maury

After doing it ten times within 30 minutes, this game becomes sort of boring. Got it ?
If you are the Admin, and someone in your family needs you to update the whitelist every 7 minutes

-t

[qualey2]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
How about perverts trying to make her meet them. The statistics are really high for that sort of thing.

Linkage

[Albert Pujols]

Originally posted by Mr Kino:
she is 15 years old

I was allowed to surf the internet all I wanted when I was 12, and I turned out fine, well I guess I was doing alright until I found MacNN.

[effgee]

Originally posted by turtle777:
After doing it ten times within 30 minutes, this game becomes sort of boring. Got it ?
If you are the Admin, and someone in your family needs you to update the whitelist every 7 minutes

Quite true.

Why not turn on "Safe Search" in Google, let it set its cookie and then block the address of the Google prefs page in your router settings (for that one Mac only, or as necessary for several machines by IP)?