In DRUG REHABILITATION / Tags: about, addiction, gaming, internet, kids, need, study, they /
Question by : What can I do about my kids addiction to internet gaming, but they need the internet to study.?
I have two children, 12 and 14, and they both have their own laptops. With the way schools are heading, kids almost require internet access for studies. The problem is that my kids are playing games more than they’re studying and their grades are suffering severely.
We can’t ALWAYS be there to monitor what both of my kids are doing on the internet, and with our jobs, we can’t drive them back and forth to a library so many times.
Since internet access is a requirement for scholarly studies, how can I block access to internet games and computer games without blocking the use of internet for study?
I don’t want to completely deprive them of fun time, but limiting the amount of time or scheduling would be desireable.
Please know that my son is very computer savvy and can find ways around certain parental controls.
Is there a program that I can use that will start upon bootup so that my son can’t mess with the configurations?
Best answer:
Answer by Jenli
It sounds like they need some parental limits set.
If he is computer savvy then anything that you can install and manage on a Windows system is also something that he can easily defeat with just a little bit of research.
Passwords are really easy to crack on Windows even on XP and Vista so trying to lock him out through administration isn’t going to work either.
Since it is unlikely that you can out smart them then you are just going to have to find a way to use parental authority as a means of control.
~BTW~ Parental filters like CyberPatrol and NetNanny are easy for a computer savvy person to defeat with simple hacks so don’t think that they are going to work.
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guess i would talk to the school about why they need the internet at that age.
as an addicted to internet while having to study form net, my best advice is to leave them alone, they will get tiered at a time. but it depends on their age as well. if they are young, put time limit for them, and let them study in their time, if they wanted to take more time, they have to take your permission. that would be a good idea i suppose
Plety of programs around. Symantec Internet security or similar has parental controls that are password protected ad should help.
McAfee and other also have.
Any store that sells compute software should have these and more.
I hope this helps !
In most home routers there are settings you can allow and block web pages.
I assume you have a router with at least 2 machines with internet connectivity, so start there. Not knowing what you have is why I can’t comment on the “how to”.
There are a few things you can do to control your problem. You can block specific ports via your router that are used by Internet games. You can also set your router to block access to certain computers (i.e. your kids’ computers) between certain hours (i.e. bedtime). However, if your kids are computer savvy and have access to the hardware (I’m assuming you don’t keep your router locked up) they will be able to bypass these measures.
You’re best step is to confront your kids and lay down some rules. You’re still the boss. If they break the rules you establish, follow through with punishment. Kids start to act up and go behind your back when you let them get away with stuff so you have to be consistent and vigilant. If they’re persistent with an unhealthy amount of gaming, take away computer access and only allow them online for specific pre-determined reasons and limit access to a finite period of time. The nice thing about laptops is that they can be locked away very easily.
To me, its more important to teach kids about how to use their time well and experience the world via something other than an LCD screen than it is to learn the details about advanced router configuration.
NetNanny was recently acquired by ContentWatch (designed for employers). It has session ghosting with remote administration and controls.
If your kid mucks around with it to cover their tracks, you’ll know.
Or create admin and user accounts and disable the port range on your router and firewall for gaming. That would stop them.