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Parental controls aren't for parents

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Re: Parental controls aren't for parents

#11

Post by miroljub »

zaphar wrote: post #4

I don't know if this works for anyone other than our family but when we were raising our kids we solved this by the simple of expedient that gaming and computer use was done with us as parents present. Full stop. It was not a solo activity for our kids. We could directly view everything they were doing online the entire time.

And then, we pretend we are surprised why the majority of adults don't care about privacy.

Why would they? They grew up being 100% controlled with 0 privacy. They don't even know it doesn't have to be like that. Then, it was their parents violating their privacy, now it's government and corporations.

Re: Parental controls aren't for parents

#12

Post by sylens »

zaphar wrote: post #4

I don't know if this works for anyone other than our family but when we were raising our kids we solved this by the simple of expedient that gaming and computer use was done with us as parents present. Full stop. It was not a solo activity for our kids. We could directly view everything they were doing online the entire time.

When I was a kid, my Sega Genesis was connected to the TV in my parents bedroom. It made it impossible to play without their knowledge or when they were asleep.

Re: Parental controls aren't for parents

#13

Post by GaryBluto »

zpeti wrote: post #8

Last time I checked disney plus doesn't have any option to hide specific shows. None. You either let your child watch everything, or nothing. At least netflix allows me to hide certain shows...

You can block by age rating quite easily it seems.

https://help.disneyplus.com/en-GB/article/disneyplus-parenta...

If you don't want your child watching specific shows despite an appropriate age rating, have you considered only letting them watch it while you're with them?

Re: Parental controls aren't for parents

#15

Post by zaphar »

miroljub wrote: post #11
zaphar wrote: post #4

I don't know if this works for anyone other than our family but when we were raising our kids we solved this by the simple of expedient that gaming and computer use was done with us as parents present. Full stop. It was not a solo activity for our kids. We could directly view everything they were doing online the entire time.

And then, we pretend we are surprised why the majority of adults don't care about privacy. Why would they? They grew up being 100% controlled with 0 privacy. They don't even know it doesn't have to be like that. Then, it was their parents violating their privacy, now it's government and corporations.

A five year old is not prepared to engage online with privacy. They have not had the necessary training yet. They will not get that training unless you are there to show them how to negotiate that world. They will not magically learn how to protect themselves if you just leave them to figure it out themselves.

Re: Parental controls aren't for parents

#16

Post by kotaKat »

> ...It also unlocks access to the Nintendo eShop, which I cannot disable. I can set his eShop spending limit to zero, sure. But I can't block free downloads. So to let my son play online Minecraft with his friends, I have to open him up to an unrelated store full of content I can't possibly evaluate. That's the deal. Take it or leave it.

Hoooooboy you're in for a treat once you see the deals on all the weird "hentai" and "ecchi" softcore games on eShop that Nintendo let past the lotcheck process.

Re: Parental controls aren't for parents

#17

Post by whythough1234 »

GuestFAUniverse wrote: post #7

People who decide to implement such bad tech are probably childless, or so much into their company, instead of their family, that they barely see their own children. The same people who joke about the uselessness of "moral".

You might be right they are distracted (mostly by capital). It’s a chicken and egg problem. You have to build the platform to stop the abuse on the platform.

The otherside is hands off parenting. I think after about 2 children, parents tend to get tired of being so restrictive there for the youngest gets what they want and other stereotypes.

In the end it’s probably not about the tightness so much as remaining involved and honest and open with your child.

Re: Parental controls aren't for parents

#18

Post by losthobbies »

The Roblox ones are a bit of a minefield too.

I age restrict, block chat with everyone and monitor friend requests weekly. They are not allowed to play in their rooms.

Education is the biggest thing. They come to me if someone asks to be their friend. They don’t accept gifts from strangers and I explain that it’s the same as real world.

It’s a constant process that is always changing. Same as any other parenting job I suppose

Re: Parental controls aren't for parents

#19

Post by Wowfunhappy »

The issues with the Nintendo Switch are, I think, just Nintendo being perennially bad at anything involving the internet. Remember Friend Codes?

They've definitely gotten better, but they're still kind of living in 2008. I'm not sure why a company full of software engineers can't figure this out.

I do find it odd there's no option to outright disable the internet (except for software updates). Perhaps the best solution is to not give your child the wifi password? Or for a more technical solution, block the Switch's MAC address in the router.

Re: Parental controls aren't for parents

#20

Post by nkrisc »

miroljub wrote: post #11
zaphar wrote: post #4

I don't know if this works for anyone other than our family but when we were raising our kids we solved this by the simple of expedient that gaming and computer use was done with us as parents present. Full stop. It was not a solo activity for our kids. We could directly view everything they were doing online the entire time.

And then, we pretend we are surprised why the majority of adults don't care about privacy. Why would they? They grew up being 100% controlled with 0 privacy. They don't even know it doesn't have to be like that. Then, it was their parents violating their privacy, now it's government and corporations.

Privacy is a privilege granted relative to age and maturity.

Most 5-year olds should be allowed to close the bathroom door while doing their business, they should not be permitted to access the internet privately.

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