Limit computer access

Parents need to in some way limit their child's access to the computer. The Internet means that your computer is connected to the world and this can potentially lead to problems if your child has a free reign to do what he or she wants.
First of all, a child needs to be able to limit him or herself. He or she needs to be educated about the problems associated with computer use, and needs to work within prescribed limits and rules.

Teach children about exploitation, pornography, hate literature, excessive violence, and other issues that concern you so they know how to respond when they see this material.

Don't ban the Internet. It's an important part of most kids' social lives. Instead, establish family Internet rules and limits about where your kids can go on-line and what they can do there. These limits might include: a limited amount of time on-line each day; no surfing or instant messaging until kids complete their homework; no chat rooms or on-line adult content. Children, being children, may struggle to keep to such verbal agreements, in which is it is essential to use software to limit your child's access to the computer (see below).

Suggest alternatives. If your children seem interested only in playing on-line video games, try an off-line tie-in to one of their favorite games. For example, if your child enjoys fantasy role-playing games, encourage her or him to read fantasy books.

Make use of commercially available software such as Chronoger, which can limit your child's access to the computer. This programs are vital in the vast majority of cases in which children are unlikely to regularly stick to verbal agreements about computer and Internet use.

Chronoger can limit your child's access to the computer by allowing you set up when he or she can access the computer as a whole, and all of its individual functions; such as the Internet, particular programs, and the CDROM.