[concerned parent]

Here is my problem. How do or how can I monitor my 15 year old son computer activity? The problem I'm faced with is that his pc is password protected and he will not provide it to my wife or I (there's a surprise) this would lead me to beleive he's hiding his activities for a reason. My goal is to fiind out what he's up to when he's on line, but how? Ultimately I would like to gain access to his pc from my pc secretly. What options are available to me, e.g. pc sniffer, password retriever, spyware... anything.
This is extremely important to me because he's online all the time and we've noticed behavioral issues as (what we feel) a result of. is there any type of free ware that is available for me to help with this problem? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[Advertisements]

What options are available to me, e.g. pc sniffer, password retriever, spyware... anything.

Do you really think a site that is actively against viruses, spyware, malware, would recommend spyware to a user.....Do you know how dangerous and rash that idea is ?


I am quite positive this topic is against the TOU, I suggest you read it.

My advice would be to sit down with your son and chat about this, rather than try hack his PC. Put restrictions on the amount of time he can use it. I will keep this open as there could be some good feedback, but there is to be no talking about hacking a PC or password or I will have to close it.


There are programs that are legal, to monitor a PCs usage, but without the password you wont be able to do that.

[Rorschach112]

What options are available to me, e.g. pc sniffer, password retriever, spyware... anything.

Do you really think a site that is actively against viruses, spyware, malware, would recommend spyware to a user.....Do you know how dangerous and rash that idea is ?


I am quite positive this topic is against the TOU, I suggest you read it.

My advice would be to sit down with your son and chat about this, rather than try hack his PC. Put restrictions on the amount of time he can use it. I will keep this open as there could be some good feedback, but there is to be no talking about hacking a PC or password or I will have to close it.


There are programs that are legal, to monitor a PCs usage, but without the password you wont be able to do that.

[Transience]

I would tend to agree with Rorschach - being a teenage son myself I know if my parents came to me with legitimate concerns about my computer usage I'd do everything within my power to make sure I maintained their trust. Talk with him one on one about it, going behind his back and trying to hack his PC is not only illegal but also not very likely to solve the problem.

[hfcg]

Windows Vista has very good parental controls.
You can set the time that a child may use the computer, what may or may not be done on the computer, filter web content, choose what games may be played, ETc...
Buy a computer with Vista (home premium on up), set an administrator account and password for yourself, and a limited account for your child.
OR upgrade the computer that is being used to Vista.
Already have Vista on the computer? When the child is on the computer create an administrator account and use a password that the child will not guess and change the childs account to a limited account.
Then you will be able to set parental controls.
Vista's parental controls will give you a log of all activitys from the limited account.
Doing this with the childs knowledge is much more honest then spying on the child with out his knowledge.
Talk to him, let him know that you are setting limits.

[Major Payne]

If you can not sit down and talk to your son about the use of YOUR computer, yes, it IS YOURS as your are the parent and he lives under your roof and you are RESPONSIBLE for all his activity on the computer, both legal/illegal activity he may be engaged in, I would take the computer away from him until he allows you free access.

If he does finally grant you the password, I would set up an Admin account with your own password and make his account(s) only with Guest privileges. If this is not going to work for you, I would simply use the Recovery disk that came with the computer and reset it to when it was first bought. Final solution if you have a full install CD for Windows, is to wipe the hard drive and install a fresh Operating System. Then go through setting up the Admin password that only you know and have him log in as a Guest with limited permissions.

I would NEVER let my son take control like that, but WOULD try to reason and work out some compromise before resorting to, what could be, a bad solution.

[Troy]

All good opinions so far... Another option would be to use a decent router to limit the child's internet time.

[zarby]

Try this : http://www1.k9webprotection.com/

Hope this helps.

Zarby

[BHowett]

There is really no need to reply to topics that are nine months old, 99.9% of the time its no help to the original user.

Last Seen: 29th December 2008 - 09:50 AM

[zarby]

Oops! Sorry.

[admin]

As already stated this is an old topic, and topic reply subscriptions have long since expired so these replies are likely of little use to the topic starter, or those who replied. However, I'm going to add my two cents anyway... Because I can.

We often see this question here, and almost always it's approached as a technology issue, when I think it's really a parenting issue. In my house I don't need monitoring software, because I am physically monitoring computer use. Our computers are always used in public areas of the house. You want to see what somone is doing? Look over their shoulder. No one is locked away in a room, or even has a private system -- they're all shared.

If our systems have a password, I put it there. Why on earth would a 15 year-old be allowed to put a password on their computer that prohibits access? Would you allow them to put a lock on their room if you didn't have a key?

Computers are just another form of communication. When I was young it was the telephone. I spent hours on the phone as a teenager, but I wasn't allowed to be locked away in my room where my parents had no idea what I was talking about. Did they record my converstations and listen to them later? No, they required I hold my conversations within earshot. Of course they didn't listed often, but I knew they could. It's really no different with computer communication. Whether it's IM, email, or video chat. If you need software to monitor computer use, reconsider your computer placement and usage policies.

[dsenette]

When I was young it was the telephone.

it was one of these wasn't it?

[BHowett]

or this one