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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Effective Parental Controls

5 replies

Joey1925 · 29/06/2018 20:08

Hi All, just wondered whether anyone had experience of a really effective parental control IT system. My 15 year old DS is addicted to xBox and any screen he can access. If I take away his xBox, he will gravitate towards his mobile, TV, laptop or iPad. It's becoming such a problem. We currently have BT which, whilst it is good, he knows his way around it and is really clever at resetting it.

I've recently had the BT hub moved to a location that is lockable but he's found a solution to that. He just recreates his ip address so that there are various versions of his xbox on the system. So that I turn off one version and he just simply reinvents it on the system and carries on playing.

He's also used Wifi hotspots to piggy back off so that he can operate his xBox but I have a solution to that, I'm moving his account to EE who have shared data plan. From now on he earns data and I can remove data if I wish.

Any other ideas would be warmly welcomed.

My husband and I are going through a divorce. My husband's been a nightmare with him. Every single time I try to get my DS to do his homework and my son becomes rude and aggressive, he takes his side. We are still living together and my STBX will blow his top if I turn off the wifi so I've had to keep it on and just turn it off per device which is not ideal. Although the contract has recently changed to my name and I pay for it so I'm thinking maybe I should defy him.

Anyway, any other ideas would be warmly welcomed. Next year is DS's GCSE year and the way things look right now, he will fail so I have to take action.

Many thanks

[Edited names out to protect OPs privacy]

OP posts:
JiltedJohnsJulie · 30/06/2018 09:00

I don’t have any ideas but do you realise you’ve used your DS real name? It can be identifying. I’d ask MNHQ to edit your post Smile

IWantMyHatBack · 30/06/2018 10:15

On my router there's a way to only allow permitted MAC addresses, so you can leave the WiFi on, but only allow certain devices.

Concerner · 01/07/2018 00:56

Please don't do that! If he wants to use his phone or play games he will. If you really have a problem with that get rid of his phone / Xbox all together!

InterstellarSleepingElla · 01/07/2018 01:10

Also be aware even with parental controls they can use proxy servers and bypass parental controls altogether.

LornaMumsnet · 01/07/2018 14:44

OP, we've just edited your son's name out of your opening post - hope that's okay with you. Flowers

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