steve-in-kville

This has very little to do with addiction (other than I am one) but about kids and internet. Most of our children have devices. I use parental controls, time limits, everything I can do. The ones in school are limited to a few hours in the evening plus wider parameters on the weekends.

We use a wireless internet booster and the older ones discovered they can go in through that and I cannot see it on my parental controls. We discovered this the hard way when we had to call the internet company and he could see what was happening.

I thought about changing the password every few days but its a pain to re-enter it on so many devices. I need the web full time for work, so I can't just shut the modem down.

Any ideas? I thought of buying a more powerful router so we could do away with the booster. I thought of using another parental control system other than what the cable company gave us.

steve-in-kville

Reason I posted this here is I remember reading in this forum of having a system of confiscating devices until chores are completed. I welcome and ideas.

oddsunflower

When this issue was a problem in our house, I would have them put their devices in my file cabinet and lock it. The devices were not allowed after 8pm and only after chores and homework were complete. I didn't set a time limit per se because they would work harder and faster if they knew they would get more playtime. Also learned to take the power cord from the playstation because my son knew he could still get on the internet this way. For punishment, I would lock up chargers on the weekend....they could have their devices but had to choose wisely how to use them. (They were not allowed to leave the house without at least 25% charge on their phones)Router upgrades are nice. We got one now that can be "paused" from my phone only. It is kind of funny to see them come running when the internet drops on them.

nez

I don't know of any extenders that have parental controls, however even if you managed to secure things network wise, the lessons of personal responsibility and consequences would fall by the wayside. Set clear boundaries and consequences. Make sure they are understood by all. Follow through on those boundaries and consequences. Your kids will benefit in the long run. When your kids have kids, they will pass along the knowledge. Side note...I am network certified... and an alcoholic in recovery :~)

dandylion

steve-in-keville…...I am sorry to say that I cannot give you any practical advice in this matter....But....I can certainly relate to your concerns and I salute you for realizing the need for parental supervision and boundaries around the use of devices and the internet by your children.
My children are, now, grown....and I pity parents who are facing the subject of the internet, with their children. I am soooo glad that I don't have to struggle with this, now....lol...…
The internet has brought so many wonderful possibilities into all of our lives....
but, our basic parental responsibilities remain the same....to get them, safely, to adulthood---and, prepared to navigate life on their own....
to me...one of the biggest part of that is to humanize them....to teach them how to relate to other humans in a way that enriches their lives....
We are, essentially, such social creatures...and, as such we need to learn quality interpersonal skills....how t form strong bonds and communication with others.....which, I feel is learned by actively engaging with others...face to face....and, not with our heads buried in tablets, 24/7....
Is it any wonder that one of the greatest problems that our young people are struggling with is lonliness?

LOL...you can see that these are the musings of an old fossil...…

I am sure that others with more technical savviness will be able to answer your questions.....

CRRHCC

The extender – be it an wired access point or a wifi repeater – just feeds what it gets from the router.

I had 4 kids at home (4500 sq feet) and had the same problem. There are many ways to tackle this problem but you absolutely need it to be easy for you. Get the best router you can buy with wide coverage. Tweak the router firmware.

Remember, the simplest definition of addiction is a repeat behavior that has adverse consequences. This includes internet.

This might be a good opportunity to discuss why your children have a need to use the internet beyond your parental wishes.

steve-in-kville

Thanks for the replies. The other issue is they got smart and downloaded games and material while the wifi was up so they had something to do when their device was paused for the night.

My control system allows me to each device to a profile. My older teenagers started buying new devices and selling or get this, leasing their older devices to their younger siblings who are under stricter limits.

My house is a riot...

dandylion

steve-in=kville…..OMG.....this sounds, to me, like the kind of stuff that keeps parents awake, at night.
I am wondering if there are parent support groups, or classes, or seminars for helping parents navigate these kinds of issues with their children...? I sure do think that it is needed.....
so much of this, looks to me, like uncharted waters.....
Yikes!

steve-in-kville

Locking up devices for the night sounds all good, but they'll borrow an older brother's if they're desperate. Also, since most share a room with a sibling, it could turn into a rat-fest if one sneaks a device.

And then there's the free hotspots we have in our area...