Limiting Kids' Computer Time?

Bibu asks: "As a parent of three, I have to spend a lot of effort to keep my kids away from the computer. Until now, we had a Linux box in which a little cron script would just shutdown the machine after half an hour, when the kids were using it. Does someone on Slashdot have a fancier solution? One that keeps track, controls the total time per user per day, and would warn the user of the upcoming deadline (e.g. in five minutes their time is up)? Since we just moved to Mac OS X, solutions for that platform are preferred."

Hacking is not a crime!

[JumperCable]

Come on. Let the little bastards run free. None of this, I don't want the to turn out like me BS.

WHY!?!?

[Anonymous Coward]

My parents got me a Commodore 64 when I was 12. They didn't even know what a computer was, and they couldn't fathom that it was little more than a toy.

Yet, they left me the $#*!@) alone, and I played with it and played with it, and I'm a computer programmer today.

Let the kids have some #$)#@ing joy in their life. If they're on too long, then take them off yourself.

Perhaps, OMFG, they're actually DOING SOMETHING USEFUL, like filing emancipation papers!

Responsible Parenting

[Kawahee]

Be a responsible parent. Your kids don't listen to you? Beat them [thebestpag...iverse.net].

This is easy

[Darius Jedburgh]

What you need is a device like a Basic Stamp [parallax.com] which you can connect to the Mac (possibly using a USB->Serial adapter). You can then connect that to a relay board that can switch high voltages such as this [parallax.com]. Now you install a pair of flat metal plates on the seat your kids sit on when using the computer and hook them up to a relay on the relay board. Now you can write a simple app that gives your kids a 110V shock after a designated time. My kids complained at first because they said it didn't give them much warning. So later I added a pair of step down transformers to give them shocks at 30V and 60V before going for the big one. Let me tell you: I've had no problem with computer overuse.

Re:parenting?

[lunarscape]

...unless your child is not named Johnny.

Re:parenting?

[empaler]

She'll just have to learn to live with that moniker.

Re:Here's an idea... be a parent

[Anonymous Brave Guy]

I agree wholeheartedly. My parents used tools known as enhanced youngster examiners to monitor my siblings' and my behaviour. These remarkable devices (also known as EYEs) allow the enforcement of all kinds of policies, not just those related to computer use, allowing the parent to ensure that their child's behaviour is appropriate at all times. Used regularly, they can even distinguish between time spent on the computer playing the latest MMORPG and time spent browsing educational web sites and learning new things, allowing the amount of computer time permitted to vary with the way the time is spent! Best of all these devices are available free to nearly all parents, and require very little ongoing maintenance. I highly recommend them!