This doesn't seem like a step in the right direction...

[Ravenshire]

It seems that every time I read an article about the latest greatest cash grab OS from Micro$oft I find another reason not to upgrade to it. I cannot see willingly upgrading to 10. I really wish there were more options than Win, Mac or Linux.

[Aractus]

A Feature in Windows 10 might "Out" LGBT children to their parents.  

I'm all for parents having a bit of control over the internet usage in their homes, but I'm not sure what to think of this?

What do the masses think?

It actually sounds to me like a valuable feature for parents. Yes you should in principle monitor your child's access to the internet, however as we have more and more devices and laptops are becoming a standardised teaching tool in schools it does seem necessary to have other options available. This feature is already available from third-party software you know (NetNanny, Norton Family, etc), all it does is make it a core feature in Windows 10 meaning that parent's don't need to install third-party software to get the functionality. All I can say is that it's about time. This should have been a feature available since Windows XP.

I'm sure most kids turn it off.  They are far more techno-savvy than their parents.

Well assuming their parent's don't give their children's accounts Administrator status - no they can't "turn it off". Even with admin access you can install drivers in complete stealth that most kids would never be able to remove.

Note that I was able in 2011 to remove a driver-level virus that "nobody else on the internet" seemed to have been able to remove since 2009 without reinstalling windows once their computer had become infected (see this blog post). I was using AVG at the time by the way (I currently use Avast), I do know that I never mentioned that on the page and I made it sound as if I don't run anti-virus software - that was more my reflection of how I generally feel apathetic towards anti-virus software.

Yeah kids might be able to find the program in Task Manager, but they will never find it in Device Manager - not without uninstalling other important drivers the computer needs.

[Spooky]

It's possible this is still a moot point, since smart phones allow nearly all the access a computer does, but without the issue of having to run windows. I'm sure there's similar programs in place for Android, but children can be sly little bastards.

[Aractus]

Well yes, there certainly should be a way to limit access on smartphones. Even OpenDNS has parental controls (and blocks ads now out of the box), but smartphones as yet have no way of making permanent DNS changes that affect any internet connection (you can modify them per connection, but you can't make them apply for other connections). Plus kids could easily change them to something else.

It's not like it'd be hard to do either - all you need is to put "advanced settings" behind an administrator password (and not the phone's PIN), and then put in DNS options there and other advanced internet-related settings and any other parental controls.

[Divinity]

I always gave my kids privacy. But I also told them not to agree to meet any fucking strangers on the internet. And they knew I was serious about that. They were good about listening to me. Unfortunately not all kids are good about listening, and they might meet that stranger on the internet, and that could end up being pretty fucked up. And that's the true danger of the internet and kids imo. And probably especially so for LGBT Youths who might attract unwanted attention from pedophiles (because they're easier targets, not because pedophiles are gay. Pedophilia isn't really about gender attraction)

This leads to many potential problems though:

LGBT kids and teens outed to parents.
Atheists kids and teens outed to parents

On the other side you want to make sure your kid isn't planning on shooting up their school, or meeting a stranger who promised them gifts.

Kids are usually very tech savvy, but parents are getting older and the gap isn't quite as big. Perhaps an ideal solution is that kids should constantly be reminded that their parents have the alert system. So at the very least LGBT and Atheist kids won't out themselves accidentally, and decide to get advice elsewhere so their parents aren't monitoring them. Not to mention a kid who is reminded they are being watched is less likely to look up something they shouldn't in the first place. It's like cops and cameras. Not sure that's the best fucking solution, but it's a start.

[Edwardo Piet]

I wish I'd had less privacy as a kid, tbh.

[Spooky]

I wish I'd had less privacy as a kid, tbh.

Fair enough. I personally would have wished for a little more. Every kid is different I suppose.

[MentalGiant]

Flagging porn sites (for minor children) is ok in my book. I don't think it's a healthy thing for the sexually inexperienced to view since it distorts sexual expectations.

Flagging LGBT support sites on the other hand is definitely not ok IMO. This seems like a big step backwards for teens struggling to accept their sexuality or having difficulty coming out.

[Edwardo Piet]

Couldn't agree more MentalGiant.

I asked my dad what porn was... rather than telling me he just refused to tell me and said I'm too young to know. So I googled it and kept it from him at age 12. It wasn't until age about 23-24 that I even felt comfortable telling people that I watch porn.

[Spooky]

Couldn't agree more MentalGiant.

I asked my dad what porn was... rather than telling me he just refused to tell me and said I'm too young to know. So I googled it and kept it from him at age 12. It wasn't until age about 23-24 that I even felt comfortable telling people that I watch porn.

Many people take much longer to admit it. That's indicative of a secure person. Good for you