magellans1 After having installed and turned on the 2 Magellan to the wireless network at home, first test: Google access. Nothing!

Magellan wouldn't go. After some attempts there I noticed that the message was not of connection error and I remembered (because I had heard comments) of the “Parental Control” (the expression sounds bad in Portuguese, I know).

By accessing the configuration, I realized that Magellan, the computer that aims to help create a new generation with equal access to information, without info-excluded, allows access to... nothing.

I still struggled with the access settings, added Google to the list of sites and some more sites I remembered. For a brief moment, I evaluated the old questions of “To Instant Messenger or not to Instant Messenger?” (I did not understand why Messenger is allowed while Live Messenger is not).

At this point my son asked me “What about Skype? Can’t I talk to you through Skype?” and then, “Neither YouTube?”.

Despite the fears and doubts, I decided to do immediately what my instinct always told me and turned off the “Parent Control” and found myself thinking “Welcome to the bizarre new world of paternal censorship!”

I say “bizarro” because “Parental Control” is a concept that is used without conscience (as I see doing everything that is reviewed and published for Fathers and Sons), brings with it the danger of ignorance and contradicts what the term itself advocates.

There's no way to stop our children from being exposed to everything that goes around negative, bad and horrible. Whether it's on the Internet, at school, on the street or any other space in their lives. As much as we want to prolong their innocence for a few more years (and it all comes down to this!), prohibition and censorship have never been a solution. If you don't find out at home, you find out outside, with the silence of those you've never seen (you've never done anything as children that would contradict your parents' impositions? Nothing forbidden, just for being forbidden?).

Forget the Internet and remember that it all comes down to tracking and values! No software can replace us, Fathers, in the active task of supervising the lives of our children. Whether it's Online or Offline!

Is there any Software out there that replaces us in the tasks of Parents and teaches values to our children? Even if there were, did they use it?

The worst weapon against the “Parent Control” of our children’s real life is our ignorance as parents and letting them replace us with third parties (software or human hardware).

So if you haven't noticed, I am of the following opinion: turn off Magellan's “Parent Control”. If necessary, learn from kids accessing the Internet, follow us both online and offline. Everything else, it comes down to our role as a country: transmitting values, models and monitoring.

If you still want to connect “Parent Control”

Do not forget to give full emphasis to the word “parental”, that is, to “parents”. Whatever the software is, it will never be better than the supervision of Father or Mother. Never leave Parental Control active believing your work is done.

    • Some basic warnings:

  • Don't forget the weakness of passwords. In the case of Magellan, the first step should be to change “pte2010” to something else;

  • Older brothers create complicities with younger ones. If the older brother has different privileges from the younger brother, it is likely that they will at least share browsing experiences;

  • Try to understand what a Proxy is to avoid the more basic bypass of any safety rule;

  • It is imperative that you consult Internet access logs regularly;

  • Use alerts to know when they access specific websites;

  • As far as possible, get used to kids using their computer near their parents and never locked in their room. This precaution extends to mobile phones, as they increasingly allow full access to the Internet;

  • Try to keep kids from spending too much time on the computer, either at home or at friends'.

  • And never forget... your kids already have, or they'll have, more computer skills than you do. Some basic ways to get around Parental Control are by installing “browsers” or alternative messaging clients, or by changing access router settings, creating parallel users with total privileges, rebooting the system clock, installing a second operating system (just a USB stick or an external disk) and much more options away from a Google search (which if it cannot be done locally will be done on another computer or shared with friends).

While recently discussing this topic, a defender of the use of “Parental Control” (informatically ignorant, of course!) argued:

“ With all the dangers out there, you let your kids walk home from school? It’s the same thing!”

My answer:

  • “ Not yet, because I am aware and aware of the dangers of the journey. However, I know it's only a matter of time before I have to. Until then, I have to follow them as much as possible on the way.”

To conclude

On a visit from a friend of my children at the house, the friend asks me, with a surprised look: “Can Adriana Magellan access YouTube? And don’t you need a cable?”

This made me happy with my decision and reinforces my opinion of the Magellan effect in this new generation. Despite an initiative that I support and think is very positive; although I am very curious about the outcome of Magellan in the coming generations, are we really creating equal opportunities for today's children, or are we going to create a new type of Infoexcluded with these limitations, by providing the tools but with limited access to information?

Curiosity:

Untrusting the capacity of many Parents in realizing these issues, I did a quick Google search found on the site “ Free Assistance ” the following comments:

♪ Solrac said ♪

I can't get the magellan on the Internet, does it need a code?

12.2.09

♪ Isa said ♪

My daughter's Magellan is in trouble. The internet explorer does not open practically any page (neither frog, nor google, etc.); but I can connect to the internet, I know why I can even connect to windows messenger. Another issue is that I can't access windows LIVE messenger for example. I haven't figured out if it's the antivirus that's installed back (Avast) q is preventing or it's some other configuration. I appreciate your help. Thank you.

Isa said...

Hello, AF.

You're right on the point, because you're really only going to the school website.

I'm gonna try to reverse this situation this weekend and follow your lead. Then I'll come back to thank you or ask for more help :-)

Thank you and have a nice weekend. Bjs

13.3.09

**** said...

@ Isa,

The same has happened to hundreds of readers who visit this blog. I've noticed that 90% of the times readers can't access the net is because Parental Control is blocking access to certain websites, and it just lets you access the escoline site.

Just turn off Parental Control, so you can access all the sites.

However, by shutting down the program, your child can access any page, even those you don't want him to access.

I'm writing a post on how to set up Parental Control by introducing a list of prohibited sites, creating a “Black List”, or “Black List” of websites that we intend to block access.

For now, you can turn off Parental Control, so you can access the net, and then later, put on that list, so your son doesn't go to any less of his own.

It's coming through, because me and the employees of this blog, we're writing more posts with important information.

Bjs,

14.3.09

  • Tina said...

Good afternoon! We received Magellan from my son a short time ago, and when I started trying to set him up, I moved the system configuration, but I didn't change anything. Then I went into Windows and also entered Magic Box 12 Mag. I tried to set it up on my laptop and apparently everything was fine. What happens is this: whenever we try to open a page on the internet, simplemenete does not open, it always appears as an unavailable page. This happens to anything you try to open. We did two user accounts, his parents' and his, I don't know if I clicked on any restrictions, but what happens is that neither the parents' account can be opened nor the Magic Distok part (the one with a know-how). I must have moved what I shouldn't have. Any chance you could help me??

Thank you!

No more, Clementina.

19.3.09