a timer for the PC - screen tme for the kids

[Dave Wade]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cctalk <cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org> On Behalf Of John Foust via
> cctalk
> Sent: 15 February 2019 15:16
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: a timer for the PC - screen tme for the kids
> 
> At 01:17 AM 2/15/2019, Randy Dawson via cctalk wrote:
> >What we have, is the screen time problem with the kids.  If we are not
> there hounding and policing them, they will be on for hours.
> 

When my kids were kids, I used to install VNC and say I would be watching
what they were doing so they had better behave. I seldom did. I doubt you
could get away with that these days.

You say "PC" so I assume MS Windows. It has a pretty good task scheduler
that do all sorts of nasty things. 
(at the last place I worked someone who left because they said he wasn't
skilled enough to promote scheduled a task on a server to send a salacious
e-mail a month after he left)

The "simplest"  is to create a logon event that's does "shutdown /t nnnnnn
/s" where "nnnnn" is the number of seconds of play time.
You can set it up as a scheduled task that runs as administrator at logon
and make them restricted users so they can't cancel the shutdown...

... but they can always switch on again, so you would need more logic to
check the time at logon and log them off its outside permitted hours.... 



> There are also consumer firewall/routers that have time-based limits.
> 
> When I've had clients ask about this, or also ask for content filtering,
it's such
> a difficult world these days.  The kids don't have tablets or phones or
iPods
> that do WiFi and can get the Internets from cellular connections or the
> neighbor's WiFi?
> 
> Kids rapidly figure out solutions to bypass limits.  High schools have
WiFi,
> block social media, the kids install VPNs on their phones.
> 
> - John

Dave