Dear Tammy,
As a concerned parent I am writing to inform you that their are several ways
to block unwanted or undesired websites. A great one is by using the limited
used account approach so that any system changes are done only by the
administrator of the computer who has a password only the admin knows. The
user (your daughter has a limited account not an admin account) Instructions
to do this first critical step are on the Windows Security Website.
Once that is done there are many website filtering programs out there. The
important thing to remember is to make sure that the software works on the
limited user approach, which means only the computer administrator can change
the settings of the software. XP Home has few options in the OS for system
wide user settings but XP Pro has many. Polices can be created in XP Pro
that not only block ports & ip's but also blocks software from being run by
each user, ie you can use it but not your daughter.
Another approach is to install & use a good router that includes ip and port
blocking. I also suggest one that includes web access time limiting
This is a good time for you to reseach all of the above, to make the calls,
and be informed. I suggest you do so with urgency. Myspace is full of
creatures of the night who hunt for prey online. I also suggest you make
sure that all of her IM's are logged to have proof when something goes bad.
Teenagers may want privacy, but as parents we need to protect them first and
foremost.
Master Guru