My 9yo figured out how to disable parental controls

Jan 221 min read

I'm not even mad, I'm impressed and terrified. He essentially brute-forced his way past Bark because apparently it updates and there was a window where it wasn't configured right. Now I don't know what he's been looking at when I thought he was blocked. Talked to him about why the controls were there - he gets it intellectually but obviously still wants access to whatever he wants. This feels like a whole new phase of parenting I wasn't ready for. Do I get more invasive monitoring or do I trust him more? I feel like both options suck.

6 comments500 views

Comments(6)

DDex J.RegularJan 22

Okay but the real question is what was he trying to access that he needed to brute force Bark for? That's the concerning part not the technical skill.

EEric M.New DadJan 23

This is the moment you either ground him or hire him as your personal IT guy. No in between. Seriously though did you ask him how he figured it out?

MMarcus L.RegularJan 24

You should probably have the talk about appropriate internet use instead of just relying on the controls. Sounds like he's smart enough that the tech isn't gonna stop him anyway.

RRicardo M.New DadJan 23

I respect the hustle but yeah that's definitely the moment I'd be having some real conversations about trust and responsibility. Did you end up getting him back on the parental controls?

DDerekRegularJan 24

That's actually incredible. He basically just taught himself ethical hacking which is... weirdly impressive. You might have a future in cybersecurity on your hands.

PPhil M.RegularJan 24

This is lowkey my worst fear with my 11yo. He's starting to get really tech savvy and I know it's just a matter of time before he figures out workarounds.