alt.tech

The Leopard is on the loose, and among the new features is … parental control! Congratulations all you parents, now you can easily prevent your children from using the computer after bedtime and from viewing such inappropriate content as Wikipedia profanity. Not only that – you can now ‘keep an eye’ on what websites your children are viewing or what they are chatting about.

Yes, you heard it right! Now you can set up your own Chinese censorship/surveillance system in the comfort of your own home. With the Great Firewall of Apple, you’ll be the dictator you always dreamed of becoming, watching your offspring’s every move.

“Enable parental controls for any account and create a safe environment for your child to work, play, and communicate on the Mac.”

I don’t think Apple should be blamed for putting such a function in Leopard, but I really think that parents should think twice about this. First of all – children need some space of their own. You can’t be watching their every move. And trust me, there will be other situations far more dangerous than in front of the computer screen. Secondly – your responsibility to your children starts way before that. You can’t just put them in front of the computer and wait for it to raise them for you.

Technology can help solve a lot of problems, but it can also help us not solving them. Parents – don’t outsource parenting to a machine!