Parental Control and Monitoring Software for Firefox?

[Ebonius]

I'm trying to pick the best Parental Control and Web Monitoring software to put on my kids' computer. They use Firefox and Thunderbird. I have heard that several of the top selling softwares only work when the kid is using Internet Explorer, not FF/TB.

Before I plunk down between $35 to $70 for a software, I'd like to know what others are using successfully.

BTW: Please. I don't want this request to turn into a heated debate about the propriety of this kind of software. Nor do I care to have any personal attacks directed at me.

I've already come to grips with the ethical issues of "spying" on my kids. I don't want to. They are good kids and I don't want to be a snoop. But I am legally responsible for anything they do on line. If they threaten anyone, if they libel a specific individual, if they take part in any kind of fraudulent activity, their mother and I can be sued. So that's one good reason right there. I don't care so much if they are just looking at dirty pictures. That's the least of a whole panoply of bad stuff that can and does happen.

Kids can do crazy, stupid things. I don't want to get a knock at the door one day and its the County Sheriff serving me with a lawsuit, or the Federales coming to take my kid away for threatening somebody important. Or get a knock at the door and here's some drooling pedophile with a bouquet and a six pack here to pick up his "date."

I've already seen ads for Kidswatch, Sentry StealthPC , Net Nanny, PC tattletale and a few others.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks!

[old LoudNoise]

Search the Knowledge base for Parental Control. For one reason or another my cut and paste is working or I would give you a link.

[Ebonius]

Thanks Loudnoise, It was informative. None of the Mozilla applications are exactly what I'm looking for. I don't want to have to fiddle with a bunch of filters which can be hit or miss. I am looking for a downloadable multi-function software I can easily install on my kids' machine and have it send reports to me about where they are surfing and what kind of IM text they are sending. Secondly, I want to have the ability to block their access to certain time-wasting game sites that they go to instead of doing their homework.

BTW: the wireless router suggested was a good idea. Each household computer (I have four) logs into the router and it goes to the software on my machine to see what level of access each computer gets. It's quite robust and has all the features I mentioned above. But then I read some of the product reviews and found out that most people have been unable to get the doggone things to function consistently without lockups, reboots and failures.

[old LoudNoise]

That article also listed software that works with Firefox.

[Stereo Insect]

If you are on Mac I can recommend you ActyMac DutyWatch.

[trolly]

Thanks for the info but the thread was dead for over two years. I doubt that there is still anyone watching. Locking.