LiteLockr

It's true that parental control software can help you achieve better peace of mind knowing that your children are safe from harmful content while using the computer unsupervised.

However, in some cases, features such as content-filtering and advanced time limit options may seem like overkill, especially if your children are very young, or your device is not connected to the Internet.

That's where LiteLockr comes into play. LiteLockr is a small, free, portable software designed to offer you a quick and hassle-free way of restringing or blocking all input devices.

Straight off the bat, it's worth noting that this is by no means a complete or comprehensive parental control software. It's designed to restrict input devices so that your child/children can only use specific programs.

Here's what you can do with the app: lock all applications on your desktop, lock the taskbar, set up lists of unlocked apps, make it so that one specific app works while others are locked.

For example, let's say you want to leave your three-year-old child watch a cartoon on YouTube, but you still want to retain the integrity of your computer's content. Simply open the browser, make sure the browser window is active, and press CTRL+ALT+B.

This ensures that both the classic input mediums (keyboard and mouse in most cases) will only work in the browser and will be locked in all other apps.

The app can also be used to lock the keyboard and mouse for all apps. This is done by simply holding CTRL and clicking the "Lock" button.

For such a small and tightly packed app, it offers a surprising amount of flexibility in regards to locking options. For instance, you can only lock the keyboard or only the mouse, or you can keep the mouse and keyboard inputs available for a series of apps you've previously selected.

A broader description of the app's functions, alongside a few useful examples, can be found in the app's official Help section. https://litelockr.com/help/#introduction

If you're keen on parental control, but you don't feel that a full-fledged, specialized app of this sort is necessary to keep your children safe from potentially harmful content, then LiteLockr is definitely not a bad choice.

It does have its limitations, but only when compared with other, more sophisticated apps. At the end of the day, it all depends on how old your child is. If he's 5-6 years old, then there's a good chance LiteLockr will not provide a very reliable solution, as most kids at this age have enough knowledge to "crack" the simple unlocking techniques used by the app.