McGruff SafeGuard

Since there is a computer in nearly every home, and most likely with an active Internet connection, it gives individuals access to all the information or disinformation held withing this network. It can be a dangerous place, both for your computer or your child because of inappropriate content, but thanks to applications such as McGruff SafeGuard certain restrictions can be imposed so youngsters only enjoy the good side of the Internet.

The application is mostly deployed on your computer as a means of gathering data and recording user activity. It can take a little while to go through the setup process, while configurations are done. Little effort is required on your behalf and if your youngster is using a different Windows account, you can only select the corresponding one to be kept under close watch.

Most activity is done online. This comes in handy because it lets you connect to your account and view your child's activity from any computer connected to the internet. Configuring restrictions is also done from the web interface. It represents an advantage since the application's features can't be accessed or changed from the desktop client.

There is a constantly updating database of words, acronyms and emoticons so you can study common instant messaging activities for you to better understand your kid's behavior. Don't look at this as a method of drastically keeping an eye on your kid, but rather as a method of better understanding communication methods.

Based on this database, you can set up restrictions for various categories like blasphemy, discriminatory, drugs, profanity, self-destructive behavior or sexuality. Custom words can be added in case already existing items don't get the job done. What's more, you can choose to receive alerts via email for each attempt, as well as take drastic measures like having the computer automatically shut down, or cut off internet connection.

A scheduler gives you the possibility to configure specific time intervals for when your kid can and cannot use the Internet, have keystrokes recorded, or even monitor installed applications and view corresponding details to get an idea if they are harmful or not.

All things considered, McGruff SafeGuard provides a wide set of tools which are able to fully record every action done on a computer and take action, if properly configured. The online interface comes in handy because you can check attempts and modify settings on the go. It can take some time to configure, but overall gets the job properly done.