Setting up a safe first computer for your child
A one-hour setup that makes a child’s first laptop safer without spying on them: accounts, search, browsing and the conversation that matters most.
A child’s first computer is usually a hand-me-down or a laptop bought for online classes. A little setup on day one avoids most of the problems families run into later.
The setup checklist
- Give the child a standard account, not an administrator account. They can use everything, but cannot install software without you.
- Turn on Safe Search in the search engines they use, so adult results are filtered.
- Use a family-safe DNS that blocks adult and malicious sites on the whole computer, not only in one browser.
- Install protection that blocks phishing pages and dangerous downloads — the two ways children most often get into trouble.
- Keep the computer in a shared space for younger children, rather than in a bedroom.
The conversation
No setting replaces talking. Tell children that anyone can pretend to be anyone online, that free game currency and “you have won” messages are traps, and that they will never be in trouble for telling you about something that scared or confused them. Children who expect punishment hide problems; children who expect help come to you early.
How TotalHeal helps
With TotalHeal Family you add a child profile — children need no login of their own — and the extension keeps Safe Search on in the major search engines on the child’s browser. Secure DNS in Family mode also blocks adult content. Parents receive child-safety alerts without file names or browsing history. Full parental controls — screen time, app limits, bedtime and web rules with age presets — are built and arrive in desktop 0.3.10. See Family & Ultimate.