The Internet is a wild and woolly place, and not always great for kids. So how do you allow them to satisfy their curiosity online? Torch. You gotta see this.
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Written in partnership with Torch.com
I don’t know about you, but we’ve got an Internet problem at our house.
Not just the battles over when screen time is done, but also over what content is appropriate and how to access it. After all, learning how to use the Internet effectively is a skill, and when you’re constantly worried that your kid is going to find graphic sexual images or violent crime scene photos, it’s hard to really let them have the freedom they need in order to grow.
What’s more, parents need to know what their kids are seeing. Children are naturally curious, even about sex and bodies, and that’s okay. But we don’t want them finding their answers online. And because it’s so easy to clear a browser history, there isn’t a great way for parents to keep track of what our kids are searching for.
Parental controls for home computers can be great, but my husband and I have always felt like we needed more, especially since our kids both use handheld devices more than our actual family computer. And our interest in what they’re doing goes beyond just protecting them from adult content. We also want to see what it is they’re consuming. Are they educational games? Videos on YouTube? Or are they spending hours researching Greek mythology? The answers to these questions are a great way for us to peek into our boys’ fields of interest.
That’s why we’ve already pre-ordered Torch, via their Kickstarter campaign. It is, truly, the best solution I’ve seen for parents who don’t want the Internet to totally screw up their kids.
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Torch is so needed, in fact, that when I showed my colleague, Rob Watson, the video explaining what it was, he actually shouted, “OMG I NEED THIS IMMEDIATELY!” Our guess is that parents everywhere are exclaiming the exact same thing when they first learn about what Torch can do.
So what is it? Here’s what they told us:
Torch was created because Prevost needed help curbing her crafty 10-year-old son’s Minecraft obsession. Torch is a plug-and-play device that comes with a built-in pause button for the Internet and a reporting suite so parents can understand their children’s browsing habits.
In addition, it can be customized to curtail and monitor Internet activities of children in the home. Parents can program it to make the Internet an age-appropriate playground and set a bedtime for online activities. They can even turn the devices off when the dinner bell rings. Torch tools also generate reports that break time spent online into categories such as social media, education and gaming.
Some features that caught our eye:
Turn off the Internet for your entire home. Hey, that might help us parents get more of our work done, too!
Content customization
Choose what each of your kids can see… and can’t… while playing or working online.
Estimated screen time reports
Which of your kids spent the most time online? What were they doing while they were using the Internet?
Detailed browsing history
Unlike your browser, the history of sites your kids visited cannot be deleted from your records using Torch.
It’s fast!
Gigabit LAN speed + 802.11 ac MIMO for wireless
Compatible with all the stuff you’re already using
Not just your computers, but also the iPad, Xbox, Roku, Apple TV, Sonos, and Nest you’re already reliant upon.
Rob Watson, GMP’s Dads and Families Editor says:
If someone hadn’t invented Torch, I would be out on the web begging for someone to create it. The graduation for kids from benign kiddie sites to the intense world of the adult concept social web is extreme. Any parent who is unconcerned about emotional, social, ethical, moral and real world threats that the internet represents is living in a naive fantasy bubble.
Torch is a tool that allows parents to manage their kids at a most important juncture, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Parents now can set the boundaries on how much electronic time they spend, and the standards of what that time will consist. From a parenting perspective, “they” should not have created the internet without having made Torch first. In any case, it is here now, and for my 13 year olds… just in the nick of time.”
Want in? Get in early and affordably by visiting their Kickstarter. You can reserve one for your family starting at $99. Seriously, 99 bucks.
The only thing wrong with this product is that we don’t already have it in our home!
Help Kickstart this product here!