I hate all that happened to you and I’m sure
your son did’t mean to get you into trouble but it is the exact reason my kids do not have access to my computers and they are on guest wifi at home (of which i never connect to), no access to shares or accounts, credit cards, etc… kids will be kids
3 Likes
Different accounts on the same hardware can work, you just need to set permissions up correctly, which it seems like OP didn’t.
That might work but I still i’d prefer to keep it separate so protect from viruses etc. I love my kids but …
4 Likes
Yeah, it’s much easier to do what my family did, which is to just give the kids the old tech when the parents upgrade.
5 Likes
I always used exactly what my parents were using. Started out with a VIC 20 in '84 upgraded to a Commodore 64 in '86 and continued to use the same computer my parents used for years and years.
Sure I screwed a few things up a long the way once we moved onto PCs that had hard drives but my father always used those times to learn for himself and to educate me.
In general, as long as you keep your information secure. There truly isn’t anything anyone can do software wise to the PC that can’t be easily fixed.
And some basic education with the kids about what can not be installed on your PC goes a long way. And teaching how to recognize a shady site helps in the long run too. 
3 Likes
Yes, but kids do not always care, even if they already know. Kids will listen to some random other player saying “nah it’s fine, I do it all the time!”
In my family we have 100% always advocated completely separate computers for anyone using them. Very young kids don’t get one. Kids that do get one get mom/dad’s hand-me-downs unless they want to save up for their own, or receive a new one as a gift. Even my husband and I do not use each other’s computers. The few times he has had to do something with mine to fix a problem, it is only with me standing RIGHT THERE.
Are we a paranoid family? I don’t think so. 
This gives everyone their very own digital space and thus everyone is happy. Oh and, YES, the parents always have the logins of the children’s computers for parenting purposes, but still USE only their own.
6 Likes
Time to get a separate computer for the kids and only have a guest account set up for them that is limited to what they can and can’t do. And keep your computer for yourself. I get you want to trust your children, however with children they need guidance on navigating the internet as there is so much stuff that children should not ever see. Education is key with the internet and how to get around safely.
2 Likes
That is exactly what they have. My old tech and locked down to guest wifi and I can remote in anytime I like VNC, etc
If you only give them standard permissions, and restrict read/write outside of their home folder, there’s a lot less damage that they can do.
That being said, a better solution is if they have their own device, and they break the OS, let them figure out how to fix it. You got yourself in trouble, you can find your own way out.
7 Likes
4 posts were split to a new topic: Account closed for Abusive Chat?