Steam & Parenting

Communities Gaming
,
1

We're getting onto a new topic, so....

@MrFlyte

Actually, Steam has pushed out the "Family View" settings -- have you looked into that? I understand that it's a PIN-based 'child-friendly' experience where you can lock your kid into a limited version of your library and if you want, locking out certain features of Steam that you can get out of afterward because you have that PIN.

Taking a quick look in settings here....

We've got... an option to open the library, or choose games, and options to disable the store, the community content, the social stuff, and the profile stuff.

I've highlighted the relevant settings with Skitch. Now I can see arguments for and against using any of these settings with one's child. A lot of them are frankly maturity based. Only the last doesn't make much sense to me as an option, -- why would you let a child, who from the basis of this discussion is being limited by you as a parent, have control over the profile stuff at all?

I can see the store as a tool for learning to balance a budget. I can see using the Workshop to teach coding logic and skills -- teaching your child to mod their favourite games, basically. I can see the social stuff, making friends and all that.

And a younger/less mature child of mine I'd want locked out of all that, of course.

Now, I don't know what you think, but I think these settings are actually really good -- for, as you say, parents who fucking parent. @DeVilzzz I'd like to hear your opinion here as well. Why should the state determine if a child is old enough to play x game? Why shouldn't the parents? Why should Valve have this put on them? Is it not the parent's responsibility in the first place? Is not Valve going above and beyond by having this option for "family view"?

2

I'm gonna be honest, I didn't know about this "family view". I'm not a father (glad I'm not one either) so child locks aren't something I spend a lot of time with.

I will agree, it's great to have that feature...it probably exists not because Steam is a caring company, but because they are just covering their ass from the parents who want to point fingers at problems other than themselves. At the same time though, shitheads who are just old enough to understand how a computer and the internet works can by pass this pretty easily just by creating their own account. It's not really an end-all-be-all to childproofing a steam account, it's just an added guard.

Like I said in the original thread this broke off from, the most important part is that a parent needs to parent. These features may give some peace of mind, but they should still make sure their child isn't being a shithead when they aren't looking.

2 Likes
3

This is not enough thedmbarlow. The kids that know about Steam can go to other pcs that are not locked down at various places and just install Steam and then just answer the age verification thing and voila they can see the trash. Heck they may not even need to do that as they can create an account and then just access it from the website. Also why is it that everyone makes excuses for companies to not play a part in making things safer for children? Oh wait governments actually do that and so do other companies. Stop defending Valve who is a company that doesn't even hire phone support so doesn't give people jobs that they should be giving people and then on top of it has allowed so much trash on their service in a year it gives Jim Sterling all he needs to run his show. Valve and Steam have become complete trash. Oh and of course yet another person brings up the bad parenting deal because they don't think of other ways kids can get their eyes on what is on Steam. Ugggh ..... oh the excuses people make for people, companies, governments and more to just go on doing the same things they do even if it is to the detriment of society. :S Sorry but the parent locking features are not enough when Valve could do more.

4

It is most likely for steam machines and preventing unwanted access.

1 Like
5

Dude, your novelty account is awesome. I'm going to download the killable children mod for skyrim after work from the inspiration you gave me.

I say this is more than enough. People get way to upset with the fact that kids have access to "immoral" material. Like it doesn't exist outside within a mile of wherever you are. It's just an excuse for not being proactive as a parent when you say stuff like this doesn't work because it can be circumvented.

1 Like
6

This probably makes me look like a maniac, but I youtube'd kill-able children mod.

7

This thread:

5 Likes
8

It is not the companies job to be a safe advertiser as long as it follows all the other rules.

It is YOUR job as a RESPONSIBLE PARENT to manage YOUR children

But hey either troll or idiot. This is not worth continuing. All that needs to be said has been said. Good day SIR!

3 Likes
9

I have a keyboard so here comes a story.

I was 12-13 at the time. Homeschooled, and my parents find porn on my computer somehow. I figured one of my brothers got caught with porn, but wanted to shift blame around and snitched me (and probably my other brother) out. I was pretty damn sneaky so I doubt they would have caught on any other way.

All of us are homeschooled and none of us are keeping up with the work flow. So this breaks the camels back, all the computers are moved to the family dining table (these are all mini itx machines) and all the internet browsers are locked down with parental controls. I have access to about 3 shitty flash game sites with math games and shit.

Now as a homeschooled child whose only social life is at church, this is a big fucking deal. I can only play megaman X so many hundreds of times before I just don't want to anymore, and that game is as old as me at that point. How am I going to watch Gundam 00? There's only one option, bring back internet access and the porn.

I decide to go to the library to get some unrestricted internet access. At the start I grabbed some torrent files to take home on a flash drive and downloaded them at home, since they didn't have any complicated port filters or anything as parental controls on the network just the browsers. Now I'm watching code geass and thinking I'm slick as fuck.

Now, I know what you're thinking, why not just download another browser? For starters, they were all already installed, I think chrome was a thing back then and even that was covered. Secondly, I didn't want to get different installs confused or have someone accidentally use the unlocked one in the event they look at the stuff on the computer (which they did from time to time.)

It's been about 3 weeks and I go to the library pretty often now. Me being the fat kid I am though, I hate walking the 1.5 miles to the library. So I am on a quest to completely circumnavigate these restrictions. I'm searching google and stumble upon firefox portable. An install of firefox that runs off a USB and will keep all cookies and user data on the flash stick. Just what I need. I grab the installer and run home. run the installer on the drive and I'm set. Unrestricted internet access at home now. All the roms, manga, and porn a 13-14 year old can handle.

The moral is if the kid wants the porn, warez, or internet access, with the ubiquity of free wifi, libraries, and friends houses, there is really no way to make them not see these things if they want to. You can't even leave your kid with a friends 3ds or vita in the event he has an SD card/plugs it in via USB because he could get software to circumvent your restrictions. You can really try to teach your kids to be responsible with their information.

2 Likes
10

Yeah, this thread originally broke off for 1) because it's obviously off topic from the original thread, but 2) it gives a nice reset the the flames (albeit, I kind of started) in the last thread.
But at this point...

I'm just so tired....
I'm gonna say the man is trolling at this point.

He REALLY likes the word "excuse" though. That's all I want to say.

1 Like
11

I really have to agree with you.

The shit that I saw having a 2 hour a day super locked down VPN internet connection that my Physisits genious "I can basically do everything ever" made is... Well. Shit.

Kids are more inteligent than @Zibob gives them credit for.

(I got around my blocking by putting a vpn over my vpn and then using one of those proxy sites that were around back in the late 2000s (so many proxy sites))

12

I did not want to be dragged back into this, but that is the price for opening my mouth.

I left that part out completely. I know they are smart and get around anything anytime you say no, pretty much whatever the situation. I was a kid, I did these things.

What I am saying is that policing everything to the point of rights violations does not help anything and will possibly make it worse as when ever you are told no you find a different way. I am just laying the blame where is should be. If parents are pissed, well take a look in the mirror that is the person to blame.

4 Likes
13

Oh oki. I'm sorry I misunderstood your argument <3

I agree with you.

14

I'm glad to see most of us realize that it's the parent's responsibility to keep their kids safe in every aspect, I had a long response typed out this morning when there were just a couple posts in the thread and canceled it before posting, but it's nice to see there is still common sense left in the world.

3 Likes
15

I think 90% of the English speaking world's population of people who still have common sense reside here on Tek Syndicate.

I say English speaking because those who don't understand the language probably won't be here - that doesn't mean they don't have common sense. Also, I'm not saying native English speakers, I am saying all people who can speak English

3 Likes
16

Trolling ..... no. Also yes society does make excuses time and time again for not being real change. Using freedom of speech, red tape, racism, patriotism, etc. to not make the world a better place is just wrong. Simple as that.

17

The lack of freedom of speech will always make the world a worse place. We need to be able to explain ourselves, take positions, etc.

1 Like