What Parental Control Do You Use on Your Boxes? What is Most Effective?

[Jack 1000]

This thread is to serve as a discussion on parental control devices on cable TV, Dish, and U-Verse box terminals.  Personally, I do not use parental control as I do not have kids or a family that is overly sensitive to objectionable content.  But I have friends and relatives who use the parental control blocking system.  Some have found it effective.  Others, not so much.

If you use parental control, indicate the type of system that you have, (i.e cable, dish, U-Verse) We can even extend this discussion to V-chips in OTA TV's if you want.  Also indicate what content do you block?

• Language
• Violence
• Nudity
• Rating
• Time

Or any combination of the above?  How does your system deal with the blocked content?  Is it too restrictive or not restrictive enough? Or exactly what you want?  I'd like to see if there is a pattern of what concerns most parents in the Milwaukee area for TV content?  And do the ratings that you set work well for you and your family?

Jack

[jkane]

I don't use them.  When kids were younger, I stayed close enough to know what they watch.  Now I don't care as they are older and were not raised to be emotional, sensitive, intolerant, idiots!

The only control I have is I block PPV's and anything else that requires payment with a "secret" code.  Of course, that does include playboy, ecstasy and the other porn channels.  Not because I don't want my kids seeing it.  Because I am not paying for it!

[mindmess]

I don't use the programming blocking as we choose whether or no the kids are allowed to watch certain programs. While that may mean a bit of time shifted watching for the older persons in our home, the younger ones by and large kept away from the more objectionable shows, with the exception of the "news". Even the teen has learned what is and isn't allowed for him and the younger ones.

The only control that I use is to block certain channels (nick, cartoon net and even disney) else all they will do is sit and watch them and get nothing done. They can watch after all their stuff is done and I will unlock it for them. More of a reward type deal.