We are concerned at the amount of time our teenagers are spending on MSN Messenger. If we try to get them to sign out, they insist that they are busy with homework. Is there any way of allowing access to the web, but disabling MSN Messenger - or imposing a curfew? John Russell
Many teenagers do homework co-operatively using MSN Messenger and other instant messaging (IM) programs. They all seem to be able to watch TV, talk on their mobiles and chat via MSN at the same time. However, there are "parental control" programs that allow you to block specific programs or groups of programs. You could try RIA Software's Parental Lock Guard 1.2, which is free, and runs on Windows 2000 and XP. A more closely targeted alternative for the same operating systems is Comvigo's IM Lock. This can block MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Trillian, mIRC, AOL Messenger and GAIM, and also many filesharing programs. Version 1.3.1 is available for a seven-day trial and costs $24.99.
