Obviously, I know its impossible to completely child-proof a PC, but theoretically, what steps would you take? Assume its a laptop with internet access, meaning you’d want local solutions and something like a pi-hole wouldn’t work well.
I would personally assume, you’d want to:
A) discourage internet exploration by offering ready-to-use options for most needs, such as thumbnails/bookmarks for common websites.
B) Implement some sort of blacklist for common or easy-to-stumble-upon negative content. Maybe something as simple as a Ublock filter?
C) Robust monitoring tools, although I have no idea what.
Edit: To be clear, I know education is the number one tool, but let’s say a tech illiterate friend is asking for help. What might you set up for them, or recommend they use - tools to assist in parenting, not replace it.
Social guard rails over software.
My setup has basic protections to stop them stumbling into things they shouldn’t be looking at. It’s intended as a bumper, not a barrier. I know I won’t be able to make it impenetrable without also making it almost unusable. Even then, that doesn’t solve things, if they are around a friend’s etc.
Instead, I talk through things with them, in an age appropriate manner. If you can get a continuous conversation going then you don’t need to lock things down hard. It might get awkward and embarrassing for you, but it’s far more effective in the long run.
This might also be of interest to you. https://media.ccc.de/v/emf2026-159-1-mum-can-i-play-roblox-navigating-online-gaming-safety