How To Restrict Your Kids’ Computer Access on Ubuntu

In the digital age, it’s important to ensure that your children are using their computer time wisely and safely. This is especially true if you’re using Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution known for its flexibility and power. In this guide, we’ll explore how to restrict your kids’ computer access on Ubuntu using various methods.

Using Linux-PAM (pam_time)

One of the most effective ways to restrict computer access on Ubuntu is through the Linux-PAM module called pam_time. This module allows you to set access restrictions based on time and day of the week.

Configuring pam_time

To configure pam_time, you’ll need to edit the /etc/security/time.conf file. Open it using your preferred text editor, such as nano:

sudo nano /etc/security/time.conf

In this file, you can define rules for each user. The syntax for these rules is as follows:

services;ttys;users;times

• services: This can be a specific service like ssh or login, or * for all services.
• ttys: This can be a specific terminal, or * for all terminals.
• users: Specify the username of the child’s account here.
• times: This specifies the time periods when the user is allowed to use the services. The format is DHHMM-DHHMM, where D is the day of the week (0-6, with 0 being Sunday), and HHMM is the time in 24-hour format.

For example, to restrict a user named john from using all services from 8 PM to 8 AM on weekdays, you would add the following line:

*;*;john;1-41000-2000,2-41000-2000,3-41000-2000,4-41000-2000,5-41000-2000

Save and close the file to apply the changes.

Using kidtimer Script

Another option is to use the kidtimer script, which is available on GitHub. This script allows you to track and control the computer usage of user accounts.

Installing and Configuring kidtimer

First, download the script from the GitHub repository. Then, make the script executable and move it to /usr/local/bin:

chmod +x kidtimer
sudo mv kidtimer /usr/local/bin/

To configure kidtimer, you need to edit the kidtimer.conf file. This file allows you to set daily usage limits and configure periods of the day when users can or cannot log in.

Custom Shell Scripts or Cron Jobs

If the above solutions don’t meet your needs, you can create custom shell scripts or cron jobs to enforce restrictions. This requires some programming knowledge but can be a flexible solution tailored to your specific needs.

For example, you could create a cron job that logs out a user at a certain time. Open the crontab file with:

crontab -e

Then, add a line like this to log out john at 8 PM:

0 20 * * * pkill -KILL -u john

Remember to replace john with the username of your child’s account.

Conclusion

While some previously popular solutions for restricting computer access on Ubuntu are no longer available or have issues, there are still viable methods such as using pam_time, the kidtimer script, or custom shell scripts/cron jobs. With these tools, you can ensure that your children are using their computer time responsibly.