Dear Urban Diplomat,
My son is a normal 15-year-old, so I wasn’t too disturbed to discover that he surfs porn on our computer. But clearly he doesn’t know enough to delete his history, and I’d rather his 10-year-old sister not stumble upon his randy web trail. How can I make him aware without putting him through the mortification of getting busted by his mom?
—Ignorance Was Bliss, Seaton Village
While I respect the hands-off approach to your son’s hands-on browsing habits, I have to say that porn isn’t the healthiest intro to sex, and a candid talk, however squirm-inducing for both parties, might be worthwhile. As for the technical advice: set up password-protected user accounts, each with its own settings and browsing histories, which is pretty easy to do. Tell him that the accounts are to help keep your budgeting spreadsheets and income tax details secure, and he won’t suspect a thing.
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