Is there a good cheap software to limit the time a teen spends on internet?

Yes, but in the nature of being young myself, I can’t quite bring myself to link to it. The best known one is a $39.99 annual subscription but you can do a two week trial for free.

Actually, I take that back – it’s called Net Nanny and if the kid wants to use the internet more, they can learn the info they need to get around it. I’m sure it is possible and computer education is hands on, right?

You can actually set it up through your router if you have one. There should be a tab called access restrictions and that’ll do what you want. The other thing is, there’s no way to circumvent it aside from unplugging it from the router and plugging directly into the computer, which if they’re smart, they’ll figure out in a few hours. Just like netnanny

My husband is the one who really wants me to get this software so if the teen figures it out – oh well…

Parental Controls built into Mac OS X Leopard can limit the amount of time an individual account is allowed to work per day.

Honestly, I don’t really think it’s a good idea to restrict how many hours a kid spends on the Internet, but rather where s/he goes.

The reason I say that (without one of my normally flippant comments), is because the Internet is a very educational place, and the more time a kid spends on the Internet, the more knowledgable and intelligent s/he becomes.

For example, look carefully at all of the things posted on Fluther by The Collective.

Where else on the entire Internet, could a child learn as much about sex, for example, than s/he can, right here?