Tech Minute – Parental Locks

Spoke on the Today Show about how the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is asking for submissions on parental locks for personal video recorders (pvrs) and set-top boxes, which will allow parents to keep track of what their kids are watching.

For example, you should be able to set it to a G rating, or M, depending on the age of you child, so that is the content they are allowed to see.

Currently these types of devices do not have locks on them, but the ACMA hopes that a standard will be agreed to soon after the deadline for submissions at the end of April, which means manufacturers should begin a roll out of product by the end of the year.

This will probably mean that the vendors will pass on the costs of implementing the device to consumers, but it shouldn’t add too much to the bottom line.