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Letter: On the difficulty of parental controls

Published 13 May 2026

From Paul Whiteley, Bittaford, Devon, UK

I had to laugh at John Jared’s thoughts on the potential difficulties of enforcing a social media ban, given the ingenuity of school-aged children. Many years ago, in an effort to stop my kids from watching TV as soon as they came home from school, I put a PIN on the TV (Letters, 2 May).

I would ask them a question and the answer would be a number that was the PIN. So at least they would learn something.

An easy one to start: How large was the Zulu force at the Battle of Rorke’s Drift? The next day, they were watching TV. So, what’s the answer? I asked my 8-year-old daughter. I learned how to reset the TV and beat the PIN, she replied.

Issue no. 3595 published 16 May 2026

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