Client asked me to "fix the internet" and it turned into a 3 hour rant about their daughter's TikTok addiction

Went to a house call last Tuesday for a lady in her 60s who said her wifi was acting up. Got there and her connection was fine, but she kept going on about how her daughter is always on her phone and the internet is "too slow" because of it. I checked her speed and it was 200 Mbps. She then showed me her daughter's room where she had a laptop open with 14 Chrome tabs. I explained how to set up parental controls on the router and limit bandwidth per device. She just stared at me and said "can you make it so she can't watch videos after 9pm?" I spent the next hour setting up a schedule for her. Has anyone else had clients use tech support as a way to control their family?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_palmer761d ago

14 tabs at 10pm does sound like a lot, I get why the mom was worried. Those late night browsing sessions can mess with a kid's sleep schedule for sure. Glad you could help her set up some boundaries without judging her for it.

diana1551d ago

Oh wow, I have to say I'm on the mom's side here! If my kid was hogging the wifi with 14 browser tabs at 10pm, I'd want that shut down too. It's not about controlling her family, it's about teaching kids boundaries and making sure they don't stay up all night glued to a screen. I bet that daughter is missing sleep and probably acting cranky the next day. Parental controls are a lifesaver for keeping things fair for the whole house, especially when the internet is supposed to be for everyone.