Methods and systems for providing context for parental-control-policy violations

1. A computer-implemented method for providing context for parental-control-policy violations, the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

tracking a child's usage of a computing system;

generating an event history that includes a first chain of at least two hyperlink selections and a second chain of at least two hyperlink selections based on the child's usage of the computing system;

identifying a restricted event that violated a parental-control policy;

creating an event trail that identifies, within the event history, a chain of hyperlink selections that led to the restricted event;

determining that the first chain of hyperlink selections led to the violation of the parental-control policy;

determining that the second chain of hyperlink selections did not lead to the violation of the parental-control policy;

including the first chain of hyperlink selections in the event trail based on the determining that the first chain led to the violation of the parental-control policy;

omitting the second chain of hyperlink selections from the event trail based on the determining that the second chain did not lead to the violation of the parental-control policy.

2. The computer-implemented method of

claim 1 , wherein the first chain of hyperlink selections comprises at least three hyperlink selections.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 ,

the method further comprising extracting the first chain of hyperlink selections from the event history and placing the first chain in the event trail.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

a first event is included within the event trail;

the first event comprises reception, by the child, of an electronic message, the electronic message comprising a hyperlink;

the restricted event comprises selection, by the child, of the hyperlink, the hyperlink pointing to a restricted website, the method further comprising:

providing a user with context for the violation of the parental-control policy at least in part by:

informing the user that the child attempted to navigate to the restricted website by selecting the hyperlink in the electronic message received by the child;

indicating, to the user, a source of the electronic message.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that actionable content in the event trail comprises self-executing content that led to the restricted event;

reporting the determination that actionable content in the event trail comprises self-executing content that led to the restricted event.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein determining that the actionable content in the event trail comprises the self-executing content comprises determining that the actionable content comprises a pop-up window.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising analyzing the event trail to determine that actionable content in the event trail comprises misleading information.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the actionable content comprises a hyperlink that appears to link to an unrestricted website but is configured to link to a restricted website.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

the event trail comprises information identifying a source of a communication that led to the restricted event.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 ,

further comprising including in the event trail a plurality of electronic communications that led to the restricted event.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein creating the event trail that identifies the chain hyperlink selections comprises creating an event trail that specifies content that misled the child into performing the restricted event.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein at least one event identified in the event trail was not initiated by the child using the computing system.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the second chain of hyperlink selections comprises at least three hyperlink selections.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

the restricted event comprises receiving an instant message with inappropriate content;

creating the event trail comprises identifying a plurality of instant messages exchanged between the child and a friend of the child during a same instant messaging session that the instant message with the inappropriate content was received.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

at least one hyperlink selection in the second chain occurred in time between two hyperlink selections in the first chain.

16. A system comprising:

a policy database comprising a parental-control policy;

a monitoring module programmed to track a child's usage of a computing system;

an event-history module programmed to:

generate an event history that includes a first chain of at least two hyperlink selections and a second chain of at least two hyperlink selections based on the child's usage of the computing system;

identify a restricted event that violated the parental-control policy;

create an event trail that identifies, within the event history, a chain of hyperlink selections that led to the restricted event;

determine that the first chain of hyperlink selections led to the violation of the parental-control policy;

determine that the second chain of hyperlink selections did not lead to the violation of the parental-control policy;

include the first chain of hyperlink selections in the event trail based on the determining that the first chain led to the violation of the parental-control policy;

omit the second chain of hyperlink selections from the event trail based on the determining that the second chain did not lead to the violation of the parental-control policy;

a policy-violation module programmed to:

access the parental-control policy from the policy database;

enforce the parental-control policy in response to the restricted event;

at least one processor configured to execute the monitoring module, the event-history module, and the policy-violation module.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the policy-violation module is programmed to provide a user with context for the violation of the parental-control policy upon detection of the violation.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the event-history module is further programmed to analyze the event trail by determining that at least one event in the event history that led to the restricted event comprises receiving an electronic message from a person that the child knows.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

track a child's usage of a computing system;

generate an event history that includes a first chain of at least two hyperlink selections and a second chain of at least two hyperlink selections based on the child's usage of the computing system;

identify a restricted event that led to a violation of a parental-control policy;

create an event trail that identifies, within the event history a chain of hyperlink selections that led to the restricted event;

determine that the first chain of hyperlink selections led to the violation of the parental-control policy;

determine that the second chain of hyperlink selections did not lead to the violation of the parental-control policy;

include the first chain of hyperlink selections in the event trail based on the determining that the first chain led to the violation of the parental-control policy;

omit the second chain of hyperlink selections from the event trail based on the determining that the second chain did not lead to the violation of the parental-control policy.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the first chain of hyperlink selections comprises at least three hyperlink selections.