Guardian

WARNING: THIS SOFTWARE IS NOT READY FOR PRODUCTION OR REAL-WORLD USE!

Guardian is under active development. It is experimental, incomplete, and may contain serious bugs or security issues. DO NOT use this software to protect children, enforce limits, or for any purpose where safety, privacy, or reliability matter. Use at your own risk. The maintainers do NOT recommend or support real-world deployment at this time.

Helping Families Build Healthy Media Habits

What is Guardian?

Guardian is a parental control system for Linux that helps families guide their children toward a healthy relationship with media, the internet, and especially video games. Guardian empowers parents to set reasonable boundaries, encourage positive habits, and foster open conversations about digital life.

Why Use Guardian?

Support healthy routines: Set daily time limits and curfews for computer and gaming use, tailored to each child.
Encourage balance: Help children learn to manage their screen time and prioritize school, sleep, and family activities.
Cross-device protection: Guardian works across all family computers, laptops, and gaming devices, so limits are enforced everywhere.
Peace of mind: Automated enforcement means parents don’t have to constantly monitor or argue about time spent online.
Transparency: Children see friendly reminders and notifications, so expectations are clear and fair.
Parent dashboard: Easily review usage, adjust limits, and grant bonus time when needed.

How Guardian Works

Guardian is made up of several components that work together to provide robust, flexible, and family-friendly control:

Device Service (guardian-daemon)

Runs quietly in the background on each device.
Tracks logins and actual usage time for each child.
Enforces daily quotas and curfews, blocking logins or ending sessions when limits are reached.
Works even if the device is offline; syncs with the central server when reconnected.

Friendly Reminders (guardian-agent)

Shows notifications to children as they approach their limits.
Encourages self-regulation and positive habits.

Parent Dashboard (guardian-hub - not yet implemented)

Web-based and CLI tools for parents to view activity, adjust rules, and manage devices.
See how much time each child has spent, across all devices.
Grant bonus time or change limits instantly.

Central Server (guardian-hub - not yet implemented)

Keeps track of all devices, users, and policies.
Ensures rules are consistent and up-to-date everywhere.
Provides secure authentication and audit logs for accountability.

Example: Setting Up Guardian for Your Family

Create a Linux account for each child.
Install Guardian on all family devices.
Set daily time limits and curfew hours for each child in the dashboard.
Review usage reports and adjust rules as needed.
Talk with your children about healthy media habits and why these boundaries matter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Guardian block specific games or websites?

Not yet, but app allowlists and blocklists are planned for future releases. For now, Guardian focuses on overall time and healthy routines.

Can my child use their computer for homework after their gaming time is up?

You can set different rules for weekdays, weekends, and bonus time. Guardian is flexible to fit your family’s needs.

What happens if the internet goes down?

Guardian enforces rules locally on each device, so limits and curfews still apply even if the server is offline.

Is my family’s data safe?

Guardian uses secure authentication and stores only what’s needed for enforcement. Parents control all settings and data.

Tips for Parents

Use Guardian as a tool for conversation, not just enforcement.
Involve your children in setting limits and talk about why balance matters.
Review usage together and celebrate positive habits.
Adjust rules as your children grow and their needs change.

Learn More & Get Started

Visit the Guardian website for installation guides, troubleshooting, and community support.

For technical details, see the Developer Documentation.