I need Parental Controls, of the Internet sort

My 8 year old son regularly asks me "Mom, why did you take the wireless card out of my laptop?" The other day it made him so upset that he cried. It just seems so Silicon Valley for him to be upset about this. Or not? In my past life I consulted on computer security, so you can say I am just a smidge paranoid. Instead of installing parental controls I have taken the safe route by disabling his computer for Internet access. I do let him use my laptop to access the Internet, while I am sitting with him. I think he should be happy to have a laptop in the first place. This morning he even told me that he got up early and was trying to figure out how to get Internet access on his computer.  What he does not know is that I have the all powerful card in my night table, so his attempts are futile.

I am a mom in need of advice:
1. How old were your kids when they first accessed the Internet?
2. Have you installed parental controls or other security measures? If so, what are they and have they worked? Have your kids found ways around them?
3. What are your overall feelings about kids accessing the Internet? Are you paranoid or not?

Please comment or send an email to info(at)svmoms.com. I am talking to a news site about this and will post later with their response.