How to protect children from the Internet. Restricting access to the web and protecting children from the internet has always been a major concern of parents. The little ones today always have smartphones and tablets at their fingertips, and often it is their parents' devices.
It is the goal of this guide to explain how to block access to certain Internet sites for safe browsing, restrict Internet access and secure all devices used by the child. So take a few minutes of free time and read the next lines carefully because I will reveal to you how to protect children from the Internet with Parental Control or Parental Control.
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How to set up Parental Controls on iPhone or iPad
Protate children from the Internet with Parental Control it is very simple and does not require great computer skills. For what concern parental Control, Apple offers an effective way to activate parental control on iPhone and iPad without running into third-party applications. In fact, the option is integrated in its devices Restrictions which allows you to block certain apps and functions on iOS, including access to the contents of iTunes Store and from Safari, Apple's browser.
By enabling these restrictions on iOS you can choose which applications the child can use, the inhibited ones will be deleted from the home and will not be visible. You can also prevent your child from downloading other apps or uninstalling them, or prevent them from making in-app purchases. By doing so, the child can have fun with the iPad or smartphone without running the risk of draining the parent's credit card.
Il Parental Control on Apple mobile devices it is disabled by default. To activate and configure it you have to go to Settings> General and tap on the option Restrictions. Then stop on the entry Enable restriction shown above. A small window will open asking you to enter a restrictions code. Enter it twice to enable them. Make sure you don't forget this as it will come in handy whenever you want to change any of the settings.
If you want to change the restrictions code, all you have to do is go to Settings> General and plug up Restrictions> Disable Restrictions. Enter the current code and then step up again Enable restrizioni to be able to insert a new one.
Forgot your Restrictions code?
Beware if you forget the restrictions code, you will need to initialize the device, then set it up as new to remove the code. Restoring the device from backup will not remove the code.
Le Restrictions that you can configure with an iPhone or iPad are:
- Blocking of new installations - from the section Allow you can choose which apps the child can use and which not. By moving the switch to ON o OFF You will block the app which will also be removed from the Home Screen.
- Disabling purchases - always from the section Allow you can disable the options: Installation app, Delete app e In-app purchases, the child will not be able to install, uninstall or purchase in the Apple App Store.
- Block explicit content on iTunes - move to Contents allowed and stop on Music, , News e iTunes U. From here we disable the Explicit option so that the child cannot access the content on iTunes with explicit content.
- Prohibited movies - move to the Movies section and choose the titles to be viewed based on the age of the child. You can disable TV viewing and block reading of books and audiobooks that have unsuitable content.
- App for kids only - you can also set an age restriction for apps using the rating assigned on the App Store. Remember that not all apps have a rating on the App Store, the only solution is to read the reviews of users who have already downloaded them.
- Blocking of purchases - you can prevent your child from purchasing apps by using your own password Apple ID. From Settings Password, select Request always and enable Request Password to enter the passkey every time he tries to download something.
As an alternative to the official iOS Parental Control, you can use one of the best Parental Control apps for iOS, equally effective in protecting children from unsuitable content during use:
- Mobicip Safe Browser With Parental Control
- Net Nanny
- Parentkit – Parental Control For iOS
- Qustodio
Browse safely with Safari
If your baby is using Safari, the Apple browser, to navigate you can make sure to restrict access to certain Internet sites. Like? Just go in Settings> General> Restrictions> Websites and select the option Limit and content per adult. The filter could also block sites that maybe you are interested in visiting, to solve it, just tap on Aggiungi a website and Consenti semper, enter the URL. In the same way, you can block a site that hasn't been properly filtered.
The third and final option allows you to limit your child's browsing to only selected sites. Stop on Specific websites only and then click on Aggiungi a website to enter title and URL.
If you are trying to browse the web and you are shown a blank page indicating that it is a Restricted site, you can enable its navigation by clicking on Allow website and entering the password set for the restrictions.
How to set up Parental Control on Android
For those who have Android mobile devices, in Lollipop, Marshmallow or Nougat versions, there is the possibility to create in Settings> Advanced> Users, different users to be granted different permissions. To understand if you have this feature, all you have to do is type the entry in the search bar of the Settings users.
In case you don't find anything, you can still rely on the many Android apps for Parental Control that will allow you to choose the contents to make visible to your child.
Below the best Android apps for Parental Control:
- Parental Control Children's Area
- Child Safety Mode
- Serratura (AppLock)
On Android it is possible to defend against in-app purchases directly from Google Play. Go to Google Play and tap on Menu (icon with the three horizontal dashes) by tapping on Settings> Parental Control. Activate the option and in Create PIN for content, enter the PIN that will allow you to change the parental control settings.
In case you have forgotten your Parental Control PIN you can reset it by following these instructions on your Android smartphone:
- apri Settings
- Open App or Applications
- Stop on Google Play Store
- Stop on Storage space and then Delete Data
- If you have Android Nougat Tap on Memory and then Delete Data.
By doing so, the PIN and Parental Control will be reset and you can add Parental Control again and set a new PIN.
With the Parental control active you can configure the security level on Apps and Games, Movie e Music taking into account the age of your children.
By limiting purchases you must necessarily block the device from downloading applications from unknown sources. To do this you have to go to Security> Other Settings and disable the voice Unknown origin, if you have the latest version of Android (Nougat) instead you have to go to Settings> Lock screen and security and disable the feature Sources unknown.
Or from the Play Store, go to Menu> Settings> Require authentication for purchases and check the item For all purchases on Google Play from this device. In this way, authentication for purchases through Google Play will always be required within apps intended for children under 13.
How to set up Parental Control on Windows 7/8 / 8.1
Da Windows 8.1 onwards, Microsoft has included the functionality it takes its name Family Safety (if you have Windows 7 take a look at: How to Safe Kids Surf the Internet). Thanks to this feature it is possible to create an account for a minor and monitor his steps on the Internet. Not only that, you can limit the actions it can perform, the files it can download or the websites it can visit (also setting schedules, alerts and much more).
To access Family Safety you need to go to Settings> Control Panel> Family Safety.
Select the item Account: you can convert an account or create an ex.novo one. Then click Add an account and then at the bottom select Add a child account.
Still at the bottom go to Add a child account without email and then enter the data for the new account. After registering the new account, go back to Control Panel> Family Safety and click on the new button that appears. From here select the new account and activate all restrictions including Web Filter. Go to Web Filter and activate the restriction level and place the bar on Allowed List Only. Then on Allow and block enter the site you want your child to visit (the others will be automatically denied). By doing this you can keep track of the websites visited, block unsuitable sites or even prevent them from discovering social networks such as Facebook and chat.
Thanks to Family Safety you will no longer have to monitor the child using the computer by sight, but you can select the times and times of use of the PC.
How to set up Parental Controls on Windows 10
enable Family Safety on Windows 10, you need to set up a child account. To do this go to Start> Settings (cogwheel) and on the search bar Find a setting, type Family. Select Family and other people and then Add a family member.
In the window that appears, check the item Add a child and if you don't want to enter an email address click on the link The person I want to add does not have an email address, or enter one. Then press the button NEXT.
In the following screenshot Create an account enter a new email for the child, or use yours directly, and then type in a password, country, day, month and year of birth. Then press the button NEXT. In Help us protect your baby's info, add your phone number and a alternative email address useful to protect the child's account and to allow you to reset the password or recover the access credentials. Then press the button NEXT. In Find out his preferences uncheck all items and press again on NEXT to complete the account creation. Then press the button Close.
On the screen Your family the newly created child's account will be visible among family members. By clicking on Change account type you can decide whether to keep it as a standard user or make it an administrator, while clicking on Block, you will prevent the child from accessing and using the computer.
The link Manage family settings online, will allow you, instead, on the browser to adjust the Family Safety settings of the child account by acting on the following options:
- Recent activity - it will allow you to have a complete view with weekly reports via email of the child's activities on the PC (apps and games used, time spent in front of the PC and sites visited).
- Web browsing - allows you to block inappropriate sites. It only works with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.
- Apps, games and multimedia elements - allows you to restrict apps and media files from the Store.
- Time in front of the screen - set the maximum time interval during which the child can stay in front of the PC.
- Purchases and expenses - allows you to add a spending limit on the purchase of apps, games and other content from the Store or block all possible purchases.
- Find your baby - view the child's location on a map. The child must use a device with Windows 10 mobile.
How to set up Parental Controls on Mac
If you have a Mac OS X (in this case I considered the Sierra operating system) you can activate the parental Control to protect your child from the Internet by monitoring and controlling browsing times and websites visited.
To do this you have to choose menu Apple> System Preferences> Parental Controls. The screen Controls Relatives it will ask you to create a new user account with parental controls or to convert the one you are already using. I our case Create a new account with parental controls I awarded her Continue.
Enter all the necessary data of the child account: age, full name, account name, password and press on Create utente.
At the end the new screen will appear Parental controls with on the left the full name of the child, while on the right at the top, the possibility of limiting the actions that the child can perform with a series of panels which are:
- App - specify the apps that the child can run, limit the applications on the Mac, allow access to the Game Center and allow the use or not of the camera.
- Web - restricts access to websites with the ability to specify which sites the child can access.
- Store - disables the iTunes Store and restricts the use of Music, Movies, Apps and TV Shows.
- Duration - allows access to the computer by limiting its use weekly by specifying a duration in minutes and hours.
- Privacy - restrict access to the child's user data.
- Other - disable Siri, editing printers and scanners and much more.
After applying the necessary changes, click on the open padlock at the bottom to confirm and disable any future changes. Each new change you apply will require you to enter your system password to unlock.
How to set up a child account on PS4
If you want to set up a child account on PlayStation 4 and make sure they can only use the appropriate games and features, you need to start the PS4 and log in with your account. Then go up Settings> Content Filtering> Family Management> Family Management. Confirm login with your password and select Add family memberye Create utente.
Now enter the child's name and date of birth, and click on NEXT e Accept. In the following window specify which contents the child can use and at the end click on Confirmation.
After logging out, the child will be able to register for the new account and only use games approved for their age. If you have trouble applying the child account, try updating your PS4 or using a Account secondary. To update your PS4 open the Settings and select the item System software update.
How to block content on Xbox One
Even on Xbox One you have the option to block content when a child is using it. To change the default restrictions settings, press the Xbox button and select Settings. Then select the item All settings and Account select Family.
Select the account of the child you want to protect and which must already exist. Then click on Access to the content and choose what you want to limit. You can choose the type of websites that can be displayed in Microsoft Edge by choosing Filter Web after selecting the filter to protect, or check the types of apps you can download from the Store selecting the item Buy Now e Download.
How to activate protections on YouTube
Google's huge video container, YouTube, also offers user interventions to block unsuitable content for children. To do this you need to select the account icon and click Restricted mode. If it is deactivated click on the slider to activate it.
If you have an older version of YouTube, scroll down to the bottom and click on the drop-down menu Restricted mode. Select Activated and then click on Save. Restricted mode remains active even when you close the browser and reopen it later. You can also block restricted mode in your browser so that others can't delete it. To do this click on Restricted mode at the bottom of the page, then go up Block restricted mode in this browser.
To unlock it follow the same steps by clicking on Unlock restricted mode in this browser.
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