Protect Kids Using Parental control for Internet Access
Computer usage for online and offline activities opens a new world for information
gathering, communication, commerce, productivity, and entertainment. It also presents new
risks for predators, information disclosure, and easy access to inappropriate content in
websites, messages, file downloads, and game and audio/video multimedia. For adults, the risks
may be controlled by filtering technologies configured by an adult for his or her own account as
self-filtering efforts.
Enforcing parental controls is different than self-filtering. Policies set by a parent or guardian
must be enforced on dependents without the dependents being able to easily alter those
policies. The same is true for tampering with activity logging information that may be essential
for a parent or guardian to have sufficient information to set and maintain effective policies
Parental controls are features which may be included in digital television services, computer
and video games, mobile devices and software.
Parental controls fall into roughly four categories: -
Content Filtering:- which limit access to age inappropriate content;
Usage controls:- which constrain the usage of these devices such as placing time-limits
on usage or forbidding certain types of usage;
Computer usage management tools:- which enforces the use of certain software;
Monitoring :- which can track location and activity when using the devices.
Where can I set parental controls and what can I protect?
There are three levels of parental controls that you should be aware of:
Broadband & Devices :- Entertainment &
mobile search engines
networks
Prevents :- Prevents Protects your child
1)access to access to from
age-
inappropriate 1)certain 1) accessing age-
content already inappropriate
downloaded content
2) access to apps
certain sites 2) Shows content
2) purchasing suitable for their age
of new apps
3)
downloading
new apps
4) changes to
privacy settings
and password
Microsoft Family Security in Windows 10
Back in Windows 8 Microsoft introduced family security settings. These allowed parents to
create children’s accounts, restrict the type of content they could access, as well as set time
limits for when the young ones could use the devices. These still exist in Windows 10 and offer
a good starting point for securing your PC.
Parental control softwares:-
Most parental control tools include content filtering —the ability to block access to
websites matching unwanted categories such as porn, violence, and hate.
Access scheduling is another very common feature. Som e applications let parents
set a weekly schedule for Internet access, some control computer use in general,
and some offer both as choice.
There are systems perform ing content filtering at the router level, so the settings
affect every device on the netwo rk. This facilitates multiple device control with
single s/w.
In Social Media Tracking the option to limit Childs view to posts and interactions
that contain words or phrases that might indicate something inappropriate .In most
cases, installation of social media tracking requires that you know your child's
login credentials
With most parental control systems provid ing Remote Notification and
Management, parents can opt to receive notification via text or email when the child
tries to visit a blocked s ite, makes a post using iffy language, or otherwise bends
the rules.
Parental control systems start to diverge, with many advanced features to help
them stand out from the crowd. Some limit access to games, TV shows, and movies
based on ratings. Some let parents control just who the kids can chat with via
various instant messaging systems. Blocking specific applications is another
advanced feature, as is forcing Safe Search on popular search portals
As per the review published at www.pcmag.com the best Parental Control Software for year
2017 are:-
ContentWatch Net Nanny 7
Symantec Norton Family Premier
Circle With Disney
Mobicip
Kaspersky Safe Kids
Qustodio Parental Control
Clean Router
OpenDNS Home VIP .
Note that these applications can't substitute for good communication. If you don't
want your kids to visit certain kinds of sites, talk to them about your concerns. And
do take time to convince older kids that you'll respect their privacy while
monitoring their online actions. Otherwise, you can be sure they'll find ways to
evade even the most sophisticated system.
