How do I set up parental controls on devices?

Parental Controls are multifunctional programs with which you can restrict children's access to inappropriate content or limit the time they use a gadget, Internet or application.

How to set up parental controls on a computer (Windows 10, macOS)?

Windows 10

Step 1

Go to your Microsoft account, then into settings, and select "Family", where you will need to click "Add a family member."

Step 2

Next, you need to set up a child's Microsoft account: enter an e-mail and follow the other instructions for creating it.

Step 3

After all the steps, an invitation letter will be sent to your e-mail. After accepting it, you will need to click on "Manage family settings over the Internet." Due to the fact that all parental control settings are disabled by default, all functions and settings will need to be connected separately.

MacOS

Step 1

In the upper left corner, click on "apple" and go to "system settings".

Step 2

Click on "Parental Control" and when you see the lock, enter the password.

Step 3

Select the account where you are going to set up parental controls.

Step 4

After that, click "Turn on parental control" and then this function will work. You will be able to manage applications, block access to certain sites and limit the time spent on the Internet.

How to set up parental controls on phones (iOS, Android)?

In this section, we will help you understand how to set up parental controls on your phone and what you need to do to do this.

Android OS

Android phone currently does not have full parental controls, but still, we will tell you what you can do with the available tools:

Restricting user access through Android settings.

To do this, just select the "Users" item, then click on "Add user" and after that you will be able to configure the restrictions in the guest account. This will allow you to restrict access to the browser or set a password on Google Play.

In case you still do not understand how to set parental control on your phone, you can set this function separately in the settings of each application.

Apps where you can enable parental controls:

• Google Play (Play Store);
• YouTube;
• Google Family Link.

Third party parental control software that is considered the best in the business:

• Kaspersky Safe Kids;
• Norton Family Parental Control;
• ESET Parental Control;
• Kidslox;
• Mobile Fence Parental Control.

iOS

To configure, follow these steps:

1. Go to the settings of your phone and select the "Screen time" function. Scroll down and go to “Set Screen Time for Family” where you will need to enter your Apple ID.
2. Set a password that only you will know, it will provide control with the following functions:
   • "At rest" - setting the time interval when only calls and SMS will work, and other applications will be blocked.
   • "Application Limit" - a time limit on the use of a particular game or program.
   • "Restriction of communication" - this function allows you to establish with whom the child will be able to communicate from his phone book, as well as a ban on editing contacts. Always Allowed is a collection of applications that can work in any restriction mode on a smartphone.
   • "Content and privacy" - here you can set a ban on the purchase and installation of applications, block access to the camera, Wallet, FaceTime, and also set restrictions on: movies, music, books, adult web content and other privacy settings.
   • "Latitude" - in order for this function to be available, you need to enable geolocation on your phone and add yourself as a contact, so that in case of something you always know where your child is.

Parental control on TP-Link WI-FI router

Oddly enough, parental controls can be configured on the router as well.

1. Go to the device's Wi-Fi web page, select "Advanced settings", then click on the tab on the left "Parental Control" and there already click on the "Enable" toggle switch.
2. In the "Monitored devices" section, click "Add", where the button "View existing devices" will immediately appear - you can select or enter the device that you want to monitor.
3. By clicking on the Clock icon - set the time when you need the Internet to be available.

Can parental controls be configured for specific sites, and how do I do it?

Unfortunately, it will not be possible to completely deny access to the Internet, therefore there are several ways thanks to which you can restrict access to the sites you have selected.

Browsers with built-in parental controls

Some browsers: Opera, Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari have parental controls in their settings, which can block sites with inappropriate content for children.

Devices that work through a Wi-Fi router

Some routers have the ability to restrict access to certain sites through the settings of the modem's web page, where there is a "black list" function. If you add unwanted sites to this list, devices that will receive a Wi-Fi signal from this router will automatically block these links and they will not open on any of the gadgets.

Block a site on any computer by editing the host

One of the easiest ways to block sites on a computer is to edit the "hosts" file. You can find this file through a search at: "C: \ WINDOWS \ system32 \ drivers \ etc \ hosts" and you can open it through a regular notepad.

At the bottom of the document you will need to add the line: 127.0.0.1 and after this combination enter the site that you want to block, for example: 127.0.0.1 instagram.com, if you need to block several sites, start from the next line with the same combination. Do not forget to save these changes in the edited text document.