4 Tricks to Restrict the Internet to Children

 

4 Tricks to Restrict the Internet to Children

Contrary to common belief, children are not digital natives. They need to be given some guidelines for the use of the Internet and new technologies. The keys to this are education and communication, but if necessary, electronic devices can also be configured to restrict Internet use or use parental control programs. This article explains four tricks to do so: from learning how to use parental control modes on computers and mobiles to resorting to some useful applications such as Qustodio.

Trick 1. How to control the Internet for children?

Today it is not uncommon to find 10-year-olds who have their own tablet or who go to school with a smartphone in their backpack. Minors have access to the Internet at an earlier age, and although this can be a positive experience and there are great technological toys for children, on many occasions’ parents are not very clear about how to educate them in its use.

In general terms, experts consider that the programs and filters of the operating system to restrict the Internet are not the ideal solution and should be applied only in extreme cases. Before reaching that point, they advise other guidelines such as placing the computer in a common room (the living room) so that its use is shared between parents and children in a natural way, so that the minor can ask in case of doubt. However, where they do believe that these programs and filters are useful is in restricting schedules, since children tend to spend too many hours a day browsing the Internet or playing video games.

Before choosing to install a program, you can try the parental control functionalities of the operating system itself .

In the case of Windows, you have to go to the Settings application from the Start menu and then click on Accounts> Family and other people. For each created child account, a Microsoft account must be opened. The accounts of small Windows users allow parents to set  time limits on the use of the computer (marking what times it can or cannot be used), establish the appropriate web pages for them and block access to certain applications and games.

If you are using a Mac , you have to open the System Preferences and then click on Parental Controls. Once these filters are activated, you can use the automatic configuration (which blocks access to web pages with adult content) or create a personalized list , so that the child can only access the pages established by the parents. It is also possible to set a usage schedule and block certain applications.

Trick 2. Internet parental control programs

In case you want to opt for parental control software, one of the most popular and recommended is Qustodio , a surveillance system that works on multiple operating systems , both computer and telephone.

After creating a user account in Qustodio, it can be configured to block web pages with inappropriate content, monitor the use of social networks , filter search results, check which applications are used or define hourly limits on the use of the computer.

The good thing about this program, in addition, is that it has a free version that can be downloaded without any commitment, and thus check if it is really what is adapted to the user's needs. Then, if advanced functions are required (such as managing the child's smartphone as well), the Premium Plan can be purchased from 38.95 euros per year.

Trick 3. How to configure parental control of the Internet in Android?

To control the minor's use of an Android mobile or tablet, this operating system includes various integrated options. The first is the possibility of "locking" the screen of the tablet in a single application , so that the child cannot leave it and use other apps. To activate this function, open the device Settings and then go to Security> Screen pinning. Next, you have to open the app you want to pin and, from the list of all open applications, touch the pin icon to pin it on the screen.

Another option, in this case exclusive to tablets with Android 4.3 or higher, is the possibility of creating special user profiles for children , who have certain limitations regarding the applications they can use and the content they can open. These profiles are created from Settings> Users.

In Android there are also applications with which to restrict the use of Internet to minors. One of them is Kids Place , an app that creates a safe environment for children, where they will only have access to smartphone applications selected by parents. This software also allows you to block access to the Internet for these apps, prevent access to Google Play or establish hours for using the device, among other things.

Trick 4. How to restrict the Internet to children on iPhone or iPad?

In the case of having an iPad , this tablet also has a function that blocks a single application on the screen. It's called Guided Access and to activate it you have to open Settings and then go to General> Accessibility.

In addition, in iOS there are other filters called Restrictions that allow blocking certain functions of the operating system. They are in the General> Restrictions menu, within Settings. With its activation it is possible to prevent the installation of new apps (or the uninstallation of existing ones), block purchases within applications and filter the content that the child can access through iTunes (apps, music, podcasts, movies and books ).

It is important to note that these filters do not restrict the content of web pages, since you can only choose to allow or deny access to the web browser. For this, you would have to use a third-party application , but since iOS is a fairly restrictive system, the ones that exist do not have much room for action.

One option is Qstodio , which makes it possible to filter websites by managing the connection through a VPN.

And another app with which to control Internet use on the iPhone is Parent Kit, although it only lets you create schedules for using the smartphone, including the use of Safari (to surf the Web) and other applications and access to the multimedia content of the device .