How to properly manage parental controls?

The theme of children and screens is a vast subject, and we talk about it regularly on the Blog Des Parents. Today we want to talk to you more specifically about parental controls.

Contents 1 What is parental control? 2 Why parental controls? 3 Is parental control necessary? 4 Parental control, how does it work? 5 An example of a parental control solution

Beyond the “screen time” aspect, which we will discuss in more detail in a future article, the subject of parental controls has become very important. For the safety of our children, and for the peace of mind of parents.

Parental control, what is it?

Parental control is a feature that allows you to limit your children's access to the Internet. More specifically, it consists of filtering out inappropriate content from websites and search engine results, so that your children can browse the Internet with peace of mind. Exit, for example, sites or content talking about violence, drugs or sex. The challenge is to be able to adjust and adapt the filtering according to the age of the child, and to be sure of the quality of the filtering.

Why parental controls?

The objective of parental control is to be able to accompany your children's use of the Internet, by having a look at the sites / applications used, to protect them from dangers (in particular by limiting or deleting access to chats, violent sites, shocking information, pornographic sites, gambling, etc.).
Parental control also makes it possible to filter a personalized list of prohibited sites, which parents can define and progressively enrich, in addition to the pre-integrated filters.
Also, in order to support the child in a more moderate and reasonable use, it is possible and recommended to establish time slots for use.

Is parental control necessary?

As often, the answer is “it depends”. And it depends on what? We can list some criteria to look at to judge the interest of using a parental control solution:

• the age of the child :the risks often increase with age, because our “natural” surveillance decreases as the child grows
• his internet use :Does your child watch YouTube videos more? He also surfs on various and varied websites? Does he use social networks (facebook, instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat). Forums? It's up to you to assess the risks based on their browsing behavior
• of the means used :personal or family tablet? children's tablet? Laptop ? pc? Mac? Phone?
• the place of use :outside the house ? inside the house without his room? In a place where you can keep an eye on them or not?

Parental control, how does it work?

The implementation of parental control requires the installation of software on the computer, the laptop, the tablet, in short on the different screens used by your or your children.

This software allows you to configure all the elements that we had listed previously (blocked or authorized sites, authorized times and ranges of use, etc.).

An example of a parental control solution

Google offers free software, Family Link, to set up a first level of control over your children's devices connected to Google accounts. This is a first option to watch and use, given the importance of Google in our use of the internet (search, YouTube videos, Gmail…).

But to go further, it is interesting and sometimes essential to opt for paid software like ShelBlock which allows you to protect your children's browsing.

This parental monitoring software filters out inappropriate content from websites and search engine results with password restricted access. Enabling Parental Controls in Shelblock takes seconds and your computer can be ready for your kids to use within minutes. For example, the monthly rates are €3.90 (sometimes with promotions), and there is a free version and a version with a lifetime license. In any case, a 14-day withdrawal period allows you to test the tool to get an idea of ​​the interest for your family.

As parents, the question of parental control is in any case an important subject to consider in a world that is more connected than ever!