The internet is a wonderful advancement in technology. The online world provides many educational and entertaining websites and even allows us to be able to socialize with friends. But it can also provide many inappropriate and even dangerous opportunities for the family. Sometimes parents don’t quite know how to give their children all the opportunities of the internet and at the same time protect them and teach them how to make wise choices. So in an effort to practically help families, here is list of resources provided to give optional ways to protect your family in their use of the internet.
The basic two ways to protect your family on the internet is through filtering and monitoring. Filtering helps to prevent your family from coming across inappropriate material (i.e. pornography) on the internet. Monitoring gives some accountability as to what websites are being viewed by your family. In the ideal situation, it is best to have ways to filter and monitor all devices.
As one pastor said, “Parents, don’t give your kids unrestricted access to the Internet. It’s like letting them play with your pistol…I’m trying to help you here. In the end, so much of what we deal with in regards to 20 and 30-year-olds started when they were 12 and 13-year-olds with moms and dads who just didn’t care what was going on in their shut bedroom.” [Matt Chandler]
So here are some goals to have when protecting your family online:
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To make it as difficult as possible for children (& adults) to view inappropriate material (i.e. pornography).
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To provide accountability(monitoring) to deter them from clicking on inappropriate material.
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To be help them make wise and good online decisions
Here are some practical tools to help protect your family online. Some families are going to feel overwhelmed by the options and how to setup the software up. So if you need help, please contact us by clicking here. We’ll try to provide you some assistance as time permits.
A Few Statistics (1)
Did you know:
- 34% of Internet users have experienced unwanted exposure to porn either through pop-up ads, misdirected links or emails.
- 70% of men ages 18-24 visit porn sites in a typical month.
Did you also know:
The average age at which a child first sees porn online is 11.
- 90% of children ages 8-16 have viewed pornography on the Internet. In most cases, the sites were accessed unintentionally when a child, often in the process of doing homework, used a seemingly innocent word to search for information or pictures.
- 42% of parents do not review the content of what their teenagers read and/or type in chat rooms or via instant messaging.
- 50% of teens ages 13-18 often communicate through the Internet with someone they have not met in person.(2)
- 20% of teenagers have sent nude or semi-nude images of themselves or posted them online.
These numbers are pretty scary, but you can take some simple steps to protect your family from exposure to unwanted content in your home.
Resources for Sex Eduation
As kids grow up and as they run across inappropriate material, this will often mean having to have uncomfortable discussions with them. Parents will have to use wisdom in how best to approach their children. But if parents are looking for help, here are some good resources on sex education.
Internet Filtering & Monitoring (accountability) Options
Summary: It is highly recommended that anyone install OpenDNS on their router that provides Wifi to your home. If you can afford it, Covenant Eyes is highly recommended and a very robust piece of software*. Otherwise, it is recommend that you try the other free or cheaper software* and determine which one will work best in your situation.
[*Please note that there are always ways to circumvent software. No amount of software can substitute for parents being personally involved in the lives of their children and supervising all internet access. Parents should be parents and have access to all accounts and passwords.]
PC/Mac options
CovenantEyes.com is probably the best accountability software available. But there is a cost involved. In essence, you get what you pay for.
OpenDNS.com (free) is router based filter that can be customized to block what you desire on your home WiFi. It also helps in protecting you against phishing and identity theft. It is highly recommended for all families as it filters every device that accesses the internet from your home. It can be customized to your liking as well.
You’ll also need to download the OpenDNS Updater to your PC/Mac to keep your IP address in sync with OpenDNS.
Qustodio (Free basic version and premium $45 annually for 5 devices) is a software based filter and monitors websites.
Visikid (Free version and Pro version for $29 per year) is not a filter and only monitors activities online and computer usage.
Mobicip (Free version and $10 annually) offers filtering and monitoring along with several other features.
K9 Web Protection (free) is software based filter and some website monitoring. It also includes safe searching. The software seems quite restrictive, so it may block sites that you might permit your family to view.
Norton Family offers filtering and monitoring along with several other options. It offers a limited free version and a premier version for $50 per year.
IOS Apps options (iphone, ipad, ipod)
The use of Parental Controls is highly recommended and Mobicip seems in our experience to be one of the better options. Please note that these apps only monitor and filter web browsing and not the other apps. These apps also require that you to block the Safari app.
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IOS Parental Controls (free) – Make sure to add websites that you want your family to have full access to in the “whitelist”
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K9 Web Protection Browser (free) – itunes store
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Mobicip ($10 annually) – A safe browser that can filter and monitor internet usage
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Qustodio (free basic version and premium $45 annually for 5 devices)
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AppCertain App (free) – Monitors apps that are installed and allows you to switch off apps
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Covenant Eyes ($10.49 monthly) – A safe browser that can filter and monitor internet usage
Android Apps options
Changing the content filtering in the Play Store is highly recommended as there are many inappropriate apps available with High Maturity setting.
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Google Play Store App Content Filtering (Medium Maturity, Low maturity, or Everyone)
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K9 Web Protection Browser (free)
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Mobicip ($10 annually) – A safe browser that can filter and monitor internet usage
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Covenant Eyes ($10.49 monthly) – A safe browser that can filter and monitor internet usage
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Qustodio (Free basic version and $45 annually for 5 devices)
Here are some ways to provide safer searches with popular sites:
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Google, Yahoo, & Bing Safe Search Settings & Image search
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/510?hl=en
http://www.bing.com/preferences.aspx
https://help.yahoo.com/kb/search/SLN2247.html?impressions=true
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YouTube Safety Mode
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/174084?hl=en
Other Helpful Websites for Parental Controls