Il parental Control - or parental control - can be a useful tool to protect the little ones from the risks and harmful content of the internet.
The safety of users on the network it is in fact one of the features to be taken into consideration when surfing the web. The speech becomes even more important when it comes to children who do not yet know the dangers of the internet. Most companies are well aware of this and it is for this reason that many of them make the so-called parental control available to parents, but what is it?
What is parental control?
parental control, or family filter, means a program or service capable of selecting web pages or applications based on some very specific criteria. Therefore, avoid the exposure of children to content considered dangerous and violent for their age group (according to internet rules, up to 16 years).
The parental control usually works as a "roadblock" that prevents access to content considered inappropriate such as pornographic sites, violent images or pages with specific keywords. The filter therefore does not let anything pass that is not in a list of sites previously approved by the parent, thus creating a protected virtual environment called, in the jargon, fenced garden (walled garden).
Other types of software, which however fall into the category of parental controls, allow you to set a usage time of devices, computers, smart TVs or smartphones to limit their use. You can also monitor your children's online behavior by viewing, without appearing too meddlesome, the sites they frequent or the people they interact with.
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How to set up the parental control
As we have anticipated, each company allows users to set parental controls, let's find out how to do it on the most popular devices and operating systems.
Parental Controls on PC (Windows 10)
Any computer that mounts the operating system Windows owns an account Microsoft, in case you have registered on the site in question, or a local account created specifically for that computer. From this account, which will be the administrator of the PC, you will be able to access the parental control pre-installed in Windows, as well as create the profile of other users who will have to follow your instructions.
To add a new user, simply:
- Open Isettings, then select Account
- Select Family and other users and then choose Add family member
At this point the system allows you to choose whether or not to add a child who, from now on, will use that specific account. After creating the profile, the adults of the family will be able to:
- View activity reports including app purchases and web searches
- Set age restrictions for content rated as ineligible, including apps, games, videos, movies and TV
- Set time and time restrictions for computer use
- Find the logged in user on a map, when using Windows 10 Mobile on a smartphone
To better manage everything, Windows 10, the latest version of the operating system, is also equipped withFamily option (within the security section) from which you can have a complete overview of all accounts and connected devices.
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Parental Control su Android
Systems too Android, both smartphones and tablets, integrate an internal family filter. The activation methods may vary depending on the version of the system but, in general, to activate the filter you must:
- Open the settings menu from your device, the famous gear icon
- Select the item Users from which to add new profiles, in addition to the main one
- Add a "restricted account" or "child account"
- Set a specific password for the new account
- Select the allowed applications - From here you can choose which applications, present on the device, can also be used by this account through a very simple "ON / OFF" system
At this point the child's profile has been created on the device and simply select it from the phone lock screen to quickly switch from the main account to the protected one.
Compared to the parental controls we have seen on Windows, Android does not offer particular services such as online time control. Fortunately, there are many more than good parental control applications available on the Google Play Store. These include Spazio Bimbi Parental Control, Safe Family and Kid's Shell.
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Parental Control su iPhone e iPad
The devices Apple allow a more complete control thanks to the family filter present in the iOS. With Content and Privacy Restrictions in Usage Time, you can, for example, block or limit certain apps and functions but also prevent the viewing of explicit content, improve privacy and control purchases and downloads.
To access all the functions, just enter the settings of your iphone or ipad and select the item "Usage time". From here you will have access to all useful services including:
- Content and privacy restrictions
- Prevent iTunes and App Store purchases or block the ability to install or delete apps present in the device
- Restrict the use of built-in apps and functions
- Prevent explicit content and with certain ratings, such as blocking the playback of music with explicit content and of movies or TV shows. Similarly, apps also have a rating on which the filter can be based to prevent them from being accessed or downloaded
- Prevent certain web content from being displayed to exclude access to adult sites in Safari, the Apple browser, or in apps on the device. It is possible, even with iOS, to add certain websites to a black list
- Restrict web searches with Siri, Apple's voice assistant
- Restrict the Game Center, for example by preventing your children from playing and interacting with strangers in multiplayer mode
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Parental Control su Mac
As well as Windows too Mac, the series of computers produced by Apple, include a free software to set up a parental control. The functions are very similar to those for apple mobile devices.
To activate parental control you need to open the settings and select them System Preferences and then Parental Control (or Family Filter). From here you will have the possibility to create a new account which, from this moment on, will follow the rules of the filter that we are going to set up. At this point we will have a series of specific functions available for that particular account divided into macro areas (Applications, web, online purchases, activity time, privacy and more).
We can disable the use of the camera or limit the use of emails, allowing you to contact only the addresses entered by you. As with mobile devices, you can prevent the use of applications, restrict access to certain sites or set a computer usage limit.
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The importance of the family filter
As we have seen, the parental controls can be a fundamental tool to make the use of a device more pleasant both for children, who will have access only to suitable content, and for parents, who can feel more relaxed. Parental control allows users to be more protected and to make the most of technology at any age and in complete safety
Tagsandroid apple parental controls iOS parental control security windows Parental Control: what it is and how it works
