A Better Method is Needed
Parents, have you previously set up prenatal controls, but have your children figured out ways around them? This article will explore the best strategy for protecting your kids online.
Meet the Expert
Hello, I’m Jack Hughes. Growing up in the digital age, I became adept at circumventing parental controls and engaging in activities online that I shouldn’t have. Now, I dedicate my time to helping parents protect their kids online. It’s my goal to help you protect your kids online. If you need my personal help, you can always get on a Zoom call with me one-on-one.
Introducing the Strategy of Layering
No single parental control service is perfect, but stacking them on top of each other makes protection almost foolproof. Think of it like this: Imagine you put a diamond in a safe, then you put the safe in a locked car and then drive the car into a bank vault. You then hire a security team to monitor the vault.
Now, that diamond would be very, very hard to steal, much harder than if the diamond was just in a safe. This analogy is much like prenatal controls. One layer of prenatal controls can be penetrated pretty easily, but when you have multiple, it becomes nearly impossible.
Layers of Protection
1. In-App Parental Controls
Set up parental controls within each app or service. Platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Roblox offer built-in controls to help manage and monitor your child’s activity.
2. First-Party Parental Controls
You can use the parental controls that come preinstalled on the phone. Features like Screen Time on iOS and Family Link on Android provide essential monitoring and restriction capabilities.
3. Third-Party Parental Controls
Consider using third-party services like Bark, Famisafe, OurPact, and Boomerang. These services offer extensive features like photo monitoring, location tracking, and monitoring for cyberbullying and hate speech.
4. On-WiFi Controls
Utilize parental controls on your WiFi router. Many routers, such as those from Google and Eero, have built-in parental control options. If your current router lacks these features, consider routers designed explicitly for parental controls, like Gryphon and Bark WiFi routers. These can limit any device that accesses the internet, including smart TVs and game stations like Xbox or PlayStation.
5. Cellular Controls
Set controls with your cell service provider. Companies like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint offer parental control features to protect your child even when they’re away from home.
Summary of the Five Layers
- In-App Parental Controls: Manage settings within apps like TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Roblox.
- First-Party Parental Controls: Use built-in controls on phones, such as Screen Time and Family Link.
- Third-Party Parental Controls: Opt for comprehensive services like Bark and OurPact for advanced monitoring.
- On-WiFi Controls: Use routers with parental controls to limit internet access on all devices.
- Cellular Controls: Set up parental controls with your cell service provider to ensure protection outside the home.
Why This Strategy Works
Consider this example: A child tries to bypass home controls by using the WiFi at McDonald’s. With layered protection, the phone’s first-party controls and third-party services still enforce restrictions, making it much harder for the child to access restricted content.
Or, let’s say the child buys an entirely new phone that you don’t even know about, but when he or she tries to access the internet at home, the Wi-Fi layer blocks them. In fact, I was able to get a second phone to get around the prenatal controls on my device, but my parents never set up prenatal controls on the Wi-Fi, so I was never blocked on the internet.
All of this is incredibly confusing, which is why I want to help you personally with all of this. If you have any questions, you can get on a call with me, or you can sign up for my tech text support program, where I can answer all of your questions.