Parental controls - what is it and do you need it? What are parental controls on the Internet? Computer educational program

Today, children get tablets and smartphones at a fairly early age, and most often these are Android devices. After this, parents usually have concerns about how, for how long, and for what purpose the child uses this device and a desire to protect him from unwanted applications, sites, uncontrolled phone use, and similar things.

This manual contains details about the capabilities of parental control on Android phones and tablets, both through the system and using third-party applications for these purposes.

Built-in Android parental controls

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the Android system itself (as well as built-in applications from Google) is not very rich in truly popular parental control functions. But some things can be configured without resorting to third-party applications.

Note: The location of the functions is indicated for “pure” Android. On some devices with their own launchers, the settings may be located in other places and sections (for example, in " Additionally»).

For the little ones - blocking in the application

Function " Blocking in the application"Allows you to run one application in full screen and prevent switching to any other application or Android "desktop".

To use the function, do the following:

1. Go to Settings - Safety - Blocking in the application.
2. Enable the option (after reading about its use).

3. Launch the desired application and click the " Review" (square), slightly pull the application up and click on the shown " Pin».

As a result, Android use will be limited to this application until you disable the lock: to do this, press and hold the " Back" And " Review».

Parental controls in the Play Store

Google Play Store allows you to set up parental controls to restrict the installation and purchase of applications.

1. Click the button Menu» in the Play Store and open settings.
2. Open the item " Parental control" and move it to the " position On", set a PIN code.

3. Set restrictions on filtering Games and applications, Movies and Music by age.

4. To prohibit the purchase of paid applications without entering your Google account password in the Play Store settings, use the item " Authentication upon purchase».

Parental controls in YouTube

YouTube settings allow you to partially limit inappropriate videos for your children: in the YouTube application, click on the menu button, select " Settings» - « Are common" and enable the item " Safe mode».

Also, on Google Play there is a separate application from Google - “YouTube for Kids”, where this option is enabled by default and cannot be switched back.

Users

Android allows you to create multiple user accounts in " Settings» - « Users».

In general (with the exception of restricted profiles, which are not available in many places), it will not be possible to set additional restrictions for the second user, but the function can still be useful:

• Application settings are saved separately for different users, i.e. For the user who is the owner, you can not set parental control parameters, but simply block it with a password (see. How to set a password on Android), and allow the child to log in only as a second user.
• Payment information, passwords, etc. are also stored separately for different users (i.e., you can limit purchases in the Play Store simply by not adding payment information in a second profile).

Note: When using multiple accounts, installing, deleting or disabling applications is reflected in all Android accounts.

Limited user profiles on Android

Quite a long time ago, the function of creating a limited user profile was introduced on Android, allowing the use of built-in parental control functions (for example, prohibiting the launch of applications), but for some reason it did not find its development and is currently only available on some tablets (on phones - No).

The option is in " Settings» - « Users» - « Add user/profile» - « Restricted profile"(if there is no such option, but profile creation starts immediately, this means that the function is not supported on your device).

Third-party parental control apps on Android

Considering the demand for parental control functions and the fact that Android’s own resources are not yet enough to fully implement them, it is not surprising that there are many parental control applications in the Play Store. Next - about two such applications in Russian and with positive user reviews.

Kaspersky Safe Kids

The first of the applications is perhaps the most convenient for a Russian-speaking user - Kaspersky Safe Kids. The free version supports many necessary functions (blocking applications, sites, tracking the use of a phone or tablet, limiting the time of use), some functions (location determination, tracking VK activity, monitoring calls and SMS and some others) are available for a fee. At the same time, even in the free version, Kaspersky Safe Kids parental control provides quite broad capabilities.

The application usage is as follows:

1. Install Kaspersky Safe Kids on the child’s Android device with settings for the child’s age and name, create a parent account (or log in to it), grant the necessary Android permissions (allow the application to control the device and prohibit its deletion).

2. Install the application on the parent’s device (with settings for the parent) or log in to the site my.kaspersky.com/MyKids to monitor children's activities and set rules for using applications, the Internet and the device.

As long as a child's device is connected to the Internet, changes to parental control settings made by a parent on a website or app on their device are immediately reflected on the child's device, helping to protect them from inappropriate online content and more.

Several screenshots from the parent console in Safe Kids:

• Operating time limitation

• Limiting time spent using applications

• Message about application ban on Android device

• Site restrictions

You can download the Kaspersky Safe Kids parental control application -

Screen Time Parental Controls

Another parental control application that has an interface in Russian and mostly positive reviews is

Instructions

Find the Start menu on your computer's desktop. Open it. In the list of services that appears, select “Control Panel”. Inside this folder, find the Internet Options command. It is responsible for any change in display parameters and connection to the local Internet network. Click on the icon to start this service. A small new window will appear, at the top of which there are various tabs responsible for general functions, security settings, privacy, Internet connection, additional configurations and, of course, the content of incoming information. Go to the appropriate tab called “Contents”. In the top "Access Restriction" field, click the "Enable" button.

In the lower “Access Restriction” field, go to the “Age Categories” tab. A command list will appear, from which you select the category you need to view the rating levels. To make it easier to view commands, use the moving slider on the right. Next, decide what information to allow your children to watch and what information to prohibit. The categories you choose can be very different. Here are just a few of them - “Bad example for”, “Depiction of gambling”, “Sexual content”, “Smoking”, “Nudity”, etc. Before installing on a particular group, carefully read the tips below. This will help to correctly determine the degree of information restriction.

In the next section “Allowed sites” you can cross off some resources from your “black list” of sites. Before doing this, make sure that the texts, photographs, animations, audio and video materials contained on the site are safe. Enter the URLs of exclusion sites that you trust. The next step is to click the “General” tab. In the top "User Options" field, uncheck the box next to "Users can view sites that do not have ratings." Next, check the box next to “Allow password entry to view prohibited sites.” Once you select this category, set a password. It will perform the function of access to this service. No one else will be able to change or disable the installed settings except you.

note

To enable Parental Controls in Windows 7, you need to go to the Control Panel item of the same name (via the Start menu). Here you select the user profile in which your child works: is this what you are currently setting restrictions on? if you have one profile, then you need to create a special profile (account) for the child.

Many users are interested in how to set parental controls on, in order to limit access to it by the child and some other family members. This article discusses installing parental controls using Windows 7, and will also discuss several additional most common solutions.

Windows 7 Standard Tools

Windows developers have proposed a special component in their operating system called “Parental Controls”. With its help, they create a separate account for children, set in it the access time to the PC, games, and certain software products.

Creating a supervised profile in Windows 7

To begin, in the search bar of the Start menu, type the phrase “Parental Controls”. The search result will be the corresponding string that refers to the operating environment component of the same name.

In the same figure there is an arrow pointing to the “Create an account” link; clicking on it will take you to the window for creating a new “account”.

To create a record about a new user, you just need to type the name for this “account” in the text field and click the “Create account” button. Below is the result in the form of a finished new profile.

Although we have created a new user profile, Windows does not yet know that it must be served according to the necessary criteria. Therefore, you will need to go into this account and enable the parental control option in it.

Only if you enable this function, its options will become available: “Time limit”, blocking and allowing specific games and applications. You can log in without specifying a password, but a child will be able to work under this account only according to certain rules.

Set the time limit option

To set restrictions on the time children spend at the PC, you need to follow the “Time limit” link.

So, you can access the “Schedule” tool, where you can actually set the time for using the computer for a controlled account. The image below shows one of the options for setting a ban on using a computer at night.

Filled rectangles show prohibited times, and light rectangles indicate permitted times for computer use.

Allowing and disabling the launch of games and applications

By clicking on the “Games” link in a controlled profile, the user will be able to open the game management tools snap-in. If the “No” option is selected in the window that opens in response to the question whether children can run games, then the functions of prohibiting the launch of games and setting categories for games will not be available. Otherwise, you can prohibit and allow games, assign categories to them.

To designate groups of games that are allowed for the owner of a controlled account, you need to follow the link “Set a category for games” and set the required category here. For example, category E is games for everyone, and if you choose it, then by going to the ban page, the user will find that games of this particular group are allowed to be played.

The following image shows the "Prohibition and permission of games" page. In the case presented, none of the categories of games are prohibited, although it is possible to allow or prohibit any of the games presented on the list.

In addition to games, this component provides the ability to prohibit the launch of certain applications. To do this, you need to follow the link “Allowing and blocking specific programs.”

If you check the box that allows the controlled profile to work only with a specific set of programs, then the user will be presented with a list of applications installed on the PC. Applications marked in the list will be available for use from a controlled account. This is where we will finish looking at how to install parental controls on Windows 7 and move on to specialized programs.

Specialized software for providing Parental Controls

TimeBoss

Dedicated applications provide more functionality than the built-in Windows component. Thus, the popular TimeBoss utility suggests limiting the time you use your computer to the nearest minute. But, unfortunately, there is a free version available for free for only 30 days.

This program assigns by default the rights of a Chief (Parent) to all accounts on a PC, and parents can already assign the rights of a Child to the required profile, making this profile controlled. In addition to the designated time playing on the computer, the child can receive prizes and bonuses in the form of additional time playing on the PC.

This utility has the ability to restrict access to the Internet, create a black and white list of visited websites, and deny access to a number of applications, as well as system programs.

The “Journal” function of the utility allows you to keep statistics of children’s activities on the PC. It also takes screenshots so you can see exactly what your child is viewing.

Parental Controls

Parental Controls does not have a Russian-language interface, but it is very convenient and simple. The program also keeps very accurate statistics of user activity on the PC.

In the next column “Controls” the user can configure all the required restrictions parameters: time, access to websites, access to applications. You can apply the configured parameters in the “User Accounts” module.

CyberMama

The CyberMama utility is very simple and easy to use. This utility offers two modes: parent and child. The transition between them is simple and does not require unnecessary actions.

It allows you to set up a schedule for when children play on the computer.

CyberMama also offers parents the function of creating black and white lists of programs. The utility supports reporting.

Setting restrictions on the router

Home routers also allow you to set controls to manage your children's activities. Using this tool, parents can monitor their child's activities on the Internet. It will allow them to adjust the access time to the global network and block the loading of certain websites. With its help, you can build a whole schedule for working on the Internet.

An example of routers with the required function are models from TP-link. The figure presented above shows the control panel of the Parental Control tool of the TP-link N series router.

To configure your child’s access to certain websites, you need to select the “Add new” button. The result of the selection will be the control panel shown in the figure above. In the topmost text field you need to control it.

If this PC is located on the router’s local network, then this address can be selected from the drop-down list.

Clicking on the “Schedule” link will take you to the network access schedule control panel, the appearance of which is shown in the figure above. This panel will allow you to set the day, time, as well as the start and end of Internet access.

There are quite a lot of different solutions on the application market that offer concerned parents the function of monitoring their child. Each of these solutions offers largely similar standard methods for tracking a child's PC activity. More original means are also offered in the form of keyloggers and keyboard and mouse blockers.

Despite the abundance of proposals, parents must understand that control over the child’s actions should be ensured at two levels: in the operating system (launching specific programs, time spent at the PC) and on the Internet (access to a certain category of sites).

Control of the first level can be achieved using a built-in function of the operating environment. Restrictions on working with the network are ensured by correctly configuring the router, as well as using a number of desktop applications and online services.

This video will make you smile:

We can also conclude that today there is no complete solution in the form of game control, except for the one built into the Windows parental control component.

The smartphone has long become a common thing not only in the hands of an adult, but also a child. Many children receive their first mobile phone almost from the first grade in order to always stay in touch with their parents. In addition, a smartphone is not only a means for making calls, but also a fairly powerful educational and gaming platform.

However, a multifunctional gadget in the hands of a minor can also become a source of problems associated with visiting unwanted sites on the Internet or downloading malware. Therefore, the Android system provides the ability to set parental controls on a child’s phone.

Main features of parental controls:

• Protecting children from negative web content (violence and pornography);
• Prohibition on downloading paid programs;
• Protection against harmful viruses that can enter the phone along with applications from unreliable sources;
• Limiting the time a child spends playing.

Parents can limit their child’s access to certain phone functions through the Android settings, the Google Play store, and by installing special applications that are installed on the mobile device.

Method 1. Parental control settings in Android

To make the gadget as safe as possible for your child, just set up user access restrictions:

• Open Android settings;
• Select Users;
• Click on the Add user command;
• Set restrictions on the guest account.

The child will be able to choose which applications will be installed on his desktop, but parents will control access to them. For example, you can restrict access to the browser or assign a password to the Google Play store.

By setting up parental controls, adults can provide their child with the most useful educational apps, which will be excellent helpers for him in school lessons and when doing homework.

Method 2: Google Play Settings

To prevent a child from downloading everything from the shelves of the Google virtual store, parents just need to enable the “Parental Controls” function in the Google Play application itself:

• Open the app store;
• Go to settings;
• Select “Parental Control”;
• Set and confirm your PIN code.

After this, Google Play gives you the opportunity to configure content filtering. Games, apps and movies have rating restrictions ranging from 0 to 18 years. And a checkbox in the “Music” section prohibits downloading songs with profanity.

Method 3. Applications

Parents who are worried about how to control their child's phone can take advantage of the features of special applications. Google Play has several popular and convenient parental control programs:

• Screen Time Parental Controls;
• Kid's Shell;

Screen Time Parental Controls

The Screen Time app will help parents manage the time their child spends on their smartphone. The program consists of two parts: the main application and the Screen Time Companion add-on, which is installed on the child’s mobile device.

After this, adults can track all the activity on their son or daughter’s phone: what games the child plays, how much time he devotes to entertainment applications, what he watches or listens to.

Among the main functions of the Screen Time application are:

• Setting the operating time of applications;
• Blocking certain applications;
• Ban on access to social networks during school hours;
• Adding additional minutes of program operation.

Thus, if a child, as they say, is stuck on the phone instead of studying or having lunch, parents just need to press the necessary buttons in the application on their gadget several times, without taking away the teenager’s favorite mobile phone.

Kid's Shell

Kids's Shell is a launcher for launching only authorized applications and games on the phone. With its help, a kind of safe zone is created in the child’s mobile phone. The launcher can also be installed on the parent’s phone, to which the child has access. In this case, calls and SMS are blocked , as well as access to Google Play.

Basic functions of Kid's Shell

• Children's mode, in which only applications selected by parents are launched;
• Blocking transitions to Google Play, as well as advertising links and banners;
• Prohibition on purchases within installed programs;
• Setting a mathematical password to exit the shell.

In the PRO version for 200 rubles, the functionality of the application expands to prohibit Internet access, configure desktops, set the operating time of the smartphone, as well as a built-in player with content useful for children.

YouTube Kids is a special application that contains entertaining and educational videos. Moreover, if parents do not like any video, they just need to click on the “Complain” button, and the specified video will be removed from the program.

All videos in the application are divided into four categories:

• Music;
• Education;
• Kaleidoscope.

Thanks to the large buttons, even the smallest users can operate the interface. You can also connect a smartphone with the installed program to a TV and watch videos on the big screen.

Special settings for adults will allow you to disable the search function so that the child watches only the video on the main screen, and will also limit the operating time of the program.

Safe Lagoon is a universal parental control application. To use it, just follow these simple steps:

• Download Safe Lagoon onto your child's device;
• Create a parent profile;
• Set up security;
• Install Lagoon for parents or go to your profile on the website.

In the profile, parents can monitor the child’s activity on the Web and applications, set a limit on working with programs, and even set a geo-perimeter, within which dad and mom will always be able to see where their child is and will receive a notification if he has gone beyond a certain limit. territories.

How to choose a smartphone for parental control

Before setting up parental controls on a child's phone, adults should take care to provide their child with a reliable and inexpensive gadget for studying and playing.

If we are talking about a smartphone for a schoolchild, the following characteristics of the device should be taken into account:

• Price. A smartphone should not be too expensive, since children have a habit of often breaking even their most favorite toys;
• Functionality. Game and educational applications, as well as special shells for parental control with the programs they contain, should run without problems on the child’s mobile device;
• Small dimensions. For children from 7 to 14 years old, it is advisable to purchase light and compact smartphones for more comfortable use.

You can read more about the parameters that parents should pay attention to when looking for a mobile gadget for their child in the article “How to choose the best smartphone for a schoolchild.”

To ensure that the child is provided with a multifunctional mobile device that parents can control using applications and special settings, we recommend paying attention to the model from the British company Fly - the Nimbus 11 smartphone.

It is worth noting that for 14 years, Fly has been consistently providing consumers with powerful, productive and affordable smartphones. In this case, a suitable model can be selected for both adults and children.

Fly Nimbus 11 may well become a child’s first smartphone that will serve him faithfully for many years, educate, inspire, entertain and open the door to the world of high technology for the little person.

For very little money - only 3,790 rubles - adults will be able to provide their child with a convenient and lightweight smartphone with extremely comfortable dimensions: 132.9 x 67.3 x 10.2 mm. The 4.5-inch screen perfectly displays videos and interfaces for entertainment and educational applications.

You can easily install the most convenient parental control applications on your Fly Nimbus 11 smartphone, including launchers with selected software. A powerful 1.1 GHz 4-core processor and 1 GB of RAM are responsible for stable operation here. And so that the child can easily communicate with his friends on social networks (of course, not during school classes or homework), the smartphone has a module installed high-speed 4G LTE connection.

You've probably heard how useful Parental Controls are in Windows.
Previously, people understood in words and did not interfere where they were not asked, but words have ceased to help and it is no longer possible to do without delimitation of powers.
All you need in Windows 7 is blocking games, blocking the installation and removal of programs.

First of all, about the principle of parental control

The differentiation of rights is achieved by creating a second account, when the owner of the first administrator account can control the computer, and the owner of the second account can simply use those programs and games that are installed by parents and allowed.
That is, if a child wants to play a game, parents must install it for him.
Therefore, if you were hoping to call a specialist who would do everything for you, then you made a mistake - you will have to suffer for the sake of your own child.

Let's take a step-by-step look at the entire process of enabling and setting up parental controls.
1. Go to “Control Panel / User Accounts and Family Safety / Parental Controls”.

(Picture 1)
3. Enter the user name - for example, “Student”.

4. If the administrator account does not have a password, then a password must be set so that the child cannot change the settings and the parents do not use the account with reduced rights.

5. In the “Select supplier” list, select - NO and click on the picture of the created account, from the same window where we clicked on the link to create it.

(Figure 2)

6. Now we are in the “parental control” editing window.
Here we must first enable parental controls!

(Figure 3)

Then we follow the three links.
6.1. Time restrictions.
Here we highlight the cells in blue, prohibiting time on the computer.
6.2. Games – Violent and adult games can be limited here. You can also ban games altogether, which is what I did, so that they wouldn’t play counter games on the grid during working hours.

(Figure 4)
In the window you can follow links and make more subtle settings.
6.3. Allowing and blocking specific programs - here you can block both games and programs. After clicking on the link, wait until the computer displays a list of programs.
7. Reboot the computer and check its functionality.

For example, if you want to install games from a student account, you will receive a message that this program is blocked by parental controls. The file name and its location on the computer will be indicated.
If you want to remove the program, you will be asked to enter the password for the administrator account.

We get an account in which you can only work with a narrow list of programs and for a limited time.

A couple of questions that concern everyone.
Is it possible to hack parental controls?
If a child knows the administrator password, then he can remove the password, delete the account, and disable parental controls.

How to block the Internet?
As for installing Internet blocking, for these purposes it is better to use a separate program which I wrote about in the article ““.
You can also block browsers in parental controls.

So, if they can’t hear you, then there’s no point in continuing to speak, you just need to turn off access.
I have only one piece of advice - try without fanaticism.
Computer addiction must be overcome by replacing it with a useful activity.
Develop clear rules - during classes, access to a computer is limited and that's it, and then the process will be less painful.
Keep your child occupied for a while when the computer is turned off, do homework with him, and don’t let him wander.
Do you agree?