Parental controls

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TimeKpr, a Linux app controlling how long the computer can be used per day. TimeKpr.png
TimeKpr, a Linux app controlling how long the computer can be used per day.

Parental controls are features which may be included in digital television services, computers and video games, mobile devices and software that allow parents to restrict the access of content to their children. These controls were created to assist parents in their ability to restrict certain content viewable by their children. [1] This may be content they deem inappropriate for their age, maturity level or feel is aimed more at an adult audience. [2] Parental controls fall into roughly four categories: content filters , which limit access to age inappropriate content; usage controls, which constrain the usage of these devices such as placing time-limits on usage or forbidding certain types of usage; computer usage management tools, which enforces the use of certain software; and monitoring , which can track location and activity when using the devices. [3]

Contents

Content filters were the first popular type of parental controls to limit access to Internet content. Television stations also began to introduce V-Chip technology to limit access to television content. Modern usage controls are able to restrict a range of explicit content such as explicit songs and movies. They are also able to turn devices off during specific times of the day, limiting the volume output of devices, and with GPS technology becoming affordable, it is now possible to easily locate devices such as mobile phones. UNICEF emphases the responsibility of parents and teachers in this role. [4]

The demand for parental control methods that restrict content has increased over the decades due to the rising availability of the Internet. A 2014 ICM survey showed that almost a quarter of people under the age of 12 had been exposed to online pornography. [5] Restricting especially helps in cases when children are exposed to inappropriate content by accident. Monitoring may be effective for lessening acts of cyberbullying within the internet. [6] [7] It is unclear whether parental controls will affect online harassment in children, as little is known about the role the family plays in protecting children from undesirable experiences online. [8] Psychologically, cyberbullying could be more harmful to the victim than traditional bullying. [9] Studies done in the past have shown that about 75% of adolescents were subjected to cyberbullying. [10] [11] A lack of parental controls in the household could enable kids to be a part of cyberbullying or be the victim of cyberbullying. [12] [13]

Overview

Behavioral control consists of controlling the amount of time a child spends online, or how much the child can view. Psychological control involves parents trying to influence children's behavior. [14]

Several techniques exist for creating parental controls for blocking websites. Add-on parental control software may monitor API in order to observe applications such as a web browser or Internet chat application and to intervene according to certain criteria, such as a match in a database of banned words. Virtually all parental control software includes a password or other form of authentication to prevent unauthorized users from disabling it.

Techniques involving a proxy server are also used. [15] A web browser is set to send requests for web content to the proxy server rather than directly to the web server intended. The proxy server then fetches the web page from the server on the browser's behalf and passes on the content to the browser. Proxy servers can inspect the data being sent and received and intervene depending on various criteria relating to content of the page or the URL being requested, for example, using a database of banned words or banned URLs. The proxy method's major disadvantage is that it requires that the client application to be configured to utilize the proxy, and if it is possible for the user to reconfigure applications to access the Internet directly rather than going through the proxy, then this control is easily bypassed. Proxy servers themselves may be used to circumvent parental controls. There are other techniques used to bypass parental controls.

The computer usage management method, unlike content filters, is focused on empowering the parents to balance the computing environment for children by regulating gaming. The main idea of these applications is to allow parents to introduce a learning component into the computing time of children, who must earn gaming time while working through educational contents.

Lately[ when? ] network-based parental control devices have emerged. These devices working as a firewall router use packet filtering, DNS Response Policy Zone (RPZ) and Deep packet inspection (DPI) methods to block inappropriate web content. These methods have been used in commercial and governmental communication networks. Another form of these devices made for home networks has been developed. These devices plug into the home router and create a new wireless network, which is specifically designed for kids to connect to. [16]

Parental controls on mobile devices

The increased use of mobile devices that include full featured internet browsers and downloadable applications has created a demand for parental controls on these devices. Some examples of mobile devices that contain parental controls include cell phones, tablets, and e-readers. In November 2007, Verizon was the first carrier to offer age-appropriate content filters as well as the first to offer generic content filters, recognizing that mobile devices were used to access all manner of content from movies and music to short-code programs and websites. In June 2009, in iPhone OS 3.0, Apple was the first company to provide a built-in mechanism on mobile devices to create age brackets for users that would block unwanted applications from being downloaded to the device. In the following years, the developers of all major operating systems have presented in-built tools for parental control, including Linux, [17] Android, Windows, and even the more business-oriented platform Blackberry. [18] There are also applications that allow parents to monitor real-time conversations on their children's phone via access to text messages, browser history, and application history. An example of one of these is Trend Micro [19] which not only offers protection from viruses, but also offers parental controls to phones and tablets of almost all brands. Most of these offer the ability to add extra features to parental controls. These apps have the features mobile devices already have, but have additional features such as, being able to monitor and filter texts/calls, protection while surfing the web, and denied access to specific websites. Applications of this sort have created a rising competition in their market. [20]

Mobile device software enables parents to restrict which applications their child can access while also allowing parents to monitor text messages, phone logs, MMS pictures, and other transactions occurring on their child's mobile device; to enable parents to set a time limit on the usage of mobile devices; and to track the exact location of their children as well as monitor calls and the content of texts. This software also allows parents to monitor social media accounts. Parents are able to view posts, pictures, and any interactions in real time. Another function of this software is to keep track of bullying. [21]

Most internet service providers offer no-cost filtering options to limit internet browsing options and block unsuitable content. Implementing parental controls and discussing internet safety are useful steps to protect children from inappropriate information. [22]

Although parental controls can protect children, they also come with some negative factors. Children's anxiety may increase due to parental controls. [23] In extreme cases, a child may become so angry that they destroy their device, defeating the purpose of parental controls entirely. In that case, it might be a better idea to forgo installing parental controls.

Methods to bypass parental controls

Several methods of bypassing parental controls can be used.

Filtering that occurs outside of the individuals computer (such as at the router) cannot be bypassed using the above methods (except for 'Incognito/InPrivate' modes). However,

Criticism

While parental controls have been added to various electronic mediums and have increased in popularity, the question has been raised if they are enough to protect and deter children from exposure to inappropriate material. It has been speculated by researchers that the strict focus on control may hinder a child's ability to learn self-governing skills and restricting the growth of open communication between parent and child. [26]

Video game systems that have used parental controls

Operating systems with parental controls

Below is a list of popular operating systems which currently have built-in parental control features:


See also

Related Research Articles

An Internet filter is software that restricts or controls the content an Internet user is capable to access, especially when utilized to restrict material delivered over the Internet via the Web, Email, or other means. Such restrictions can be applied at various levels: a government can attempt to apply them nationwide, or they can, for example, be applied by an Internet service provider to its clients, by an employer to its personnel, by a school to its students, by a library to its visitors, by a parent to a child's computer, or by an individual user to their own computers. The motive is often to prevent access to content which the computer's owner(s) or other authorities may consider objectionable. When imposed without the consent of the user, content control can be characterised as a form of internet censorship. Some filter software includes time control functions that empowers parents to set the amount of time that child may spend accessing the Internet or playing games or other computer activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proxy server</span> Computer server that makes and receives requests on behalf of a user

In computer networking, a proxy server is a server application that acts as an intermediary between a client requesting a resource and the server providing that resource. It improves privacy, security, and possibly performance in the process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Privoxy</span> Non-caching proxy server

Privoxy is a free non-caching web proxy with filtering capabilities for enhancing privacy, manipulating cookies and modifying web page data and HTTP headers before the page is rendered by the browser. Privoxy is a "privacy enhancing proxy", filtering web pages and removing advertisements. Privoxy can be customized by users, for both stand-alone systems and multi-user networks. Privoxy can be chained to other proxies and is frequently used in combination with Squid among others and can be used to bypass Internet censorship.

IP address blocking or IP banning is a configuration of a network service that blocks requests from hosts with certain IP addresses. IP address blocking is commonly used to protect against brute force attacks and to prevent access by a disruptive address. It can also be used to restrict access to or from a particular geographic area; for example, syndicating content to a specific region through the use of Internet geolocation.

Internet security is a branch of computer security. It encompasses the Internet, browser security, web site security, and network security as it applies to other applications or operating systems as a whole. Its objective is to establish rules and measures to use against attacks over the Internet. The Internet is an inherently insecure channel for information exchange, with high risk of intrusion or fraud, such as phishing, online viruses, trojans, ransomware and worms.

An application firewall is a form of firewall that controls input/output or system calls of an application or service. It operates by monitoring and blocking communications based on a configured policy, generally with predefined rule sets to choose from. The two primary categories of application firewalls are network-based and host-based.

Ad blocking or ad filtering is a software capability for blocking or altering online advertising in a web browser, an application or a network. This may be done using browser extensions or other methods.

Secure Web SmartFilter EDU, formerly known as Bess, is a brand of content-control software made by Secure Computing Corporation, which acquired maker N2H2 in 2003; it is usually used in libraries and schools. The main purpose of the system is as an Internet filter, blocking minors using the public computers from accessing web content deemed inappropriate by the local administrators of the system based on the Acceptable Use Policy of the organization. The system is not installed locally, but installs on the server between the users and the open Internet. This feature makes it harder to bypass, though it is not uncommon for students with more extensive computer knowledge to attempt to bypass the system. The system allows for teachers or administrators to temporarily bypass the system if they need to access blocked sites for educational purposes.

Layered Service Provider (LSP) is a deprecated feature of the Microsoft Windows Winsock 2 Service Provider Interface (SPI). A Layered Service Provider is a DLL that uses Winsock APIs to attempt to insert itself into the TCP/IP protocol stack. Once in the stack, a Layered Service Provider can intercept and modify inbound and outbound Internet traffic. It allows processing of all the TCP/IP traffic taking place between the Internet and the applications that are accessing the Internet (such as a web browser, the email client, etc.). For example, it could be used by malware to redirect web browers to rogue websites, or to block access to sites like Windows Update. Alternatively, a computer security program could scan network traffic for viruses or other threats. The Winsock Service Provider Interface (SPI) API provides a mechanism for layering providers on top of each other. Winsock LSPs are available for a range of useful purposes, including parental controls and Web content filtering. The parental controls web filter in Windows Vista is an LSP. The layering order of all providers is kept in the Winsock Catalog.

In computer networking, egress filtering is the practice of monitoring and potentially restricting the flow of information outbound from one network to another. Typically, it is information from a private TCP/IP computer network to the Internet that is controlled.

Microsoft family features is a free set of features available on Windows 10 PC and Mobile that is bundled with the Windows 10, Home edition operating system. On July 17, 2020, Microsoft released Microsoft Family Safety on Google Play and App Store (iOS) as well. Starting in Windows 10, a Microsoft Account is required to use the Microsoft family features. A parent can manage settings for a child if both of their Microsoft Accounts are in the same family. When parents turn on settings for their child, these settings are applied to every device that the child logs into with that Microsoft Account.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blacklist (computing)</span> Criteria to control computer access

In computing, a blacklist, disallowlist, blocklist, or denylist is a basic access control mechanism that allows through all elements, except those explicitly mentioned. Those items on the list are denied access. The opposite is a whitelist, allowlist, or passlist, in which only items on the list are let through whatever gate is being used. A greylist contains items that are temporarily blocked until an additional step is performed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Net Nanny</span> Content-control software

Net Nanny is a content-control software suite marketed primarily towards parents as a way to monitor and control their child's computer and phone activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norton Family</span> Cloud-based parental control service by NortonLifeLock

Norton Family is an American cloud-based parental control service. Norton Family is aimed at "fostering communication" involving parents and their children's online activities. Computer activities are monitored by the software client, and reports are published online.

Mobicip is a cloud-based Internet filter and parental control service that works on all major platforms of mobile Internet devices. Mobicip is supported on various types of devices used by families such as the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Windows, macOS and Chromebook. Mobicip was launched in 2008. Mobicip used to be a safe browser app but is now a VPN on iOS & Android that filters any browser. Mobicip is a parental control application that protects internet, regulates screentime, allows/blocks apps and tracks location as well, while allowing parents to customize the configuration and view activity reports. Using the web-based or mobile applications, parents can customize the filter to set up whitelists and blacklists, block categories of websites, and manage users and devices. In addition, the application lets parents monitor the Internet activity on the device, group the activity by user, by allowed or blocked websites, sort by time etc.

Internet censorship circumvention, also referred to as going over the wall or scientific browsing in China, is the use of various methods and tools to bypass internet censorship.

The precise number of websites blocked in the United Kingdom is unknown. Blocking techniques vary from one Internet service provider (ISP) to another with some sites or specific URLs blocked by some ISPs and not others. Websites and services are blocked using a combination of data feeds from private content-control technology companies, government agencies, NGOs, court orders in conjunction with the service administrators who may or may not have the power to unblock, additionally block, appeal or recategorise blocked content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Matters</span> British Internet safety organization

Internet Matters is a not-for-profit organisation based in London, England. Launched in May 2014 by the United Kingdom's largest internet service providers BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media, the organisation offers child internet safety advice to parents, careers and professionals.

Google Web Light, introduced in 2015, was a service offered by Google for faster browsing within its Android mobile browser Chrome. It detected slow Internet connections, such as 2G, and switched to Google proxy servers with built-in data compression. It could speed up loading times for text-based websites. These pages also had the advantage of being less taxing on the hardware of entry-level devices with less processing power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KidGuard</span> Computer surveillance

KidGuard is a parental monitoring application for iOS and Android mobile phones. The application uses proprietary software to help parents monitor their children’s text messages, browser history, social media activity, stored videos or photos, emails, and phone GPS location.

References

  1. ↑ "What is Parental Control Software? - Definition from Techopedia". Techopedia.com. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  2. ↑ "Inappropriate content: protecting your child | Internet Matters". Internet Matters . Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  3. ↑ Baumrind, Diana. "Effects of authoritative parental control on child behavior" (PDF). University of California. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  4. ↑ General comment no:25 2021. Children's rights ohchr.org [ dead link ]
  5. ↑ "BBC Three survey reveals one in four young people first view porn at age 12 or under" . Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "Cyberbullying". Gale Student Resources in Context. 2016 – via Gale, Cengage Learning.
  7. ↑ Malo-Cerrato, Sara; Martín-Perpiñá, Maria-de-las-Mercedes; Viñas-Poch, Ferran (1 July 2018). "Excessive use of social networks: Psychosocial profile of Spanish adolescents". Comunicar (in Spanish). 26 (56): 101–110. doi: 10.3916/c56-2018-10 . hdl: 10256/15553 . ISSN   1134-3478.
  8. ↑ Khurana, Atika, et al. "The Protective Effects of Parental Monitoring and Internet Restriction on Adolescents' Risk of Online Harassment." Journal of Youth and Adolescence, vol. 44, no. 5, 2015, pp. 1039-1047.
  9. ↑ Dooley, J., Pyzalski, J., & Cross, D. (2009). Cyberbullying versus face-to-face bullying: A theoretical and conceptual review. Zeitschrift fiir Psychologie/Journal of Psychology, 217, 182–188. doi:10.1027/0044-3409.217.4.182.
  10. ↑ J. Juvonen, E.F. Gross Extending the school grounds?—Bullying experiences in cyberspace Journal of School Health, 78 (9) (2008), pp. 496-505, 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00335.x
  11. ↑ Close C. Katzer, D. Fetchenhauer, F. Belschak Cyberbullying: Who are the victims?: A comparison of victimization in internet chatrooms and victimization in school Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 21 (1) (2009), pp. 25-36, 10.1027/1864-1105.21.1.25
  12. ↑ Close D.L. Espelage, K. Bosworth, T.R. Simon Examining the social context of bullying behaviors in early adolescence Journal of Counseling & Development, 78 (3) (2000), pp. 326-333, 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2000.tb01914.x
  13. ↑ J.S. Hong, D.L. Espelage. A review of research on bullying and peer victimization in school: An ecological system analysis Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17 (4) (2012), pp. 311-322, 10.1016/j.avb.2012.03.003
  14. ↑ Laible, D (2012). "Parenting". Gale Virtual Reference Library.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. ↑ Seltzer, Larry. "Turn Your Windows Home Server Into A Proxy Server" . Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  16. ↑ "US interest in router box offering parental control." Australian [National, Australia], 24 Jan. 2017, p. 24. Global Issues In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A478654821/OVIC?u=mcc_pv&sid=OVIC&xid=5d6f1e1a Accessed 4 Apr. 2018.
  17. ↑ "Parental Content Control". 17 September 2017.
  18. ↑ "Parental Control on Smartphones: How to Choose the Right Application?". 15 August 2016.
  19. ↑ "Trend Micro Announces the Next Generation Mobile Security Solution for the Android Platform." Benzinga.com 15 Sept. 2011. Business Insights: Global. Web. 27 Oct. 2018.
  20. ↑ Shamout, Omar (6 October 2014). "Parental controls". Los Angeles Business Journal. 36 (40): 12.
  21. ↑ "Searcy, Philip Roy, (15 April 1914–5 Oct. 1983), Australian Consul-General, Los Angeles, 1971–75". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u168949.
  22. ↑ Gonzales, Lisa (March 2017). "Best practices around social media safety". Technology & Learning: 29 – via Gale Academic OneFile.
  23. ↑ Van Der Bruggen, C. O.; Stams, G. J.; Bögels, S. M. (2008). "Research review: The relation between child and parent anxiety and parental control: A meta-analytic review". Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines. 49 (12): 1257–69. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01898.x. PMID   18355216.
  24. ↑ "How to Bypass the Parental Control Time Limits in Windows 7/Vista/XP" . Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  25. ↑ Szczys, Mike (6 July 2014). "Brute force attack Xbox 360 parental controls". Hack A Day. Hackaday. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  26. ↑ "Online security apps focus on parental control, not teen self-regulation | Penn State University" . Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  27. ↑ Brewis, Marie. "Get better control of what your kids can see on their tablet or smartphone". PC Advisor. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  28. ↑ "Use Restrictions on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch". Apple Support. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  29. ↑ "Set up Parental Controls". Windows.microsoft.com. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
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