Block sites and have parents control in Android, and iOS for children

If you need to control electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets, you may have some options for blocking sites on your phone (as well as apps and games). There are native features on Android and iPhone, secure search on Google and antivirus that to block pages on the mobile with pornographic and/or violent contents.

Keep in mind that no software will promote miracles and that it is up to the responsible for the child to follow the histories, to know the tools and to configure them in a suitable way to minimize risks of exposure in the cell phone.

Blocking Google search results (SafeSearch)

You can filter search results made on Google with explicit categorized language, such as pornographic content, using the SafeSearch setting. SafeSearch is not 100% accurate, but it helps prevent unwanted content for children. Combine with other parental control features on your phone and tablet.

When SafeSearch is on, it blocks images, videos, and sites from the search results. When SafeSearch is disabled, the most relevant results will appear, and if you search for adult content, that content type will be displayed.

How to enable Safe Search in Google App

1. Open the Google App on iPhone or Android;
2. In the lower right corner, touch “Menu”;
3. Then go to the “Settings”;
4. Choose the “Accounts and privacy” option.
5. Next to “SafeSearch Filter”, switch the key to the enable position.

How to enable Safe Search in Google Chrome (or another browser)

1. Access the Search Settings;
2. Find the “SafeSearch Filters” section;
3. To enable, touch Filter results with explicit content.
4. At the bottom of the screen, touch the Save button.

Setting up parental control in the Google Play Store

Parental control is a surveillance feature applied only to the device in which it was added. Therefore, in order to have effect on all the apparatuses of the house, it is necessary to repeat the steps below in each of them. Anyone who sets parental control will create a PIN that needs to be entered to remove or change permissions.

1. Open the Google Play Store app;
2. Touch “Menu” and choose “Settings”;
3. Scroll the screen until you find the option “Parental Control” ;
4. Activate the “Parental Control” option and create a PIN (numeric code);
5. Tap the type of content you want to filter (games, apps, movies, and music);
6. Choose how to filter content or restrict access by age group.

Parental Control on iPhone or iPad (iOS)

If your child has an iPhone or iPad, parents can activate Apple’s parental control. As with Android, the goal is to avoid access to explicit content and filter the ranking of games, apps, movies and music purchased/downloaded from the App Store.

How to enable parental controls on iPhone

1. Go to Settings> General> Restrictions;
2. Touch “Enable Restrictions”;
3. Create an access code (PIN) to manage restrictions.
   The access code is required to change the settings or to deactivate them.

There, you can choose which Apple applications your device will have access to, and you can also prevent your child from installing or deleting apps and shopping within apps (of additional features, very common in games). You can also create restrictions that prevent adult music, movies, and TV shows from playing.

How to block websites on iPhone

iOS is able to automatically create adult content filters for websites and limit access to Safari and device applications. You can also add specific sites to a blocked or approved list or limit access to approved ones.

1. Go to Settings> General> Restrictions> Sites;
2. Select one of three options:

• All Sites
• Limit Adult Content
• Only Specific Sites

If you choose “only specific sites”, you have the links (URLs) to add.

Parent and Antivirus Control Applications

There are a number of parental control and anti-virus applications that offer blocking of specific sites – as well as kid versions of famous apps such as YouTube Kids.

Antivirus vendors that offer parental control

• Kaspersky SafeKids;
• McAfee Parental Safe Family Control;
• ESET Parental Control;
• Norton Family Parental Control;
• F-Secure SAFE;
• BitDefender Parental Control;

Other Parental control applications

• Parental Control Screen Time;
• Kids Place – Parental Control;
• Google Family Link;
• Kids Zone;