Any child, already at a very early age, begins to be actively interested in the toys that his parents play with - that is, computers, laptops, tablets, etc. Often, the passion for such toys, which are forbidden to a certain extent, only increases over the years. Of course, the computer opens many useful features for development and can give your child a good start in life, but for parents, from the moment your child takes his first steps and is already able to get to the magic screen, the beeping keys and the mysterious mouse, life will turn into a complete nightmare. Young “researchers” are quite capable of destroying, almost in the blink of an eye, not only the operating system and important work documents, but at the same time the computer as a whole (here are the wires that you always want to pull, and connectors that easily fail, and the system unit along with the monitor , which will not be difficult to drop in the heat of the game). However, the physical range of problems that can occur due to the fault of your children is a separate topic, and in this article we will limit ourselves to considering options for protecting the system and software components of a home PC.
Locking your computer
Having a small child in a family (and a big one too) is a problem, but coupled with a computer it’s already double trouble. To believe that your child, even if he is just taking his first steps, will not be interested in a bright screen and tempting keyboard buttons is at least naive, and the results from accidentally pressing buttons and performing some spontaneous actions will not keep you waiting. Therefore, at the first danger from the younger generation, parents should immediately block the computer.
In principle, the built-in Windows functions blocking, activated by pressing the Win+L keyboard shortcut - then to unlock you will just need to select your account and enter your password. You can also lock your computer by selecting the appropriate command - in Windows Vista/7 commands Block from the list of button commands Shutdown(Fig. 1). If you wish, if neither of these two methods suits you, you can create a shortcut on your desktop that is responsible for the same operation. The shortcut is created in the usual way, only in the field Specify the location of the object the command is entered rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation(Fig. 2). When finished, it wouldn’t hurt to replace the standard shortcut icon with a brighter one that would immediately catch your eye.
Rice. 1. Blocking the computer using built-in Windows tools
Rice. 2. Create a shortcut to lock your computer
It is worth noting that the keyboard and mouse are not blocked by built-in Windows tools. If you are not satisfied with this, you will have to use third party utilities, which are either developed by enthusiasts specifically to protect against playful children's hands and are free (including Blok), or are professional solutions for locking a computer and are offered on a commercial basis (an example is the Lock My PC program).
The Blok program is interesting for those parents who briefly allow small children near the computer to watch cartoons (you can turn on a cartoon for your child, and then activate the blocking without closing the player - Fig. 3) or, conversely, leave the computer on for some period of time unattended . Not even the most interesting cartoon will prevent a child from using the minutes of viewing in parallel to “put things in order in his own way,” since the keyboard and mouse will be within reach. As for situations where parents leave the computer turned on completely unattended, there are even more possibilities, and the consequences can be the most dire.
Rice. 3. Locking the computer without turning off the monitor
using Blok
A more reliable blocking option is provided by professional tools (such as Lock My PC), but for a home computer this may only make sense if you want to completely block your computer from a grown-up child who, due to excessive enthusiasm, information technology he is no longer content with his PC and looks longingly at your more powerful machine. Using solutions of this kind, you can lock your computer in such a way (Fig. 4) that it will be completely impossible to access any of its elements, including the keyboard, mouse and desktop. It will be impossible to view any information on it, launch applications, access files and folders (including those opened on at the moment) and even restart the computer by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Del. A normal reboot, even in safe mode or a power failure, will not remove the protection - you can only unlock the computer if you know the password.
Rice. 4. Configuring computer blocking settings in Lock My PC
Lock My PC 4.9
Developer: FSPro Labs
Distribution size: 1.6 MB
Work under control: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8
Distribution method: http://fspro.net/downloads.html)
Price: personal license - $19.95; business license - $29.95
Lock My PC is a tool for locking a computer when the user is away. To block, just double-click on the corresponding icon in the system tray or press a special keyboard combination. It is possible to automatically block after a specified period of user inactivity. When locked, the mouse and CD/DVD drives are turned off (this will not allow you to remove CDs from them) and it becomes impossible to use the main keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+Alt+Del, Alt+Tab, etc. On a locked computer, any images, including self-created ones, can be displayed as screensavers in GIF, JPEG, BMP and animated GIF formats. You can unlock your computer only by knowing the user password or administrator password.
Block 4.5
Developer: Sergey Tsumarev
Distribution size: 1.33 MB
Work under control: Windows XP/7/8
Distribution method: freeware (http://remontnik-it.ucoz.com/load/0-0-0-1-20)
Price: for free
Blok is a utility for blocking the keyboard and mouse from small children with or without the function of turning off the monitor. The first option is designed to provide a PC-safe opportunity for your child to watch cartoons or exciting animated screensavers; the second is designed for situations when the computer is turned on and left unattended for some time. Blocking is not instantaneous, but with a delay of 6 seconds, which, in the case of blocking without turning off the monitor, allows the parent to switch to the player window or turn on the screensaver. Unlocking is carried out by pressing the key combination Ctrl+Alt+Del.
Freezing the system
If the child is still quite small, but has already received his own computer (for example, an old laptop), then the safest way to “freeze” the operating system is to use a “freezer” program - for example, such a recognized commercial solution as Shadow Defender, or free utility ToolWiz Time Freeze.
These kinds of programs take a “snapshot” of almost everything hard drive with the system partition, including the system registry, and when the computer is rebooted, the operating system returns to its original condition. This automatically means that any fatal changes made on the PC by a young experimenter (changing system settings, deleting system files, dragging in an unknown direction system folders etc.), the computer will not be afraid. In this way, you can roll back not only unwanted changes that occurred as a result of accidental actions or user errors, but also changes to the system made by malware. At the same time, one should not perceive this kind of software products as tools to protect against malicious code, since the rollback technology used in “freezing” programs in practice does not help in all cases, in particular, it does not provide protection against rootkits. Therefore the presence antivirus solution on a computer is strictly necessary.
“Freezing” the system is a rather radical remedy, since after rebooting the computer, all changes made while working in “freeze” mode will be canceled. This is optimal when it is assumed that the younger generation, due to their young age, does not yet need to save documents, images and other data. If it is absolutely necessary to save data on your computer, you will have to worry about this in advance and include the folder for saving it among the exceptions.
It is not difficult to use “freezer” programs in practice - in the simplest version, it is enough to indicate to the utility the disk to be protected (Fig. 5) and configure the program so that the “freezing” mode is automatically turned on when the system boots. However, it is worth keeping in mind that to work in this mode, the “frozen” disk must have quite a lot of free space, since a certain area of the disk is temporarily (until a reboot) reserved for a virtual area - in case of shortage free space The program may not work correctly on a protected partition. Another nuance is that when you exit the “freeze” mode (this may be necessary if you need to install or change something), the computer restarts - this is not entirely convenient, but tolerable if such manipulations are performed infrequently. Also, do not forget about the possibility of excluding folders (Fig. 6 and 7).
Rice. 5. Enabling disk protected mode in Shadow Defender
Rice. 6. Determining folders excluded when working in “freeze” mode in Shadow Defender
Rice. 7. Adding a folder to the exclusion list in Toolwiz Time Freeze
Shadow Defender 1.3
Developer: Shadowdefender.com
Distribution size: 2.68 MB
Work under control: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8
Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo - http://www.shadowdefender.com/download.html)
Price:$35
Shadow Defender is a simple and effective solution for protecting your computer from unwanted changes, aimed at small businesses, educational institutions and home users. The application allows you to control the “freezing” of any of the disks, and the disk can remain in the “frozen” state after the system is rebooted. In protected mode, the system runs in a Shadow Mode virtual environment (a shadow copy that emulates the original files), and all changes made are not saved on the original partition. It is possible to exclude individual files and folders of a “frozen” disk - changes in such folders and files will be automatically saved; In addition, it is possible to exclude certain sections of the system registry from freezing. If you need to save some files or folders that are not included in the list of exceptions, while working with a “frozen” disk, just use the tools from the tab Save. For security purposes, the user is notified about the lack of free space on a “frozen” disk and access to the program is protected with a password.
Toolwiz Time Freeze 2.2
Developer: ToolWiz Software
Distribution size: 2.63 MB
Work under control: Windows XP/Vista/7/8
Distribution method: freeware (http://www.toolwiz.com/downloads/)
Price: for free
Toolwiz Time Freeze - simple program to “freeze” the system. The utility can be launched when booting Windows immediately in the “freezing” mode; It is also possible to enable the “freeze” mode by activating the corresponding command from the menu in the system tray or from the launchpad on the desktop. Only data on the system disk is protected from changes; some folders and/or files can be added to the exclusion list to save changes to them in “freezing” mode. Access to application settings can be password protected.
Restricting access to system resources
When using a computer together with a child, it is quite difficult to use the “freezers” of the system. Why? For normal operation, you will have to turn off the “freeze” mode every time, and therefore restart the computer, and at the end of your work life, do not forget to turn on the protection, which is very tedious. Another option is possible: configure the PC so that parents can normally work with frozen system disk. The latter, in practice, involves painstakingly setting up a list of exclusion folders in which information should be stored. At the same time, some of the folders will still have to be protected in one way or another so that your child does not create something in fits of enthusiasm. In our opinion, the most correct thing would be not to “freeze” the system, but, if possible, to limit access to system resources, important folders and files.
The very first thing in this case is to set up a separate account for the child, under which he will log into the system, and set the preferred system settings, as well as determine the desired set of applications. Of course, the guest profile on the computer must be disabled, and a password must be set for the administrator profile - otherwise, it will not be difficult to bypass such a lock if desired.
At the same time, it will be useful to take advantage of the parental control capabilities built into Windows 7/8 and note which programs the child is allowed to use (Fig. 8). It is worth keeping in mind that after limiting the list of available applications using built-in tools, limit access to important system operations, such as changing settings in Control Panel components (in particular, in the “System and Security”, “User Accounts and Family Safety”, “ Programs", "Network and Internet", etc.), launching the system registry, etc. may not be necessary, since all such actions will automatically be prohibited.
Rice. 8. Configuring parental control settings for a child's profile in Windows 7
You can go the other way and through the editor group policy gpedit. ms block access to those components of the operating system, changes in which are most critical and can even lead to fatal consequences. In particular, it would not hurt to close access to the control panel (or hide the “System and Security”, “User Accounts and Family Safety”, “Programs”, “Network and Internet” folders, etc.) and deny access to tools for editing the system registry and using the command line, set a ban on launching a number of applications, etc. To change settings, you must be logged into Windows under account with administrator rights and launch the Group Policy Editor by pressing the Windows key combination + R and entering the command gpedit.msc. Then open the thread User Configuration ® Administrative Templates and adjust the settings of interest - for example, completely deny access to the control panel (Fig. 9). Of course, “banning everything and everyone” is not always the most reasonable solution. It is much better to manually adjust the list of prohibited/allowed control panel elements, removing the most dangerous ones from it, but this is longer and more difficult, since you will need to know the so-called canonical names of control panel elements (you can find them in the MSDN Library - http://msdn .microsoft.com/).
Rice. 9. Setting a ban on launching the Control Panel in Windows
There are other ways to set restrictions on changing system data, but with the involvement of third-party applications. These may be specialized tools aimed at system administrators(for example, the WinLock program, which is affordable and relatively easy to use), or utilities for setting up parental controls (Child Control, TimeBoss, etc.).
By connecting the WinLock program to your case, you can block access to important components of the operating system in a matter of seconds. So, it’s easy to prohibit the use of the editor Windows registry, launching the control panel and booting in safe mode, preventing the cmd.exe console from launching, prohibiting the installation and removal of programs, depriving a child of the ability to lock the computer, etc. It may be reasonable to prohibit others (which do not have such fatal consequences, but also cause certain complexity) operations - for example, hide screen properties, remove the “Folder Options” item from all Explorer menus, prohibit dragging objects into the Start menu, pin the taskbar and prohibit its customization, block renaming shortcuts on the desktop, etc. (Fig. 10).
Rice. 10. Setting up locks and bans in WinLock
As for the tools for setting up parental controls, their ability to block access to operating system settings is, of course, more modest, but these solutions are of interest to those parents who want to simultaneously protect their data and establish control over the work on the computer for the younger generation. For the Russian-speaking audience, in this regard, the TimeBoss program is of greater interest (Fig. 11) - mainly due to the presence of a Russian-language interface. With its help, for example, you can easily disable the control panel and task manager, block the launch of the system registry, as well as changing the date and time, etc. The Child Control application has more impressive capabilities in terms of controlling access to Windows settings: you can prohibit the use of the command line, launching the system registry, opening the control panel, changing user accounts, etc. (and taking into account the selected security level), as well as hide some drives (Fig. 12).
Rice. 11. Restricting access to system operations in TimeBoss
Rice. 12. Setting system restrictions using Child Control
WinLock 6.11
Developer: Crystal Office Systems
Websiteprograms: http://www.crystaloffice.com/winlock/
Distribution size: 4.96 MB
Work under control: Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista/7/8
Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo - http://www.crystaloffice.com/download.html)
Price: WinLock - $23.95; WinLock Professional - $31.95 (at Softkey.ru WinLock Professional - 450 rub.)
WinLock is a convenient tool for restricting access to important system resources and user data. The program is presented in two versions: basic WinLock and extended WinLock Professional; possibilities basic version do not allow you to restrict access to web resources and use encryption.
The main purpose of WinLock is to configure user access restrictions to important system resources and confidential information. The program loads automatically from the OS and allows you to deny access to system registry and control panels, disable hot Windows keys(for example, Alt+Ctrl+Del, Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Esc, etc.), hide the Start menu and block the taskbar from changes, etc. The utility can be used to block access to removable media (CD/DVD drives, USB devices, etc.) and hide the display of certain drives in the “My Computer” folder and in Explorer, block the launch of specific applications (for example, for security purposes you can prohibit downloading of download managers), as well as files and folders from important information. It is possible to prevent access to dubious web resources based on black and white lists (the black list is compiled by keywords) and set restrictions on the duration of the user’s work on the computer. All such settings are made taking into account the user profile and cannot be changed without knowing the password specified for the utility.
Child Control 2013
Developer: Salfeld Computer
Websiteprograms: http://salfeld.com/software/parentalcontrol
Distribution size: 23.26 MB
Work under control: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8
Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo - http://salfeld.com/download/)
Price:$29.95
Child Control is perhaps one of the best solutions on the market for setting up parental controls, allowing you to limit access to your computer in terms of introducing a limit on both time and resources used. The program also provides detailed statistics regarding the use of system resources and visits to websites, can send generated reports to parents to the specified e-mail and is equipped with functionality for remote control.
With the help of Child Control, it is easy for each child to clearly regulate time-based access to the computer in general and the Internet and individual programs in particular; block the use of individual applications and visits to unwanted Internet resources, taking into account the selected security level, preset categories, keywords, official blacklists of websites and whitelists of URLs allowed to be visited. Possible time setting s x limits on website categories such as videos and online games. Tools are provided to restrict access to the most important system Windows components- you can block access to the system registry, command line, control panel, date and time change component, etc. and deny access to personal folders and even individual drives. In order to protect the utility from hacking, the younger generation is provided with the use of a password to access the program and work in hidden (“Stealth”) mode.
Time Boss 3.08
Developer: Nicekit Software
Distribution size: 1.4 MB
Work under control: Windows XP/Vista/7/8
Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo version - http://nicekit.ru/download/timeboss.zip)
Price: Time Boss - 620 rub.; Time Boss PRO - 820 rub.
TimeBoss - simple and convenient program for organizing parental control. The application is offered in two editions: basic Time Boss and extended Time Boss PRO. The Time Boss PRO edition additionally provides functionality for remote control within a local home network (you can change settings remotely, quickly add time, etc.) and is equipped with protection against keyloggers (to prevent a child from obtaining the password to access the program).
TimeBoss allows you to limit the time a child spends on computer activities (including games and the Internet), determine the list of available applications (including games), impose restrictions on a number of system operations, deny access to individual folders and drives, and also regulate visits to websites when surfing the Internet. . The program provides control for all users registered in the system and therefore, if necessary, can be used to configure different options restrictions for different profiles. For security purposes, the use of a program access password, operation in hidden (“Stealth”) mode, and protection against application deletion when loading Windows in Safe mode are implemented.
Restricting access to personal folders
Using different profiles with your child, coupled with connected Windows parental controls, will in no way limit your child’s access to folders and files on the disk with all the ensuing consequences. Therefore, you cannot do without additional protection. Options for setting access restrictions to important folders may vary. Most affordable way prevent children from accessing them - enable the “Hidden” attribute in the properties of the corresponding objects. Folders and files hidden in this way will not be visible in Explorer to other system users, but only if the “Do not show” checkbox is enabled in the properties of the parent folders containing them. hidden files, folders and disks" (Fig. 13). In principle, at first this may be quite enough to protect your data.
Rice. 13. Hiding a folder using built-in Windows tools
Using the built-in operating system tools, you can also configure access restrictions to certain folders - for example, only allow them to be viewed, which will prevent accidental deletion of important data. To do this, just right-click on a disk, folder or file in Explorer, select from context menu team Properties, activate tab Safety, select the child’s account, and then determine for him access rights to the selected object, setting up the required restrictions (Fig. 14). Of course, you need to configure access restrictions under an account with administrator rights.
Rice. 14. Defining folder access restrictions using built-in Windows tools
In this way, you can even completely deny access to individual folders, but the folders themselves will remain visible in the system unless the “Hidden” attribute is set on them, coupled with a display ban. hidden folders and files. Unfortunately, hidden using built-in tools Windows folders will be visible in file managers(FAR, Total Commander etc.) that do not use a standard dialog to display files and folders. Therefore, such concealment is not suitable for everyone.
To organize more effective protection for those folders that you would like to keep away from the prying eyes of children, you can go the other way - use a specialized solution, such as the utility Free Hide Folder or Protected Folder. Using them to completely hide individual folders from prying eyes is as easy as shelling pears - just drag the corresponding folder from Explorer into the utility window or add this folder to the protected folder directly in the utility window (Fig. 15 and 16). Folders hidden by connecting the free utility Free Hide Folder will not be visible in Windows Explorer even if the “Show hidden files, folders and drives” option is enabled, but if your child is savvy enough and you forget to disable the use of file managers in the child’s profile (FAR, Total Commander etc.), then it will not be difficult for him to bypass the protection you have installed. The commercial program Protected Folder provides a more reliable level of hiding - folders protected in it will also be invisible in file managers; access to them without knowing the master password is impossible. It is worth noting that you can protect confidential folders using the above-mentioned parental control utilities Child Control (Fig. 17) and TimeBoss.
Rice. 15. Hiding a folder in Free Hide Folder
Rice. 16. Installing protection on a folder in Protected Folder
Rice. 17. Hiding important data in Child Control
Hiding data in this way will help protect it from unauthorized access and accidental damage or deletion in many cases, although a young hacker has a chance of gaining access to the folders if you do not take care to block the ability to boot the system from optical drive or flash drive and setting a BIOS password. In addition, theoretically, you can bypass the protection if you remove the disk and connect it to another computer. True, if the offspring has such qualifications, it hardly makes sense for parents to fight using software.
Protected Folder 1.2
Developer: IObit
Distribution size: 3.4 MB
Work under control: Windows XP/Vista/7/8
Distribution method: shareware (demo version for 20 launches - http://ru.iobit.com/downloads/pf-setup.exe)
Price: 600 rub.
Protected Folder is a convenient program for protecting files and folders from unauthorized access by completely hiding them or restricting access to data. In terms of access restrictions, it is possible to set a read ban (files will remain visible, but they cannot be run, copied or read) or a write ban (cannot be moved, deleted or modified). Hidden data is invisible in Windows Explorer and file managers. Access to the program is protected by a master password. There is functionality for setting exceptions - by default, a number of system folders and files are included in the list of exceptions, since restricting access to them leads to incorrect operation of the system.
Free Hide Folder 3.0
Developer: Cleanersoft Software
Distribution size: 875 KB
Work under control: Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8
Distribution method: freeware (http://www.cleanersoft.com/download/FHFSetup.exe)
Price: for free
Free Hide Folder is a simple and compact utility for hiding personal folders. Protected folders become completely invisible to Windows Explorer even with the “Show hidden files, folders and drives” option enabled, they will be displayed in other applications, such as FAR, Total Commander, etc. Access to the program is locked with a master password.
As everyone knows very well, there are always a lot of problems with children, and if you also have a computer at home, then you definitely won’t be bored. You will probably more than master a lot of ways to secure wires and hide them from children’s eyes system unit with valuable stuffing, strengthening the monitor, and then move on to studying a variety of software (for example, what was discussed in the article) to limit the younger generation’s access to the computer, operating system, as well as important folders and files. However, if a real computer genius grows up in the family, then even after protecting everything and everyone, you are unlikely to be able to rest on your laurels. In this case, all you have to do is admit defeat, which may be for the best, because then it will immediately become clear that computers are your child’s true calling.
Almost every child has their own smartphone or tablet, which is a window into a huge, attractive and inviting, but far from harmless, virtual world. Parental control tools will help protect minors from harmful information, as well as limit the time they spend on the Internet and playing games. Today they are being developed not only for desktop computers, but also for mobile devices based on Android.
I suggest you get acquainted with several programs that allow you to filter and block unwanted content, and also have other functions useful for parents.
Google Play Features
The simplest parental control tool is present in Android by default - this is one of the functions Google Play. With its help, you can prevent the installation of applications that are not suitable for the child’s age.
To do this:
The “Content filtering settings” list has 3 sections: “Applications and games”, “Movies” and “Music”. As for music with explicit lyrics, access to it can be either completely allowed or prohibited.
In the other two sections there is a gradation by age (rating) - from 0 to 18 years. Choose something that is age appropriate for your child.
Unfortunately, the Russian version of Google Play parental controls does not filter all the content that is in the store. For example, it will not prevent a child from downloading a comic or book that contains non-childish information. In addition, this option is ineffective if the child knows how to use a browser, so parents of children over 7-8 years old are better off installing a separate security application - one of those that I will talk about later.
Parental controls from antivirus vendors
Parental control on Android can be organized using an antivirus, which may already be installed on your child’s phone or tablet. Such products include, for example, F-Secure SAFE and Quick Heal Total Security.
There are also separate programs of this class from antivirus manufacturers. They can be used either as a supplement to the main product or on their own. Let's take a closer look at some of them.
Safe Kids is available in paid and free versions.
Among its functions:
- Web content filtering.
- Search filtering (allows you to exclude search results sites with inappropriate content).
- Lock the device at a set time (except for calls).
- Determining geographic location (the parent can find out where the child is).
- Monitor device usage and send reports to your phone or email parent.
The app is easy to set up and easy to use. All the main ways to protect children's safety are present in it. It is suitable for monitoring both teenagers and young children. But it can only be used by mutual agreement, since it has no protection against uninstallation: if the child objects to the restrictions, he will delete the program without any problems.
Norton Family parental control (Symantec)
Norton Family has almost the same set of features as the Kaspersky product. And it is also available in paid and free versions.
IN free version available:
- Function for monitoring website visits (logging).
- Web content filtering.
- Immediate warning of parents about unwanted actions of the child.
The paid version additionally includes the ability to selectively control access to applications, create a report on device usage for 90 days, and receive weekly or monthly email updates about the time your child spends on the device and the activities on it.
Unlike SafeKids, Norton Family has deletion protection, but some particularly cunning teenagers still manage to disable it.
The range of possibilities is somewhat wider. Available in the free version:
Additional functionality is more suitable for parents of younger schoolchildren who long time are outside the home.
Standalone parental control apps
Perhaps one of the most functional and flexible parental control tools, but paid (from $5.95 per quarter).
Among its features:
- Safe search in all popular browsers.
- Individual settings for blocking sites (black and white lists).
- Limit web surfing by time (you can create a schedule for every day of the week).
- Remote control of settings and rules (from an adult’s smartphone).
- Limiting the time you can use the device.
- Reports on the child’s online activity (time and content of sites visited, search queries).
- The ability to allow or deny a child access to certain content in real time.
- Hiding applications not intended for use by children (customizable individually).
- Blocking applications based on operating time.
Despite the abundance of features, SafeKiddo is quite simple to use. In addition, it can be used to control several children, using separate rules for each.
Kids Zone Parental Controls
Kids Zone Parental Controls are useful for creating separate profiles for children on a device used by an adult. The program is intended mainly for children. Available in free and paid versions.
With Kids Zone you can:
- Create an individual profile on your phone or tablet for each child, set their personal wallpaper on their desktop. Children's profiles will only display apps that you allow.
- Protect program settings from changes using a PIN code.
- Limit the time you use the device.
- Block outgoing calls and SMS.
- Deny Internet access.
- Prohibit downloading and installation of programs from Google Play and other sources.
- Block access to device settings and personal data of the parent's account.
- Monitor children's use of the device.
- Remove the lock by pressing one button (when you need to answer a call).
The only inconvenience of Kids Zone is that it is not translated into Russian. But in all other respects it’s quite good.
Every parent wants to protect their child from bad influences outside world. The Internet carries not only a lot of useful information, but also huge amount negativity, which can form in a child an incorrect worldview or perception of reality. There are also a lot of “adult” sites that children are strictly prohibited from viewing. Therefore, parents have a question: “How to protect their child from unnecessary sites and programs?”
Child and computer
Modern children are introduced to computers from a very early age. First, mothers teach children to watch cartoons on their own, then launch children's educational programs, so by the age of six, a child can already be an “advanced” Internet user.
At an older age, children begin to create pages on social networks, looking for various information by using search programs and accidentally, or perhaps on purpose, may access a site containing harmful or dangerous information.
A verbal prohibition is unlikely to have an effect on a child, especially since everything that is prohibited becomes several times more interesting. Parents will not be able to constantly be with the child and control his work with the computer. Therefore, he will be free to secretly visit forbidden sites in his free time from his parents.
Therefore, parents should take advantage of modern advances to protect their child from unnecessary content. Designed for this purpose special programs, which will block access to unnecessary information.
Programs that allow you to block access to unnecessary information on your computer
Parents can ensure safe use of the Internet for their child without any special restrictions on their child’s freedom. There are several programs for this, each with its own disadvantages and advantages:
- Blue Coat K9 Web Protection. This is one of the best software developments that allows you to block access to prohibited sites. The program works on the principle of an antivirus program. She can independently sort resources into adult, dangerous and permitted for study. Also in the program settings you can independently register everything possible bans and restrictions;
- BitTally. Such a utility program allows you to monitor the resources visited by the user and block them. The premium version of the program can be downloaded for free. The parental control option will block pornographic sites, advertising of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, as well as resources with obscene language. The program is very easy to install and use;
- Anti-porn. Such a program is freely available and can completely block all unnecessary visits. Among other things, the program is able to protect a child from gaming sites and chat rooms;
- Kaspersky Internet Security. This is the most common paid antivirus program has a “parental control” function. Parents will have to configure the ban settings manually;
- Dr.Web. Has the same functions as the previous program. It will allow you not only to block access to harmful resources, but also to detect unnecessary content on your PC. Settings are carried out using special filters.
All of the above programs are able to protect a child from dangerous and harmful information on the Internet, from adult sites and paid applications. But having installed the program, you still need to monitor your child’s Internet visits from time to time, because parent program blocker, you can use some kind of “smart” anti-blocking system.
How to prevent access to harmful sites via phone
At home, parents can install special programs on their PC or tablet, which were described above. But now many children have phones that allow them to access any information by providing a certain amount of Internet traffic. As a result, what is not allowed at home may be allowed to be viewed at school or on the street.
At modern development technologies, there are a huge number of programs that parents can install on their child’s phone, not only in order to limit access to certain sites and applications, but also in order to detect his location and track calls.
We offer a list of the main programs for the phone:
- SafeKiddo;
- SkyDNS
- MSpy;
- KidLogger;
- KidShell;
- PlayPad;
- KinderGate;
- Kids Place;
- Norton Family;
Each of the programs presented has certain features and performs individual tasks that will help parents carry out the function of monitoring their child via phone.
What dangers await a child on the Internet?
A child using the Internet can receive a lot of useful and negative information. He may receive an offer to join a suicide sect or watch a video that can cause serious harm to his still unformed psyche. The following online resources can cause such a negative impact:
- Pornographic sites;
- Sites promoting war and violence;
- Websites promoting various sects;
- Websites promoting fascism and extremism;
- Advertising of alcohol and smoking, promotion of drugs;
- Websites that incite ethnic and religious hatred;
- Websites promoting youth depressive trends;
- Gaming sites;
- Sites advertising prostitution and many other resources.
It is impossible to protect a child from everything in the world. But at the moments of growing up and personality formation, parents must make every effort to limit the child’s access to this type of information.
Forming trusting relationships with children
While a child is small, it is much easier to control him than a growing teenager. You can stuff your phone, computer and tablet with everything universal programs, providing complete control over the sites you visit.
But it will not be possible to limit his circle of contacts. The teenager will find a way and opportunity to get the information he needs, and obvious control on the part of the parents will cause a strong negative reaction.
Therefore, starting from early childhood You need to create a trusting relationship with your child. Try to be a friend to him from early childhood, respect his interests and hobbies. Perhaps then total control will not be needed at all.
Interesting video on the topic of the article:
Hello, dear guests and readers of my blog. Protecting children online is one of the most important responsibilities of parents. Children nowadays understand the Internet better than their parents and roam freely in the open spaces. world wide web. They meet new people, visit sites with various content, among which, of course, there are sites that can harm the child’s psychology. However, this is not a reason to prohibit a child from accessing the Internet; there are solutions to this problem in other ways, which we will talk about.
Probably, each of us has found ourselves in such cases when, in search of ordinary information, without wanting it, suddenly, instantly and unexpectedly, THIS appears! Horrible footage from sites of pedophiles, xenophobes, neo-Nazis and porn sites For an adult, this causes disgust and shock, but imagine what is going on in the head of a child? Therefore, we must try to limit our children from this and take care of protecting children on the Internet. Honestly speaking, in our time it is very difficult to do this, but not doing anything at all to protect your child is what is truly unforgivable for parents.
Every day the Internet comes into our lives more and more, and becomes an integral part of our lives and the lives of our children. And therefore, when we want to protect our children from the trash pit of the Internet, the words “Be careful - this site is for adults only :)” simply won’t do it.
What unwanted resources can lie in wait for your child on the Internet?
Many parents mistakenly believe that the Internet cannot harm a child; the Internet is full of information that can cause irreparable harm to a child’s psychology.
There are many programs that can limit access to unwanted resources. However, I think that in fact the problem cannot be solved by simply restricting access to unwanted sites.
- I myself am of the opinion that the main thing in protecting children will always be their upbringing. To protect the child, he just needs to devote more time. Show him interest and passion for something worthy in this life. Explain to him that there is a lot of bad things on the Internet, but it is easy to do this. Find common language with the child, help him find useful resources and guide him to something interesting and useful.
- Do not agree to install a computer in your child’s room; the computer should be in a publicly accessible place.
- Explain to your child that you cannot post personal information online, such as last name, first name, patronymic, age, school, address, etc.
- Discuss in advance how much time your child can spend on the computer.
- Some people offer you help in protecting children free services like Microsft Windows live - parental controls.
- Set up search engines under safe search.
- I also recommend using the Internet Censor program, which is described below.
- Help your child find useful resources. To get started, I advise you to go to the Kinder.ru catalog and familiarize yourself with the list of children's Internet resources.
Setting up search engines for safe search
If you use search engines like Yandex and Google, I recommend setting them up so that sites with dangerous topics are not displayed in the search results of these search engines.
How to set up the Yandex search engine?
To do this, you need to go to: yandex.ru/cgi-bin/customize.pl
Go down a little and find the section "Page Filtering", then set the value "Family Search"
Save the settings.
To set up a search engine Google system, you need to go to: google.ru/preferences?hl=ru
Place a check mark in the line “Do not produce obscene results” and save the settings.
However, these settings will only be applied to search, but will not block sites with dangerous topics themselves. That is, they will not appear in search engine results, but by entering the address of a resource with a dangerous topic in the browser line, you can easily open this resource. Therefore, I advise you to install the program about which we're talking about a little lower.
Protecting children online with " Internet Censor"
Currently, there are many programs and filters that help control the use of Internet information and time spent on the Internet. But we will look at the program that is most famous for its effectiveness and ease of use, it is free"Internet Censor".
The parental control program will not only be able to block access to dirt and trash on the Internet, but will also be able to limit the time you use the Internet. This means you will have complete control over Internet access.
The operation of this program is based on working with the so-called white list and black list, which guarantees 100% protection from all dangerous and unwanted information on the Internet. IN whitelist More than a million sites have been included that have been manually checked, and their list is constantly being updated.
Installing the Internet Censor program is very easy. When installing, it is advisable to write real email address, because messages will be sent to it if someone enters the wrong password to disable the filter.
After this, the program will ask you to enter a password, enter and remember it, it will be useful in the future to gain access to the filters.
While the program is running, an icon in the form of a blue ball will be displayed in the lower right corner of the screen (in the system tray). If you need to disable it, click on this icon and a window will appear to enter a password to gain access to the settings.
Enter the password and select the time for how long you want to disable the filters.
This program also allows you to create your own list of black and white sites. To do this, just go to the “My Rules” tab and enter the site address in one of the columns.
After installing this program, do not relax, because on the Internet very often, under a decent word there is indecent content. And do not be negligent in protecting your child.
Good luck to you!
In addition, there is a video tutorial on installing the program: Internet Censor.
Any parent wants to protect their child from bad things in this world. The Internet is no exception. The Internet itself is not bad, it is a mirror that reflects human reality. Are there any good things on the Internet? Eat! But there is also a bad thing... for children.
This article is intended to help parents protect their children from unwanted content on the Internet using filters. And it's free! All you need is desire. Because good protection- layered defense consisting of several stages, then our protection of children will also be multi-stage... the enemy will not get through.
Regardless of the level of your computer knowledge, you will have to learn and understand a couple of points.
1) Computers operate with numbers among themselves and website addresses for computers are also numbers, but it is easier and better for a person to operate with meaningful text. DNS is a converter of “text” for people (such as rambler.ru) into “number addresses” (such as 81.19.70.1) and vice versa. The first stage of protecting children from unwanted content will be based on the fact that there are DNS servers that can also filter during “transformation”. In other words, if a child accesses the website yandex.ru in a browser, then this good site in DNS will be converted into his computer-numeric-address (IP address). But if a child, willingly or unwillingly, ends up on sex.com, then such an address will be converted NOT into his computer-numeric-address (IP address), but into an address where there will be a warning about inadmissibility or that such a site is not on the network.
2) This stage will protect the child from unwanted search results. You must use Yandex with Family Filter as your home page in all browsers on all computers available to you.
3) Third-party free software solutions and services from Internet providers.
Protection via DNS.
On the Internet, from free and serious protection for children through DNS filtering, we will take 2 representatives: Yandex.DNS and OpenDNS FamilyShield (OpenDNS Family Shield). Why 2?
1) You never know how many of them will start to become “stupid”, and timeouts during conversion affect the speed of your work on the Internet, regardless of your tariff with the provider.
2) One head is good, but two are better.
3) In many operating systems There are 2 fields for specifying DNS servers.
Before we move on to registering DNS defender servers, we need to decide where it is best to register our defenders. DNS servers can be registered on the terminal device - computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone or in your router node (if you have one), which displays your home network on the Internet.
Each method has pros and cons.
1) Register on the router - access point. Your computers receive network settings from your home router via DHCP. The router will instruct all your devices and the devices of visiting friends to use it as DNS. And it will use higher-level DNS defender servers. In this scheme, friends will be protected too.
2) But the above-mentioned scheme is bad when your child goes with his smartphone or tablet to a cafe with friends and someone else’s router will not protect him there. Therefore, registering DNS defenders on the end device has its advantages.
It's up to you to protect yourself through your access point and/or through the end device.
Access point.
1. Enter the router's IP address in your browser to access the admin panel.
2. Enter your username and password.
3. In the router management menu, find the DNS server settings.
4. Enter the Yandex.DNS address 77.88.8.7 as the Primary DNS server and save the changes. In the Secondary DNS server field, enter the OpenDNS FamilyShield address 208.67.222.123.
On the computer.
Windows XP.
1. Open the Start menu -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Network Connections.
2. Right-click on the desired network connection and select Properties.
3. In the connection properties window, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click the Properties button.
5. Enter the Yandex.DNS address 77.88.8.7 as the Preferred DNS server. In the Alternate DNS server field, enter the OpenDNS FamilyShield address 208.67.222.123. And save the changes with the OK button.
Windows 7.
1. Open the Start menu -> Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center and shared access ->
2. Right-click on the desired network connection and select Properties from the menu that appears.
3. In the connection properties window, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP) and click the Properties button.
4. In the window that opens, select Use the following DNS server addresses.
5. Enter the Yandex.DNS address 77.88.8.7 as the Preferred DNS server. In the Alternate DNS server field, enter the OpenDNS FamilyShield address 208.67.222.123.
Windows 8.
1. Hover your mouse over the Start menu (bottom left corner of the screen), when the menu appears, right-click on it and select Control Panel.
2. Open Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center -> Change adapter settings.
3. Right-click on the desired network connection and select Properties from the menu that appears.
4. In the connection properties window, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP) and click the Properties button.
5. In the window that opens, select Use the following DNS server addresses.
6. Enter the Yandex.DNS address 77.88.8.7 as the Preferred DNS server. In the Alternate DNS server field, enter the OpenDNS FamilyShield address 208.67.222.123.
Mac OS X
1. Go to System Settings-> Network.
2. Select the network for which you want to configure DNS (AirPort, Ethernet).
3. Click the Advanced button and go to the DNS tab.
4. Enter the Yandex.DNS address 77.88.8.7 and save the changes.
Ubuntu.
1. Click on the icon network connection, select Edit connections from the list.
2. Select the network for which you want to configure DNS and click Edit.
3. Go to the IPv4 Settings tab, in the Method group, select Automatic (DHCP) addresses only.
4. Enter the Yandex.DNS address 77.88.8.7 in the Addresses field. DNS Servers) and save the changes.
On a smartphone or tablet.
Android 4.x
1. Go to Settings, select Wi-Fi.
2. Long press (press and hold until a dialog box appears) select the desired Wi-Fi network.
3. In the dialog box that appears, select Configure network.
4. Check the Show advanced settings box at the bottom.
5. In the IP settings item, select Static from the drop-down list.
6. Enter the Yandex.DNS address 77.88.8.7 in the DNS 1 field. In the DNS 2 field, enter the OpenDNS FamilyShield address 208.67.222.123.
7. Click Save.
Apple iOS.
1. Go to Settings -> Wi-Fi, click on the arrow next to the network you are using.
2. Find the DNS item and enter the Yandex.DNS address 77.88.8.7 into it.
Protection of search results.
This stage will protect the child while searching for information. You can use Yandex Family Search, which filters search queries and does not return results that are not intended for the child. The protection is based on the fact that by default everything is new open tabs in the browser they use the Yandex search engine with the Family filter as the home page. Most likely, the child will not switch to other search engines, but will use the one already offered with filtering.
Google Chrome.
1. Enter the browser settings: Upper right icon of three horizontal lines -> Settings.
2. Select: Start group -> Next pages.
3. Click Add, in the Add page field enter http://family.yandex.ru
4. Click OK
Mozilla Firefox.
1. Go to your browser settings: Edit -> Settings.
2. In the General tab, select: When Firefox starts, Show home page.
3. In the field Home page indicate: http://family.yandex.ru
Opera.
1. Go to your browser settings: Opera -> Settings -> General settings.
2. In the General tab, select: At startup Start from home page.
3. In the Home field, enter: http://family.yandex.ru
4. Click OK.
Protection using free programs and browser plugins.
IN this section software products are being considered that can freely help a parent protect a child’s psyche from horrors on the Internet and make it white and fluffy.
I hope these free solutions will reliably protect you and your children!
