5 Ways To Prevent Kids From Bypassing Parental Controls

 by Burton Kelso, The Technology Expert
 

     Parental controls have become a handy tool for parents that are looking to balance their kids, tween, and teen screen time by blocking online sites and setting time limits.
     Whenever you limit kids' screen time with their devices, it’s going upset your younger family members. It is  important to limit the time your children spend in front of the screen. Most sites and games they play are designed to keep them engaged. Kids always think they know more than their parents and bypassing parental controls.is one of the ways they try to get the upper hand. 
     Want to make sure your kids aren't pulling the wool over your eyes? Here are some ways you can prevent your kids from getting around parental controls.
     Keep in mind there are many devices you can use for parental controls. You can configure routers to keep your kids in check and there are many apps that you can download on their devices for parental controls. In this digital age we live in, there are many methods kids can use to circumvent parental controls.
     If you use the following steps, you should be able to have a good handle of making sure you parental controls stay secure.
 
1. Your kid tries to perform factory reset to their devices.
     On many devices resetting a smartphone, tablet, computer, or, gaming system back to factory defaults will remove the parental control settings. For any device you are using for parental controls, you should always have an admin account and a user account. This way, the device your kids are using doesn't have the ability to have changes made to it.
 
2. Your kid tries to access the admin account to change or remove privileges.
     Kids are crafty and will do anything to get full access to their devices. Whatever you are using for parental controls, make sure you keep the master password safe. To make things even more secure, set up two-factor authentication on your parental control app or device so you are alerted to any unauthorized changes to parental controls.
 
3. Your kid tries to connect to another Wi-Fi network.
     If you have an in-home unit like Disney Circle (www.meetcircle.com), Gryphon (www.gryphonconnect.com), ASUS (www.asus.com), or Netgear (www.netgear.com), as long as their devices are connected to your network, you are safe.
     If you find your kid wants to take their devices over to friends’ homes, they might be using the opportunity to connect to another network to access the stuff they aren't supposed to be accessing.
 
4. Your kid tries to use a VPN.
     A VPN or virtual private network is normally used when you are trying to keep your location and places you visit on the web secret. Your kids and set up a VPN (usually on a computer) to get around your home Wi-Fi and device parental control settings.
     Using app-based parental controls work best because it protects the device regardless of what network they are connected to.
 
5. Your Kid tries to delete the parental control app.
     Most kids are smart enough to install and uninstall apps on their devices. Some parental controls software will alert you if the app is removed from a device. For total protection, set up your devices under a family account. Android, Apple, and Windows devices allow you to configure their devices so you can view the activity on all of the devices under that account. Doing so allows you to see if new apps are installed and if apps are being removed from them.
     Sometimes, no matter what you do, some kids are just extremely motivated to get around those parental control settings. For the ultimate protection, it's sometimes best to go 'old school' and take their devices away at bedtime. It always helps as a backup to parental controls that you look at their devices once a week to view the activity. 
     Unfortunately, there isn't a one solution fits all for parental controls so it's best you get a little familiar with the devices you purchase for your kids so you can keep them safe from all of the threats out on the Internet and make sure they have a good balance with their screen time.
 
     Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. If you prefer to connect with me on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter and watch great tech tip videos on my YouTube channel. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I want to make technology fun and easy to use for everyone!
 
     If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team at Integral.
     My team of friendly tech experts are always standing by to answer your questions and help make your technology useful and fun. Reach out to us a www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829.