How to Set Up Parental Controls on Your Home Network

The internet is a place where virtually any piece of information is at your fingertips. You can read the news or a book in just a few clicks, watch your favorite movies and TV shows, play games, etc. Although it offers an abundance of knowledge, the internet can also be unsafe, especially for children.

That’s where parental controls come in handy. If you’re a parent and looking for a way to protect your children online, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about parental controls and how to set them up.

What Are Parental Controls?

Quick Links

Parental controls are features that are included in different software, devices, and platforms and enable you to control your children’s access to specific content on the internet.

These features were created to control access to content that’s considered inappropriate for a certain age or maturity level. Parental controls are often divided into four categories:

How Do I Put Parental Controls on My Home Network?

Most operating systems, video game consoles, routers, browsers, and search engines enable parental control set up. However, figuring out how to do it on different devices without clear instructions can be overwhelming and confusing.

How to Set Up Parental Controls on a Router

Most modern routers feature parental controls. Configuring these controls on a router is one of the easiest ways to filter out inappropriate content because the settings apply to the whole network.

Here are the basic steps on how to put parental controls on a router:

Keep in mind the specific settings vary depending on the router you have. Some routers enable you to create profiles, assign devices to them, and “pause” your child’s access to the internet.

If you want to control screen time, you can set active hours for your child’s devices. Most routers that feature this option enable you to set different time limits on weekdays and weekends.

Other routers have different filtering levels, which you can customize according to your preferences.

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Windows

If you’re using Windows 8 or 10 and want to set up parental controls, follow these steps:

Windows 7 users can also access Microsoft’s website and set up Family Safety. If you only want to limit when your children can log in and what programs they can access, you can use the built-in features:

Remember to set up a password for your user profile. Otherwise, your children can disable parental controls.

How to Set Up Parental Controls on a Mac

If you own a Mac device, here’s how to set up parental controls:

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Google

Google has a feature named SafeSearch that filters out inappropriate content. Here’s how to set it up:

With this option enabled, Google will hide explicit and inappropriate content. Keep in mind that SafeSearch only works for Google. Your child will be able to access this content using a different search engine.

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Yahoo

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Google Chrome

Setting up parental controls on Google Chrome is done through the Google Family Link app. If you don’t have it, press here to install it. Once you’ve set it up, create an account for your child.

Follow these steps to set up parental controls on Google Chrome using Google Family Link:

If your child wants to visit a blocked website, you’ll receive a notification in the Family Link app, and you can choose whether to grant access or not.

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Mozilla Firefox

If you’ve enabled parental controls on your computer, Mozilla Firefox recognizes this and automatically sets itself to “Prefer: Safe mode.” This option controls every website your child visits using Mozilla Firefox.

Another option is to use Mozilla Firefox Add-ons and customize which content your child can access.

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Safari

The steps for setting up parental controls on Safari are the same as setting them up on Mac OS.

How to Set Up Parental Controls on YouTube

If you want to ensure your child only sees educational and age-appropriate content, install YouTube Kids. This app is available on iOS and Android, and it automatically filters out videos your child shouldn’t see.

If your child doesn’t have a phone and they’re using yours to stream YouTube videos, you should enable the Restricted Mode:

Keep in mind this setting only applies to the app on the device you’re currently using. To ensure the settings are locked, log out of your account.

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Netflix

Netflix has multiple settings for filtering inappropriate content depending on your child’s maturity level:

If you change your mind about a particular video, you can enter your PIN to enable access. Here’s how to set up your PIN:

In the same settings, you can select specific titles that require the PIN.

If you want to change maturity level settings for a specific profile, follow these steps:

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Hulu

Hulu’s parental controls depend on the age you’ve selected when you created your child’s profile. If the specified age is 17 or less, your child won’t be able to access mature content.

Hulu also reflects the parental controls you’ve set up for specific devices.

If you’re a Hulu Plus subscriber, you can take advantage of the Hulu Kids feature and set up your child’s profile.

How To Setup Parental Controls on an Xbox

Here’s how to customize parental controls on Xbox:

If your child wants to access a blocked game, you’ll receive a request.

How to Set Up Parental Controls on a PlayStation

If you want to enable parental controls on PlayStation, follow the steps below:

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Nintendo Systems

Setting up parental controls is differs depending on whether you’re using Nintendo Wii or Nintendo DS.

If you have Nintendo Wii, here’s how to set up parental controls:

Here’s how to set up parental controls on Nintendo DS: