Parental controls are features which may be included indigital television services,computers and video games,mobile devices andsoftware to enableparents to restrict certain content viewable by theirchildren.[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 toage 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; andmonitoring, which can track location and activity when using the devices.[3]
Content filters were the first popular type of parental controls to limit access toInternet content.Television stations also began to introduceV-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 withGPS 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 ofcyberbullying 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]
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 monitorAPI 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 ofauthentication to prevent unauthorized users from disabling it.
Techniques involving aproxy server are also used.[15] Aweb 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 adatabase 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.
Network-based parental control devices have been develop which work as a firewall router using packet filtering, DNSresponse policy zone (RPZ) anddeep 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]
The increased use of mobile devices with fully featured web 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, iniPhone 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 isTrend Micro[19] which not only offers protection from viruses, but also offers parental controls to phones and tablets of almost all brands, like Apple or Android. 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 ofbullying.[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.
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,
While parental controls have been added to various electronic media 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]
Below is a list of popularoperating systems which currently have built-in parental control features:
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