Curiosity can get the best of us, and this is especially true for teenagers and children. If you let your child browse around the internet for hours, they will eventually stumble on porn. Even though Google offers parental controls and safe browsing, provocative content and nudity are still readily accessible to all users. So, you’ll need methods to figure out how to block porn on a child’s tablet. Otherwise, your kid will be exposed to all kinds of inappropriate content available on the internet.
The internet is never safe for kids to browse alone. Moreover, kids can be pretty dumb, and they won’t judge the safety of a website before clicking on its link. So, the responsibility to keep kids safe falls upon parents. You need to make sure that there is no way for your child to access inappropriate content by using parental control tools.
Understanding parental controls
Parental controls are restrictive features on any device that can help you keep your kid away from inappropriate stuff like porn. Depending on the device or the parental control software you’re using, the restrictions can vary quite a bit. However, restrictions like web filters to block porn are pretty common among all the parental control features. So, you won’t have a hard time figuring out how to restrict access to porn on a child’s tablet. All you’ll need to do is enable the web filter and then restrict access to the adult websites. From there, the parental control software will take care of the rest.
Other than this basic web filter feature, you will also get tracking and monitoring access to your child’s tablet. These features are incredibly useful in keeping your child in line and disciplined. You can easily make sure that your child doesn’t get curious about any mature content and focuses on his studies with parental control. So, if you haven’t already done so, turn on parental controls on your child’s device. Hopefully, you’ll never have to worry about them watching porn on their tablet.
The effects of pornography on children
Many studies from reputed institutions have cited how porn can impact a child’s brain. So, if you need more motivation to figure out how to block porn on a child’s tablet, just go through the following points.
- No control on impulses: Excessive exposure to porn for children damages their brain development. Studies show that this exposure will directly damage the developing prefrontal cortex, making your child more impulsive. They will not rely on any critical thinking and end up making more rash decisions than they can afford.
- Normalizes inappropriate behavior: When children are exposed to pornographic content, they lose the concept of consent and boundaries. Sexuality should always be introduced by a professional educator or by parents. However, when kids get access to such content on the internet, they don’t have a proper guideline on what are appropriate sexual practices.
- Mental health problems: Children are much more likely to be depressed later on or have self-esteem issues when they are exposed to porn. Porn abuses the dopamine release system of the brain, and its excess takes all the glamour away from other activities. So, your child will likely fall behind in their academic and social life, making them depressed.
- Poor morals: Porn is for entertainment purposes only, and there is no emphasis on morals. Increased exposure to porn will lead your kid to develop decreased sensitivity towards women and increased aggression. Moreover, it also objectifies women and takes away from their self-esteem.
- Relationship problems: Lastly, your kid will struggle with maintaining a healthy relationship with their partners when they are addicted to porn. Usually, kids fail to realize that the actors in porn are paid and make adult content for entertainment purposes only. However, kids assume that these videos depict the actual act of making love and form similar expectations from their partners. These expectations eventually lead to relationship problems and satisfaction issues later on in life.
These are just some effects of porn on children, and you should always focus on keeping your child away from such content. There isn’t a single benefit that your kid will realize by relying on excessive mature content. So, you need to focus on learning how to block porn on a child’s tablet. Otherwise, your child will lose his innocence early on and damage his brain.
Step-by-step guide to block porn on a child’s tablet
Figuring out how to block porn on a child’s tablet isn’t hard. You just need to get the right parental control software or rely on a safe search from Google. Here are details on the methods you can use to keep your kid safe.
Method 1: Relying on parental control software
There are many apps in the market to help parents keep their kids safe. Each app offers a different value set to the users, with FlashGet Kids being the user’s favorite. So, if you’re new to such tools, I’d suggest that you start out with this app.
Personally, I’d prefer to stick with FlashGet Kids because of its affordable plans and advanced monitoring features.
Here is what you will get from this application.
- Keyword alerts and app blockers
- Remote access to your kid’s device’s camera
- One-way audio access
- Forbidding the installation of new apps
- Limiting screen time for your child’s device
- Tracking live locations and implementing geofences
- Tracking notifications and alerts
All in all, FlashGet Kids is a one-stop fix to all of your parental control needs. So, if you’re in the market for decent parental control software, start out with this app. I can almost guarantee that you will never feel the need to switch to another option down the road.
Anyhow, here is how you can use FlashGet Kids to disable porn on your child’s device.
- Download FlashGet Kids on the parent’s phone through the Play Store or App Store.
- Launch this application to create a parent account.
- Open the mobile browser on your kid’s device to download the FlashGet Kids kids version.
- Bind both apps with each other using the in-app instructions.
- Open the FlashGet Kids parental control app on the parent’s phone.
- Go to usage limits and set a limit of one minute for all browsing apps.
- Forbid installation of new apps.
Method 2: Trying out browser extensions
Many people prefer to block porn on a child’s tablet with browser extensions. So, if you’re also unsure of how to use parental control tools and need an easier fix, then test out browser extensions for yourself.
Here is how you can get started.
- Disable the native browser on your child’s tablet.
- Install the Kiwi browser on your kid’s tablet.
- Allow the necessary permissions after installation.
- Go to the Chrome webstore by entering the URL in this browser.
- Download and install the porn blocker extension.
- Search for an adult website on your child’s device.
A huge issue with this method is that your child will be able to access porn pretty easily on other browsers. So, if you’re dealing with a teenager, they will already know how to download a new browser and watch porn on it. For this reason, I always recommend parents just stick with parental control software.
Method 3: DNS filters to block Pornhub
Another thing you can do is rely on a DNS filtering service to block porn on your child’s tablet and all devices. If you use a decent DNS filter with your router, it will block all adult websites. As long as your kid is relying on the home router to access the internet, they will not be able to watch anything inappropriate through the service you’re using. However, you will still need to be aware of the fact that your child can access porn by using a VPN or by using mobile data. So, keep that in mind if your child has access to such apps or mobile data.
Method 4: Google safe search on browsers
Lastly, you can protect your child by relying on a safe search engine from Google. Even though this method is pretty easy to bypass, you can still keep your pre-teens safe. This method from Google will keep all the adult content away from your child. Moreover, you will not have to worry about your kid being exposed to explicit images as the safe search will blur them all. So, turn on the safe search from the Google account settings, and you’ll be in the green.
Other tips for safeguarding childhood
Even though the methods above will help a lot in keeping your kid safe, your kid will eventually figure out how to bypass every single restriction. So, instead of focusing on how to enforce parental controls completely, you should also work with your child. Having open communication with your kid is a lot better than forcing them to act a certain way.
So, consider the following tips for safeguarding your kid’s childhood.
- Engage your child in outdoor activities as often as you can.
- Focus on teaching your kid about the dangers of porn.
- Limit how much time your child can spend on their device per day (2 hrs).
- Educate your child about internet addiction and exposure to profanity.
- Be actively involved in your child’s life and have daily conversations about their day.
- Make sure your child feels heard, and never dismiss their concerns.
- Maximize parent-kid time as much as you can.
I know that everyone is busy and tired these days to provide for their family. However, that still doesn’t mean you should compromise your time with your kids. Otherwise, your kids are likely to get on the wrong track and ignore whatever you teach them later on. So, manage your weekly schedule accordingly, even if you’re working two jobs. Hopefully, your child will stay in line that way, and you won’t have to worry about their innocence and safety as much.
Final words about blocking porn on child’s tablet
You’ll find many ways how to block porn on a child’s tablet above. However, no method will work all the time, and even the parental control apps can sometimes malfunction. So, it is necessary that you teach your kid the importance of avoiding porn and inappropriate websites. Nothing can substitute the importance of open communication with your kids. Still, if you believe you need a parental control app as a safety measure, then FlashGet Kids can be a good starting point. It will ensure that you are always kept up to date, even when your child gets curious about mature content.
