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How to Block Porn on Your Kid's iPhone or Android Phone
The internet keeps expanding in usage for both developers and users. Being a "no man's land," few or no regulations prevent access to offensive content. Hence, several developers make pornography easily accessible through sites, ads, and apps. Unsuspecting kids and users will likely fall victim to developers making such content readily available online.
Some of these contents can be shared through dedicated websites, games, news, etc. Parents must know how to block porn on their kids' iPhones and Android phones in all these cases. Hence, this article sheds more light on generic and specific methods for handling porn situations with your kids.
Part 1. 2 Generic Ways to Block Porn on Mobile
Among the several methods for blocking porn on mobile devices, some options can serve multiple operating systems or apps. In this section, two of those methods are examined.
1Safe DNS Service to Block Porn
DNS services are beneficial for controlling how the internet can be accessed. They are very robust safety measures for different mobile devices. Hence, parents use it as a proactive solution for shielding their kids from porn. Some DNS services have exceptional features like blocking and filtering explicit content. Parents can also use them to set the time limit and monitor sites their kids access. However, DNS services may expose your kid's device to attacks, and it isn't easy to troubleshoot. One of the oldest and most reliable DNS services is OpenDNS.
It has a home server that allows parents to customize the restrictions they want to impose on their kids. However, with the introduction of their new server – FamilyShield – users are preconfigured to be unable to access porn sites. Here is how to set up the OpenDNS server.
- Open your Settings app.
- Click on Network settings
- Choose the Wi-Fi option.
- Select Advanced options.
- Tap on Change DNS settings.
- Then, insert this value: 208.67.222.13
2Router Parental Control
If you have a wireless router in your house, you have another means of preventing your kids from accessing porn on their devices. While the router provides access to the internet, parental control routers come with features to control how your kids access the internet.
One of the controls it allows is restricting your kids from accessing porn content. It is a broad preventive method like DNS because it has unique control options for customizing settings to block sites. Some of the top options on the market are Google Nest, Netgear Nighthawk, Asus RT, etc.
Part 2. 3 Specific Ways to Block Porn on iPhone
If you have reservations about using broad options or those options are not working for you, you can check the options in this section. They help you target specific apps and sites on your iPhone.
1 Block Porn Sites on iPhone from Setting
iPhone has an inbuilt feature for blocking porn sites in the Settings app. There are two approaches that we will be considering.
Screen Time (iOS 12 or later)
- Open your iPhone Settings app.
- Click on the Screen Time icon.
Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Enable Content & Privacy Restrictions and then click on Content Restrictions.
Tap on Web Content and choose Limit Adult Websites.
- Alternatively, you can choose only websites that can be accessed using the Allowed Websites Only.
Restrictions (iOS 11 or earlier)
- Open your iPhone Settings app.
- Click on the General icon.
Tap on Restrictions and enable it.
Set the four-digit password for setting your iPhone restrictions.
Click on Websites on the restriction screen.
Tap on Limit Adult Content.
Scroll down to click on Add a Website under the Never Allow Section on the Websites screen.
- Type the web address or URL in the pop-up box, and the website will be operantly restricted.
2 Set Limits on Music, Podcasts, TV Shows, Apps, and Other Content
Your iPhone allows you to limit your kids' access to apps, shows, and other porn media. You can set the content and privacy restrictions on their phone, and they cannot access such explicit content.
- Open your iPhone Settings app.
- Click on the Screen Time icon.
- Pick either This is My [Device] or This is My Child's [Device].
- Set the Passcode for screen time.
- Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions to turn it on.
- Click on Content Restrictions.
- Tap on Allowed Store Content.
Choose the content you want to restrict, like Music, Podcast, Movies, Apps, etc.
3 Porn Blocker App for iPhone
You can limit access to adult content on your kids' phones by using iOS parental control kits. These tools will help you monitor kids' activities and restrict apps with adult content. One of the common examples is Net Nanny. The app has an intuitive design for newbie users to navigate. Its site filters are reliable and can block up to 100 apps. In addition, it includes features like geolocation and time limit features. You can also customize the app's site filter.
Part 3. 3 Specific Ways to Block Porn on Android Phone
There are also dedicated methods for blocking porn on Android phones. Four of those methods are explored in this section.
1 Enable Chrome SafeSearch and Set It as Default Web Browser
Google provides the parent with a feature for preventing exposure to explicit adult content when browsing. With Chrome SafeSearch, you can prevent your kids from getting search results on certain words and content. This method is one of the most reliable means on the internet for blocking porn content and adult websites. However, it only works on the Chrome browser.
- Open your Google Chrome app.
- Tap More icon and cick Settings from the list of options.
Choose General and tap SafeSearch among the list.
- Ensure that the feature is turned on.
2 Enable Parental Controls on Google Play Store
You can get most Android apps via Google Play Store, including apps that access adult content. Also, Google Play Store has Parental Restrictions for preventing apps from being downloaded. Here is how to use this method.
- Open your Play Store app.
- Click on your initials or display the image at the top right corner of the app.
- Click on the Settings button.
- Tap on the Family option.
Tap on the Parental controls and turn it on by sliding the switch in front of it.
- Create a password PIN for the content if the feature has never been activated and click OK.
Select Apps & games for the app categories you will block and then tap Save
.
- You can also set limits for Movies.
3 Family Link Parental Control
You can use the Google Family Link to block porn content on Android. Family Link is a parental control feature provided by Google for parents to prevent their kids from unnecessary exposure. It can set healthy digital limits for family members, especially children. Follow these steps to use this method.
- Sign in on the parent and child's Google accounts on their devices.
- Download, install, and open the Family Link app on the parent device.
- Select a family member's account.
- Tap on View all apps or the More option under the installed app to see their available apps.
- Pick the app that has porn content and tap on the switch before allowing the app to block the app.
4 Bonus: How to Monitor Whether Your Children Are Viewing Porn Content on Android
AirDroid Parental Control is the best Android phone monitoring app. Parents can use it to monitor their kids and block apps. One unique feature of this app is the ability to customize categories and keywords to be monitored on the child's phone. This includes words like 'porn', 'adult', or other inappropriate languages. Parents can also select which social media apps they want to monitor. If these words are detected, they will be immediately alerted with detailed information.
Besides, this tool allows parents to monitor their children's phone activities remotely by mirroring Android screens and syncing app notifications. Using features like AirDroid, parents can also control the duration and timing of their children's app or screen usage.
Part 4. Tips for Talking to Your Kids about Porn
Confronting your kids about the topic can make them deny it or become suspicious of you. Both ways, you may end up driving your kids away than helping them. Because of their young mind, they will likely be able to find ways to elude you. Hence, these tips will show you the right part of discussing porn with your kids.
Become their friend: Have a personal relationship with your kids. Their exposure to explicit content may have come from the internet and the people they interact with the most. These people have the most influence on them. If you want the same influence, build an organic relationship with them.
Only discuss it in a large group: Confrontation makes kids feel judged and unaccepted. Hence, avoid bringing it up with them in person because it breeds suspicion. But discussing it during an ongoing conversation is healthy for all parties.
Make your conversation judgment-free: If they are caught red-handed and have to be discussed, keep the discussion important but casual. Let them do most of the talking and questioning.
Be proactive: Do not wait till you catch them watching explicit content before addressing the issue. Training them on issues surrounding their sexuality will help them overcome the curiosity that leads to porn watching and addiction.
Part 5. Other Inappropriate Content Parents Should Be Aware
There are several inappropriate contents parents need to be careful of, especially their kids' exposure to it. Of course, some of these contents are not in themselves inappropriate. Still, they become inappropriate when kids are attached to them for too long. These contents include hacking, social media, movies, games, etc.
Wrap Up
Blocking porn on your kid's phone is essential for their sanity. Because too much time is wasted watching such content, which derails the child's productivity, if this continues, the child's academics and social interaction may be jeopardized. Hence, this article has shown parents how to block porn on their kid's iPhone or Android devices. Besides using comprehensive solutions like DNS servers and parental control routers, they can use factory-customized OS restriction tools. Also, there are third-party porn content blockers like the AirDroid Parental Control app that you can use.
FAQs about Blocking Porn
You can block porn on Twitter by controlling the content you see on the social media app:
- 1.Click onSettings & Supportand pick Settings and Privacy.
- 2.Tap on Privacy and safety and choose the content you see.
- 3.Unmark the Display media that may contain sensitive content.
- 4.Click onSearch settingsand toggle on Hide sensitive content.
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