How your router’s parental controls can make the web safer

When you hear the phrase “online safety” you might at first think of protecting your devices and personal data. But safety isn’t just about digital assets: kids need protection too, from unsuitable content, unhealthy habits and unwanted contacts.

And these two aspects of safety aren’t as separate as they may seem. When children have unrestricted access to the internet, they’re in danger of being tricked into visiting sites that distribute malware, or scammed into giving away personal information that can be abused by an attacker. If you can guide children away from upsetting content, and help them manage their time online, you’re also boosting your own cybersecurity defences.

Why can a router’s parental controls be better than other tools?

There are plenty of parental control systems available to help shield kids from online dangers, operating at various different levels. For example, you may be able to activate parental control features inside your web browser software, and turn on safe browsing options in your search engine. Many desktop antivirus systems include parental control options too, and there are even similar features built into Windows and macOS.

Your internet provider may additionally allow you to block or enable adult content at the account level, so certain types of content are completely inaccessible from your home broadband connection.

These tools all have their place, but if your home wireless router provides its own parental controls then this is often the most powerful option. As router security specialist Netgear advises, “parental controls built into your router offer whole-home protection, covering every connected device – not just your child’s phone or tablet, but also gaming consoles, smart TVs, and even guest devices”.

Or, as Nigel Canning of router manufacturer Zyxel puts it: “Router-based parental controls let you control internet access – full stop.” And as long as your router is secured with a strong administrative password, there’s no chance of inquisitive kids managing to disable or change its settings.

Warning: Watch out for loopholes

Parental control systems are designed to be secure, but if kids are determined to get around your parental controls they may find a way. Use a secure password, and keep track of which devices your children are using to get online – for example, there’s no point blocking content on a tablet if it’s still available on a laptop.

It’s also important to remember that router-based parental controls only apply to devices that connect through the router. If your kids have phones with their own SIMs, they can get around router restrictions by simply turning off their Wi-Fi and using the mobile internet connection instead. And it goes without saying that restrictions you’ve set up at home won’t apply when your kids are out and about using a public Wi-Fi hotspot – or a friend’s network.

Finally, don’t overlook the importance of updates. Just as your OS needs to be secured against the latest hacking threats, your parental controls need to keep up with the latest apps and technologies. “You have to stay current with updates in all areas,” warns Nigel Canning. “OS updates, security updates on the router, updates in your applications… it’s about building up different layers of protection and staying on top of all those layers.”

What parental controls can I set?

Different routers present their parental controls in different ways. For example, Asus and TP-Link put their parental controls in the router’s web management portal, while Netgear’s parental controls are accessed via a mobile app.

In some cases, a certain set of parental controls are offered for free, such as basic time limiting and monitoring, while the full set of capabilities requires a subscription. Here are the main controls to look for:

1. Limit screen time

Kids love to go online, and given the chance they might sit glued to their phones all day. If you want to encourage them to be more social and active, set a maximum time for internet access – perhaps an hour a day during the week, and two hours at weekends. It’s normally possible to configure this as a total usage allowance across all devices registered to the child.

2. Pause access at certain times of day

Homework time is important – and you don’t want kids waking up in the middle of the night and deciding to start playing online games. So as well as limiting total internet time, router-based parental controls can limit internet access to certain hours. It’s usually possible to “pause” the connection at any time by pressing a button, too, or by issuing a command to your smart speaker.

3. Prevent access to certain websites

Most routers let you block specific websites, but a full-featured parental control system can restrict entire categories of content, using curated lists and live content analysis. That includes sexually explicit videos, violent content, unsuitable social media services and other sites that might lead children down dark paths, such as those associated with gambling, hacking or extremism.

4. Tailor content access by age group

It’s easy to set up blanket restrictions for every device, but that’s not always enough. Differently aged siblings often need different levels of access – as do parents. Router-based parental control settings let you associate particular users and groups of users with particular devices, so Daddy can work late on his laptop after Junior’s tablet has disconnected for the evening.

5. Monitoring

The value of parental controls is clear, but as Nigel Canning points out, “one of the most important things is reporting”. Make sure you use the logging and reporting facilities of your parental control system, so you can see when something’s slipping through the cracks. “By all means, set the policy,” continues Canning, “but you also need to know if children are breaking the policy and if so when. You need to know what’s actually going on.”

How NOT to use parental controls

Parental controls provide strong protection against a wide range of online risks – but they work best when partnered with hands-on parenting. “Every household is different”, cautions Netgear, “and the right parental controls depend on your family’s needs.” As the NSPCC advises:

“It’s important to have conversations with children and young people about going online early on in their journey. This is so you can understand what they’ll be doing when online and can help you to guide them, ensuring they’re as safe as possible when in the online world.”

While you don’t want to scare your children, understanding the reason for online restrictions means they’re less likely to resent your parental controls, or try to circumvent them.

“Ensure you talk about setting up parental controls together, so that it’s seen as a joint decision what controls are put in place, rather than a one-sided decision,” says the NSPCC.

Two last points from the experts on online child safety. First, remember that children grow up quickly. Let them know that they can talk to you to discuss restrictions, because whatever settings you put in place won’t be right forever. Soon, your child will be ready for increased trust and relaxed controls; just make sure this happens at the right pace for them, and not as a consequence of peer pressure.

Finally, recognise that even if you do everything right, no technology can make the internet completely safe and clean. Through no fault of their own, kids may occasionally stumble across upsetting or dangerous content; again, your role as a parent is to make sure they know they can talk to you about this, and be prepared to offer explanations and reassurance.