As a parent, you already know there are places on the internet you don’t want your children visiting. You’re probably also aware of the viral challenges that make short-lived rounds across social media. The Momo Challenge is the latest one. There was also the Tide Pod Challenge, the Cinnamon Challenge, and the Mannequin Challenge.
Not everything that goes around the internet is bad. After all, the Mannequin Challenge was more fun than anything else. The Ice Bucket Challenge helped raise over $115 million dollars for A.L.S. research and treatment—and it helped researchers discover a gene that may help lead to better treatments.
But you’re never worried about your kids encountering something positive on the internet. If anything, you’re wishing there was more of it. Even if your kids are safe and smart, they’re still bound to come across questionable, if not harmful, material. After all, 70% of children on the internet accidentally view adult content even when their searches include innocent terms.
The good news is, there are tools out there that can help you make the online world a safer place, and they’re called secure home platforms (SHPs).
How Secure Home Platforms Can Help You Filter Out The Bad
(FYI: We’ll be talking about the SHP provided by McAfee, who we’ve partnered with to bring their incredible software directly to current and future routers.)
One of the limitations to most routers today is that they are limited in how they protect devices. Most of them only come with standard controls that let you block sites, and that’s about it. What makes it worse is that you often have to apply these settings to every device on your network.
SHPs built into routers take a comprehensive approach to security. Instead of providing basic controls that apply to every device on a network, McAfee’s SHP gives you the ability to create customized profiles for each person in your family and all of their devices. Within these profiles you can:
- Block content based on age
- Use preset content filters
- Customize content filters
- Set internet schedules
- Pause the internet
- Whitelist and/or blacklist sites
- Grant website access upon request
Because they’re personalized, you can put every device that each kid owns under the profile and all of the security settings you create will apply to every device. So, if your kid has a laptop, smartphone, game console, tablet, or any other device that connects to the internet through WiFi or Ethernet, they’re all covered.
We’re sure there are plenty of you out there who have blocked social media sites on one device only to later discover that your kid is hoping online on a different device.
The benefits go beyond that, though. Here’s a quick look at some of the features we mentioned above.
Preset Content Filters By Age
Use these to automatically filter content deemed inappropriate based on age or as a starting point for building your own.
Customize Content Filters
Choose which content each person in your home is allowed to view.
Set Internet Schedules
Pick the times you want to allow or block Wi-Fi use, such as dinner, homework, or bedtime.
Pause the Internet
Turn off the Wi-Fi for your whole family or individual profiles.
Receive Alerts and Grant Access
Gives your kids the ability to request access to sites that may or may not be questionable and allows you to accept or block from anywhere.
Whitelist and/or Blacklist Sites
Block or allow websites that you know you either aren’t or are okay with your kids seeing.
Receive Reports
View weekly and monthly reports to keep track of the sites and threats that the SHP blocked.
Detect New Devices
Know when new devices are accessing your Wi-Fi, such as one of your kid’s friends, and block or allow access.
One More Benefit to McAfee’s Built-In SHP
Along with all the benefits mentioned above, McAfee’s SHP does have one more benefit—machine learning. Their software uses AI to analyze threats in real-time, continuously evolving its security providing better protection every day.
Now these settings do apply only to the internet provided through your router’s Wi-Fi. If your kids decide to use mobile data, you’ll have to go another route to protect them. But while they’re online at your home, you will be able to protect them from a lot of the things they may find online—especially the malicious sites they come across unintentionally.