Difference between revisions of "Parental Controls"
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There are three ways in which parental control software function: | There are three ways in which parental control software function: | ||
| − | * '''Complete disablement''' of the internet involves having the ability to cut wifi entirely | + | * '''Complete disablement''' of the internet involves having the ability to cut wifi entirely during chosen time intervals. This can range from disabling the wifi during a scheduled time interval, such as at bedtime, to turning off the internet indefinitely such as in instances of punishment. |
* '''Content blocking''' focuses on filtering through the content that children can see. For example, different accounts might have different age appropriate preferences set. For larger households with several devices, this allows for different children to view content appropriate for their age as determined by the account administrator. | * '''Content blocking''' focuses on filtering through the content that children can see. For example, different accounts might have different age appropriate preferences set. For larger households with several devices, this allows for different children to view content appropriate for their age as determined by the account administrator. | ||
Revision as of 23:52, 12 March 2021
Parental control software is a kind of software that provides parents with the power to control what sites their children can see, when internet access is available as well as track the internet internet history of their children. Before the widespread use of the internet, children did not have the access to information that they do now. For example, explicit music came in CD’s with large warning signs which made it very straightforward for parents to see what content their children were consuming.
Now that many children have access to the internet, the way in which parents monitor the content their children see has changed as well. Several companies have entered the business of parental control software as it is becoming widely adopted by parents worldwide. Increasingly, concerns are being raised in academia about the potential for abuse of parental control software by parents given the omnipresence that the software allows parents.
Contents
Overview
Parental control software typically consists of customizing internet permissions on different accounts with parents being the account administrator. [2] The account administrator typically can make changes for the entire household while accounts under the administrator do not have that capability. This allows parents to set rules for their children even when they are not present. Parental control software is becoming more prevalent. For example, basic parental control software comes with standard operating systems such as Windows. [3]
There are three ways in which parental control software function:
- Complete disablement of the internet involves having the ability to cut wifi entirely during chosen time intervals. This can range from disabling the wifi during a scheduled time interval, such as at bedtime, to turning off the internet indefinitely such as in instances of punishment.
- Content blocking focuses on filtering through the content that children can see. For example, different accounts might have different age appropriate preferences set. For larger households with several devices, this allows for different children to view content appropriate for their age as determined by the account administrator.
- Monitoring means that parents can have access to the complete browsing history of their children at any time. This allows parents to monitor how their children navigate the internet without hard boundaries.
Ethical Issues
In academia, there is a debate about whether or not parental control software leads to healthy outcomes. Some say that greater parental involvement in children allows for better internet safety practices. Others counter that parental control software enables parental behaviors that negatively affect family dynamics and internet safety practices. Despite this debate, there is a consensus that the obstacles that parents face when trying to protect their children from harmful content are largely shaped by the ease of accessibility to information that is accessible to children through the internet.
Benefits of Parental Control Software
The vastness of the internet places a large burden on parents trying to protect their children from harmful content on the internet. The internet is an integral part of school for children at the same time that the internet makes available potentially traumatic content that children would not otherwise see. Parental control software offers parents the ability to control what content their children have access to even when they are not present. There is some evidence that parents who are involved in some way in their children’s internet use are more likely to encourage safe internet practices. [4]
Shortfalls of Parental Control Software
hile some parents can potentially harm their children by being more negligent when it comes to teaching safe internet practices to their children, academia has researched that the reverse is also true. By providing parents with greater control over their children’s internet access, parental control software can enable parents who already may struggle with being over controlling in their relationships with their children. This can lead to breaks in trust within families as well as leave the children without experience practicing safe internet practices on their own. It is thought that perhaps parents may replace meaningful conversations with their children about safe internet practices with parental control software. As children enter adulthood it is likely that they may have trouble adjusting to having autonomy in their internet practices due to heavy supervision in the home. [5]
Parents face difficult decisions as they try to introduce children to the internet in a safe way. The ideal balance between the use of parental control software to protect children from harmful content and the conversations needed to teach children how to navigate the internet independently in a safe way is far from clear. What is certain is that parents will need to become increasingly tech savvy as the internet of things poses new challenges for families.
References
- ↑ Schilling, D. R. (2017, February 7). Parental Control for the Internet, TV & Voice Controlled Assistants. Industry Tap. http://www.industrytap.com/parental-control-internet-tv-voice-controlled-assistants/40715
- ↑ U-M Weblogin. (2020, September 18). Weblogin.umich.edu. https://go-gale-com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/ps/i.do?p=STND&u=umuser&id=GALE%7CA635821966&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon
- ↑ Parental consent and Microsoft child accounts. (n.d.). Support.microsoft.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021, from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/parental-consent-and-microsoft-child-accounts-c6951746-8ee5-8461-0809-fbd755cd902e
- ↑ U-M Weblogin. (n.d.). Weblogin.umich.edu. https://www-sciencedirect-com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/science/article/pii/S0047272720300724?via%3Dihub
- ↑ Cetinkaya, L. (2019). The Relationship between Perceived Parental Control and Internet Addiction: A Cross-sectional study among Adolescents. Contemporary Educational Technology, 10(1), 55–74. https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.512531
