Easiest solution: point the fucking DNS to a family safe one and lock it behind passcode. Done.
This is how you "protect the children." Not by making a burden on everyone else. I don't need age verification on the internet, ever.
this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2024
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I mean tbf, I think if your kid is smart enough to work out they need to log into the router to change the DNS settings then they can probably figure out how to set it on their end device too. Unless you’re also blocking VPNs and non-dhcp directed DNS requests too.
I think the obvious solution is to force router makers to have a more user-friendly way to enable child-friendly features (we did that with TVs, why not the internet?) rather than forcing websites to either shutdown or do sketchy shit like take IDs. I work as a tech for an ISP, I assure you most people can’t figure out (or are barely able to even with instructions) how to change the default wifi, there’s no chance in hell you’re gonna explain to them how to point traffic to a custom dns.
The main avenue of kids accessing the internet is via their smartphone. I'm not too knowledged into the functionality and capabilities of the built in parental by Google and Apple. Can anybody chime in and explain?
It will be nice to have somekind of MDM solutions, ideally free with a nice guided setup, for parents managing kid's phone.
Apple provides a lot of choices through “Family Sharing” where parents manage settings through iCloud. You can restrict apps, times, duration, content by ratings, websites, purchases, calling, etc
When my kids were little and got their first phones, Family Sharing didn’t really exist yet, but there were apps that might be more similar to what you’re thinking. However my restrictions actions were pretty minimal - mainly to limit screen time overall and after lights out
- my kids were especially annoyed about blocking mature content on YouTube - most videos are unrated so the all get blocked. It’s just not worth trying
- when I tried blocking explicit web sites, they just used other devices. While I expected them to find a way around the restrictions pretty easily, it was ridiculous how many different types of devices Id need to do that on, and each did it a different way with different capabilities. It’s just not worth it. Pay attention to your kids and trust them instead