Computer

Prevent children from accessing adult web content on your PC

And is that one of the negative aspects of the Internet is the large number of websites for adults that can easily distort the mind of a child. This is something that can lead to serious problems in the long run. Similarly, these pages can also pose a threat to our PC in the form of viruses that can compromise our privacy, so it is always convenient to block their access.

Security warning before entering an adult website

As we have mentioned previously, children are highly exposed to inappropriate content that is indicated only for adults. However, it is very easy for children to access them. Either by means of a banner that can be accessed from certain websites with this type of advertising or because of a virus that is responsible for opening pages with pornographic content, the truth is that minors can easily access a type of content that is not recommended at an early age.

Warning adult website

And it is that when we enter these types of pages, the most we find is an advert. In it, it tells us that the website is for adults, so we must check a box indicating that we are over or under 18 years of age. If we mark that we are of legal age, the website is unlocked allowing access without greater security measures. For this reason, it is important to take some preventive measures that allow us to block websites with this type of content for a safer browsing experience.

Block adult websites

To prevent our child or a minor from accessing adult content, we can use some tools such as Parental Control in Windows 10 or activate Google’s safe search settings.

Use Windows 10 Parental Control

The easiest way to block adult websites is to use the parental control tool for Windows 10, from where we will have to create different users, it will be for ourselves or for our children. To do this, we will access the Configuration menu by pressing the keyboard shortcut «Windows + I». Next, click on the “Accounts” section.

Configuration Win accounts

Once in the Accounts section, in the left column, click on the “Family and other users” section. Here, we click on «Add family» to create a new user for our son. For this, it will be necessary that we have an email address for our child since we will have to send a request by email that he must accept.

Settings Add family member

Once this is done, we go to the Windows family configuration by clicking on this link and log in to manage our children’s accounts. Here we will see a panel where we can perform different functions such as setting screen time limits, setting limits for applications and games. What we want is to block inappropriate websites so we click on the “More options” section within the member and click on “Content filters«.

Family Settings Content Filters

In the new screen we must go to the field of «Filter settings»Where we will find the section on« Filter inappropriate searches and websites », which is deactivated. Click on the button to activate them. This will protect the user from adult content by enabling safe search on Bing. When enabled, this setting blocks other browsers and only allows you to use Microsoft Edge.

Filter inappropriate website searches

Activate Google Safe Search Settings

If we use Google as the default search engine, we must know that it has its own secure search system. To do this, we just have to open our favorite browser and scroll to Google search settings by clicking here. Now all we have to do is click on the «Enable safe search»Found in the first section,« Safe Search Filters ».

Google Search Settings

By activating “Safe Search”, Google will take care of hide all explicit content of a sexual nature like pornography for all inquiries and on pictures, videos and websites. Of course, you will not be able to delete the references to them that they may contain on other pages.

Programs to block adult content

To help us isolate children from adult content, we can use third-party applications developed for this purpose and that can be very useful.

Qustodio, protect your children from inappropriate Internet content

One of the easiest and safest methods to protect children from inappropriate content on the Internet. It has a free version that will allow us to monitor, filter and block a user of the system. We can download it from this link and we must create a user account to use it. Once the user has been installed and created for our son, we must access the «Rules» section and select «Content filter«.

Qustodio Content filter

Now in the right column we find the “Exceptions” section, where we can write specific websites that we want to monitor, block or permanently ignore. To do this, click on «Add exception». In the next window we must write the URL of the web and select between Allow, Notify me, Block and Ignore each time the user tries to access this website.

Qustodio Add exceptions

From the “Settings” tab, we can see different options that we can activate or deactivate. Here it will be important that we keep the “Force safe search” options activated, which will be in charge of limiting search results to eliminate potentially dangerous content and “Notification of Blocked Sites”, which will be in charge of sending us an email when a blocked website has been visited.

Qustodio Web Filtering

BlueLifeHosts Editor, use the Windows hosts file to block websites

This program will allow us to use the Windows hosts file to block websites. This software is completely free and portable, that we can download from its website, and that will allow us to correctly edit the hosts file without errors or syntax errors.

BlueLife Hosts Editor add website to block

Once the program is open, we enter the web address that we want to block and click on the “+” icon that appears at the top.

BlueLife Hosts Editor blocked web

This option will add the website to the hosts file and it will crash if someone tries to access it, showing you an error message. If we ever want to go back, we simply have to delete the entry or uncheck the check box.

Chrome extensions to block adult websites

When it comes to blocking adult web content, we can also use different extensions that are available for Google Chrome and that will help us to do this.

BlockerX

It is a web page blocking extension that will allow us to block a wide variety of websites with adult content from a single account. The extension is up and running from the moment we install it and does not require complex additional configurations. With it installed, the moment the user tries to access websites that contain adult content, the BlockerX page will appear informing us that the website has been blocked.

BlockerX - Porn Blocker for Chrome
BlockerX - Porn Blocker for Chrome

Parental Control

With this extension we will be able to block pornographic websites so that we can protect our child from websites reserved for adults. It is very easy to use and it will allow us to block content that our child should not. Its operation is based on our Internet browsing, as it is responsible for analyzing the keywords that indicate that a page may contain adult content. In case any of these keywords is found, it is responsible for blocking it to prevent the user from seeing something they shouldn’t. It also allows us to create a blacklist of sites so that they are not accessible from the browser. In addition, we can set a password for activation and deactivation, as well as the configuration of the extension.

        
Parental Control - Block adult content in chrome
Parental Control - Block adult content in chrome

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