Regulating web browsing can prevent children (and workers) from accessing dangerous content on the internet, or having to make judgment calls over suitable relationships in chat-rooms. To restrict browsing using Internet Explorer, follow these instructions.
1Open Internet Explorer and go to Tools > Internet Options. Note that if your Internet Explorer doesn’t have a traditional toolbar layout, the Tools button will look like a cog in the upper right-hand corner.Ad
2Choose the Content tab and click on the Enable button.
3Select filter settings for the categories shown. They include Language, Nudity, Sex, and Violence. The further right you push the slider, the more content is allowed.
4Click on the Approved Sites tab. Here you can type in any specific websites that you might want to be treated specially. You can come back and change this list later, perhaps after feedback from your family.
5Navigate to the General tab, and click on Create Password. This will set you up as Administrator, preventing other users from altering the settings.
6Click OK to exit the window. Now that you have enabled Content Advisor, you can rest assured that your family can only view rated web pages.Ad
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- For a comparison of features of different products, see this Comparison Chart:
|Program||OS||Browsers||Web Categories||Per User||Remote Control||Restrict by Time||Restrict Programs||Restrict Chat||Price|
|Note: SafeEye's license includes installation on 3 computers, and there is a Mac version available.|
Content Adviser may have uses but other software titles have more powerful features:
- Control what programs and games are run.
- Restrict computer use to certain times or days.
- View a list of visited websites.
- Control which websites are accessed.
- Restricting a child's web usage when they are used to unrestricted access may result in negative behavior. Try to to install an Internet filter at an early stage to get them used to it.
- * If the child logs in to the computer using an administrator account, they may attempt to turn off Content Adviser by deleting registry settings. Create for them a new account (with limited powers) to restrict their ability to edit the registry.
- Content Adviser only filters Internet Explorer, so if a family member installs another web browser such as Firefox, filtering will not be effective. To prevent a user installing another browser (such as Firefox) and bypassing Internet Explorer's filtering, create another user on your computer and assign it limited user powers. (A Guest account on Windows works very well for this purpose.) Get the other users to log in using the new user ID; their ability to install new programs will then be restricted.
- Some other programs to consider are as follows:
- K9 Web Protection - a leading parental control software resource. Tons of tips and guides for parents to help safeguard the online welfare of their children.
- BrowseControl - Quick and easy setup. User friendly.
- SafeEyes - This is what some schools are installing.
- CyberPatrol - Perhaps the most used program at home. This program also can control access to programs installed on the computer.
- ContentProtect - Includes a remote control feature.
Integrated Tools - If you are a AOL, MSN or Earthlink subscriber, or you own Norton Internet Security or ZoneAlarm Internet Security, you already have some parental control tools, as they are integrated into the software.
- Resourceful children may try to use "hacks" to bypass your controls:
- If your children (or any other Internet browser in your home) feel that their Internet options are being limited, spend some time reminding them what happens to computers that are completely unprotected, and present the Internet filter as just another part of a good security setup.
- * Free proxy service websites (search on Google for "free web proxy") can hide further web page browsing from parental controls. Most parental control software will automatically block access to these sites, but check out History logs to view any attempts and talk to your child to generate agreement on what surfing is acceptable.
- This restricts ALL users, not specific users.
- All parental-control programs sometimes over-block or under-block websites. Read software reviews to minimize the risk of installing a program that blocks too many safe sites or allows access to too much dangerous content.
- If you have a router/modem which provides "always on" internet access, parental control software (indeed Windows itself) can be bypassed by a user booting a custom operating system from a removable drive. (This doesn't apply to internet access through a simple USB or dial up modem, where users don't have access to ISP login details.)
- Consider installing a physical proxy that controls all web requests at access level. This will probably involve installing a more costly router/firewall with extended features (unless you already have one).
- Web browsers are often the target of vulnerabilities and loopholes, particularly popular ones such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. If you feel uncomfortable about this, perhaps you should try a less popular browser like Opera or Konqueror (Linux/Macintosh), which offer different code basics and features. It should be noted, however, that most security compromises are a result of unsafe computing habits.
- Ask your family to:
- Scan all downloads with your virus checker.
- Avoid programs and services that have not gained your trust.
- Install a program such as Windows Security Essentials to block web pages that are known to try to gain access to your computer.
- Ask your family to:
In other languages:
Italiano: Limitare l'Accesso a Internet Usando Internet Explorer, Español: restringir la navegación en internet usando Internet Explorer, Deutsch: Das Surfen im Internet in Internet Explorer einschränken, Português: Restringir a Navegação na Internet Utilizando o Internet Explorer, Русский: ограничить пользование интернетом в Internet Explorer
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