Parental controls

Parental controls are a series of software features used to limit access in a system, or to a system. This can include limiting access that members of a family have, and is most often used to limit children in a household from accessing sites or content deemed inappropriate. Further, this has expanded to third-party software products that can allow parents to monitor and restrict what a person does online. This includes programs that can block and filter websites and content, record user activity, limit time spent online, and view browsing history and communications.

Often parental controls are offered as part of cybersecurity programs and are included in a computer's operating system; they are often seen as important tools for maintaining computer privacy and security, especially as children, who are targeted by most of these controls, tend to be more naïve and more likely to fall for malware or phishing schemes. However, users can apply these filters to any user-based profile in order to protect different members of a household or user base. For example, often these controls are used in office spaces and in schools to keep users from scrolling explicit content, spending time on social media or otherwise "time-wasting" websites, and creating a blacklist of websites with known malware concerns.

The types of controls will often depend on the type of methodology used by parental control programs. For example, as mentioned above, controls can work through content filtering, which blocks specific types of content or websites. Or another, which works to monitor a user's activity and guide them towards specific use or task goals to keep them productive and safe. This includes the following types of parental controls:

• Filtering and blocking—these limit access to specific websites, words, or images
• Blocking outgoing content—these prevent users from sharing personal information online or via email
• Limiting time—this allows parents to set time limits for how long children are online and the time of day they can access the internet
• Monitoring tools—these tools alert parents to their children's online activity without blocking access and can be used with or without the child's knowledge; some of these can record which websites a child has visited and can display warning messages when children visit certain websites

With the increased use of mobile phones among younger users, many mobile phone service providers and mobile phone operating systems, among other applications, offer different controls for parents to control privacy and usage, filter content and location, and monitor settings. This includes some controls similar to the above, but are tailored to the mobile experience:

• Usage controls—these can include turning off features, such as downloading videos or images, text messaging, and accessing the internet; as well, these controls can be used to limit the number of calls or texts and set time restrictions
• Content filtering—these controls can block certain websites, and some can also limit videos and other multimedia
• Location and monitoring settings - these controls allow a parent to track their children's whereabouts using GPS systems built into mobile devices

Other than devices and installed programs, some popular websites and social network platforms offer some kind of privacy controls that can include parental controls, or features very similar to parental controls. This includes sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Privacy and safety features can be set to keep what users are posting private, and some features can allow posts to be limited and tagged to allow a parent to review them before they are posted. Settings can be utilized to only allow a child to be found through friend lists or phone numbers, rather than random searches or tagging. Furthermore, many of the sites can turn off certain features, such as location features, private information, and facial recognition, which can harm a child's privacy.

Another great example of these controls and their importance is YouTube. The video-sharing platform is a popular place for children and young audiences for watching content—from cartoons, to cooking videos, to game reviews. However, through a few clicks, a young viewer can end up watching content that many parents would deem inappropriate.

To provide a solution to this, YouTube developed YouTube Kids, a standalone application that allows children to watch approved, kid-friendly videos in a closed system. At the same time, YouTube has worked to implement changes for creators on the main platform to keep children private, as per The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which includes requiring channel owners to mark videos as either for, or not for children.