Kids these days have a different childhood than we had. We used to put on the Disney channel and watch Hannah Montana or Good Luck Charlie, under the supervision of our parents. Now, in this modern world with the kind of technology that actually intimidates us, it can get a bit difficult to keep a watch on what our children are watching or getting access to. Every kid has a smart device these days and they are way faster than us in understanding all its inner workings. This could lead them to use it freely, without any supervision. As a matter of fact, some parents encourage their kids to use digital gadgets and the internet.
Arguably, the internet is a source of a wide range of data. At the same time, it could be a dangerous place that could expose your kids to inappropriate content. This should make parents concerned about the web usage of their children.
Parental controls come in handy in restricting your kid’s access to certain dark websites and platforms. Using this allows you to limit their web usage, downloads, and interaction with people online, especially from sources that cannot be trusted and already appear unauthenticated.
There are some major internet service providers (ISPs) in the US that offer different packages for parental control. Below are some of those:
Spectrum
Top ISPs of the country understand that safety should always be a top priority of any person using the internet, let alone a child. And this is why this internet service provider delivers their top-notch service securely with an option of parental control by offering Spectrum Security Suits that come with incredible protection.
This essentially eliminates all potential threats that come with internet surfing from a PC or your smartphone. This is a standard perk included in all internet deals and packages which you can check out here so you can take a step to protect your child from any malicious online activity.
In this regard, you can use parental controls of this security suite provided by Spectrum to make sure that your kids are getting access to appropriate content available online. In addition to this, it will also play its role in preventing your kid from accessing any inappropriate or blocked content.
If you want to get information about this parental control of Spectrum Security Suite, then we recommend talking with their customer service representative. You can ask them how you can use this feature to prevent your kids from using potentially harmful content. In this way, you can make sure that your kids are browsing the internet without any danger lurking behind it.
AT&T
AT&T is undoubtedly quite popular amongst internet users all around the country. It not only provides you with high-speed internet but also comes with multiple other perks. One of such is definitely this internet service provider’s internet security that is powered by McAfee. This helps you in protecting your own and your kid’s devices from any kind of viruses and also helps you in managing your child’s web usage through the latest Parental Controls settings.
With this parental control option, you can also limit the total number of devices that can connect to the web at any given time. This can be done from the Parental Control settings. Moreover, this feature of security allows you to make a list of the websites that you deem are suitable for surfing by your kids.
In addition to this, you can also set schedules for internet usage for your children. You can also block any content that carries potential risks for your children. Basically, AT&T helps you in monitoring the entire internet usage of your child.
Xfinity
Xfinity offers you an internet security system that is highly efficient and extremely useful. You can get Advanced Internet Security for free with xFi Gateway. This software provides you with the kind of security that we know you need for your child. It fights against all threats that could come from web surfing and any other online activity.
Various useful tools are included in this software. To name a few; it helps parents in limiting the time of their kids which they spend online, it also offers tools like device pausing along with numerous other latest settings of parental controls.
The settings of Parental Control with this service provider may not be as customizable as you might want it to be but it does work efficiently in reducing the chances of your child accessing unwanted, dark, and inappropriate content online. The data and information available online that is suitable to be visited by people of different age groups, will be accessible only.
Windstream
We all are familiar with the amazing services of Windstream. It never disappoints its users with the blazing-fast speed it comes with. But this is not the only thing that makes Windstream one of the leading ISPs of the country. Its Kinetic Secure suite is something worth the praises it gets.
Kinetic Secure by Windstream makes browsing and streaming incredibly secure and makes your online experience a relaxing one. It also plays its role in saving you from any kind of online fraud, which is probably one of the prime concerns of every individual while using the internet. In addition to this, Kinetic Secure protects your devices from malware and also provides sufficient security from any kind of potential account hacking.
All the plans for security provided by this ISP deliver excellent assistance for any technology-related problems of parental controls. But our personal favorite is definitely Total Secure Plan as it offers one of the best options you can get your hands on. With this plan, you can get the kind of security you have been looking for with enhanced settings of parental controls.
Having said that, Windstream offers one of the best Parental Controls and helps you monitor your child while they surf the world wide web so you can prevent them from getting access to any site that is not kid-appropriate.
Features You Should Look For In Parental Controls
There are some significant features that you should keep an eye out for while choosing the internet service provider based on their Parental Controls. Those features are:
- Blocking of unwanted websites
- Blocking chat rooms
- Request access to certain websites that may or may not be kid-friendly
- Placing time limits on web usage
- Alerts when someone tries to change the settings of parental control
- Filtering the content and information available online
- Blocking instant messaging to make sure that your kids cannot get in touch with any stranger online
Providing your kid a way to use the internet is a good thing but you should also keep a check on their online activity because there is no denying, children are highly vulnerable to any kind of cyber threats. In order to safeguard your child and protect them from said threat, you need to make sure that your internet service comes with precautionary measures and adequate tools that you can use. Typically, these parental controls come with internet services for free. However, some providers may ask you to buy an extra security plan to enhance the protection.
Key Takeaway
Your kid could get access to all kinds of material online and most of the time the said material contains dangerous information and inappropriate content. This is why parents must learn how they can ensure safe browsing for their kids. In this regard, you can check out the above-mentioned internet service providers and their services of parental controls.